The younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret Rose the younger daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, was born on 21st August 1930 at Glamis Castle in Scotland.
When she was born, she was fourth in line to the throne behind her uncle David, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), her father (later George VI), and her sister, Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II). In January 1936, Princess Margaret’s grandfather King George V died, and her unmarried uncle, David ascended the throne as Edward VIII, though he would remain uncrowned. His scandalous love affair with the twice-divorced American Wallis Warfield-Simpson threatened to push the monarchy into a crisis, and rather than give up Wallis, he abdicated the throne that December, leaving George VI, Princess Margaret’s father as the new king in 1937.
When the Second World War broke out in 1939, Princess Margaret was ushered to Birkhall at Balmoral with her sister but they were then sent to Sandringham and finally Windsor Castle, where they spent the remainder of the war. Questions were raised about sending the princesses to safety in Canada, but Queen Elizabeth wouldn’t hear of it, “The children won’t go without me. I won’t go without the King. And the King will never leave.”
The York family grew up close, and Elizabeth and Margaret were cherished by their parents. When she was young, Princess Margaret would display a taste for artistic and musical pursuits and was an adept pianist; she would also spend a lot of time swimming. Very often she was invested in health and welfare charities.
Both Princess Margaret and her sister were disciplined by a governess and were given a traditional education. Once the war has ended, Princess Margaret joined her family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace and together with her sister they have disappeared into the crowds to enjoy the ceremony.
On 6th of February 1952 King George VI has died after struggling with lung cancer, and Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II. At Elizabeth II’s coronation at Westminster Abbey in 1953, all eyes should have been on the new queen, but instead Princess Margaret was the centre of attention. During the televised event, the queen’s sister picked a piece of lint from the lapel of Peter Townsend, a war hero who now was in the employ of the royal family—and the intimate gesture lead to a royal scandal.
The relationship between the two began in the early 1950s. Sophisticated, attractive and captivating, she was strongly attracted to the charming veteran. But Townsend was not considered a suitable match. Despite the fact that their affair was a secret, the world soon found out that Townsend, a divorcee, has proposed to the princess and that she has accepted.
During that time, divorce was perceived as a significant issue, and it was out of the question for a royal to marry both a lower-class person and a divorcee. It was necessary for the Queen to approve the marriage. But, on the other hand, the Parliament, the Cabinet, and the Church of England were determinedly opposing the marriage, declaring they would not approve. At the same time, in order for the marriage to take place, Margaret would have had to give up her right of ever succeeding to the throne. It’s not certain if this is the reason that made Margaret eventually broke off the relationship, but on 31st of October 1955 she issued the following:
“I would like it to be known that I have decided not to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend. I have been aware that, subject to my renouncing my rights of succession, it might have been possible for me to contract a civil marriage. But mindful of the Church’s teachings that Christian marriage is indissoluble and conscious of my duty to the Commonwealth, I have resolved to put these considerations before others. I have reached this decision entirely alone, and in doing so, I have been strengthened by the unfailing support and devotion of Group Captain Townsend.”
On 26th of February 1960, Princess Margaret announced her engagement to the photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones and on 6th of May of that same year they got married in the first televised royal wedding. This relationship was just as scandalous as her previous one. The romance, that was not made public until the engagement was announced, shocked the world and, according to some, Margaret decision was based on Townsend’s remarriage. Even though Antony Armstrong-Jones was a commoner, his family was one of respected artists and he had never been divorced. As a wedding present, Princess Margaret was given a 10-acre parcel of land on the island of Mustique, which would become a haven and a retreat for her later on.
The wedding took place at Buckingham Palace where Queen Ingrid of Denmark was the only foreign royal guest because the other royal families did not agree with the idea that a king’s daughter shall marry a photographer, and did not participate at the ceremony. In 1961 the couple became the Earl and Countess of Snowdon and later that year, their son David was born, and a daughter, Sarah, followed in 1964.
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon continued with her royal duties after her marriage. She travelled around the world representing The Queen in Jamaica, Tuvalu, Dominica, the United States, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, Denmark, Japan, Swaziland, and China.
The Earl and Countess of Snowdon appeared to be leading a Swinging Sixties life filled with parties, glamorous friends and art, but in reality their relationship was falling apart. Adultery, disagreements and overindulgence in alcohol and drugs put pressure on their marriage. They were subject to overwhelming scrutiny from the public and the British press, which followed their every move. Both had affairs, but none was more scandalous than Princess Margaret’s affair with Roddy Llewellyn, a man 17 years her junior which reportedly started in 1973. Though it ran for several years, it was only when photographs of the two were published in the News of the World in 1976 and Princess Margaret and her husband publicly admitted that their marriage has failed.
By 1978 their divorce was finalized, and the Earl of Snowdon remarried later that year while Princess Margaret never remarried. He married Lucy Lindsay-Hogg, the former wife of a film director, in 1978. Their only daughter, Frances Armstrong-Jones, was born the following year, but Snowdon divorced again in 2000 after he had another son, Jasper, with the journalist Melanie Cable-Alexander. It was later revealed that he had had a daughter, Polly Fry, just before marrying Princess Margaret. A DNA test in 2004 proved his fatherhood, but he denied any connection with that topic.
Princess Margaret who was a lifelong smoker, a habit she shared with her father, quit in 1991, after she’d had part of her left lung removed. in 1993 she was hospitalized with pneumonia and in 1998 she had a stroke. In 1999, she scalded her feet in a bathtub accident and thereafter suffered mobility issues. She used walking supports and sometimes needed to use a wheelchair.
In 2001, she suffered further strokes that left her paralyzed on the left side of her body and her vision got affected. The last time she was seen in public was at Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester’s 100th birthday celebrations that December.
Princess Margaret died on 9 February 2002 at King Edward VII Hospital in London after suffering another stroke. A private funeral was held on the 50th anniversary of her father’s funeral, and her remains were cremated and placed in her parents’ tomb in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.