Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1930-2002)

[Princess Margaret]

Hello

I made the following post in the Princess Anne forum but Iowabelle kindly informed me it was more likely to be Princess Margaret, can anyone help?

Yes, it was Princess Margaret, and not princess Anne, who take her children to the art gallery to see only one picture.

 

[Russophile]

Interesting quote, Warren, am wondering if she acted that way because she didn't get Townsend??

 

[Mermaid1962]

That's true. It's too bad, because she certainly looked like everyone's idea of a princess when she was a young woman.

MAJESTY's May edition had an article about Princess Margaret's tour of Europe when she was a very young woman. She looked like a princess in a movie.

Unfortunately Princess Margaret did not always behave very royally.

 

[Odette]

Princess Margaret was a beautiful lady and in different times she could have been very happy. Who can say if it was the fact that she was the second daughter or the fact that Townsend was divorced or she was spoilt or unlucky or lived 50 years too early?
I agree Mermaid that she looked the part and officially she played her role to perfection.

 

[LASSE15]

Please,look 100`s of original photos,which shows Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth in 1950`s at Images of Queen Elisabeth and Princess Margaret

 

[Skydragon]

Basil Charles, the man they call The King of Mustique, is the godfather of the glitterati. For the past 30 years, celebrities ranging from Prince William to Amy Winehouse, Mick Jagger to Kate Moss, the late Princess Margaret to the Beckhams have knocked back a cocktail at his beachside ba

Read more: He's the king of Mustique, the barman who knows the secrets of everyone from Winehouse to Jagger - but now he's going to tell all... | Mail Online
​

 

[Skydragon]

With each year that has passed since Princess Margaret's death, Lord Glenconner believes the stories of her holidays on the Caribbean island of Mustique have become more scandalously louche

Lord Glenconner says it's time to let Princess Margaret rest in peace - Telegraph

 

[Princess Margaret]

That's true. It's too bad, because she certainly looked like everyone's idea of a princess when she was a young woman.

MAJESTY's May edition had an article about Princess Margaret's tour of Europe when she was a very young woman. She looked like a princess in a movie.

Think about The Roman Holidays with Audrey Hepburn. The story was reportedly based on the real-life Italian adventures of Princes Margaret.

 

[queenofthelight]

Sorry, if I post to the wrong thread.

Did Lord Snowdon have a fling with Backstairs Billy? | Mail Online

 

[Emeralds and Opals]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/6520885/Princess-Margaret-letter-changes-how-we-view-her-life.html


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/6520837/Princess-Margaret-recently-unearthed-letter-sheds-new-light-on-decision-not-to-marry.html

 

[Warren]

Margaret-Townsend


From the above links...

Princess Margaret's decision not to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend, a divorcee, has always been thought to have been made under pressure and opposition from the Queen, the court and senior members within the Church of England.

But now a newly discovered letter from the Princess turns the story on its head, revealing that she was "uncertain" of her love for Townsend, despite their long-term affair. Far from being forced to act, the Princess's letter to Anthony Eden, the then prime minister, shows that she was determined to take the decision herself of whether to marry Townsend or not.

The letter also makes clear that Princess Margaret was aware that the government was paving the way for a marriage if she and Townsend wanted it. In addition, and no less important, the latest papers confirm that had the couple married, the Princess would have been required to surrender nothing more than her right of succession to the throne. She would have retained her style and rank of Royal Highness together with her Civil List annuity. That may at last put to rest the often-voiced but mistaken opinion that she chose to put the privileges of being a royal princess before everything else.

end of quotes
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There was no legal impediment stopping Princess Margaret from marrying Peter Townsend and under the terms of the Act of Settlement she would not have lost her place in the Line of Succession. Therefore it's curious that the government would insist on her displacement which could only be achieved by an Act of Parliament depriving her of her rights.
Given that at the time the Queen had two direct successors in Charles and Anne (making Margaret third in line) the proposition seems somewhat extreme and heavy-handed.

 

[Iluvbertie]

However, considering that less than 20 years earlier a King had been forced by the government to renouce his crown due to wanting to marry a divorcee the government couldn't do any less to Margaret than deny her that same right, otherwise the entire reason for the Abdication falls on its head and that ex-King was still alive and well at the time. The government knew that to not pass such an Act would leave it open to all sorts of criticism as well as having to admit that their was more to the reasons for removing Edward VIII than that he wanted to marry a divorcee.

 

[Patra]

I wonder if parallels will be drawn between William (Queen) and Harry (Margaret) as they grow older, and the difficult choices they will have to make in relationships and the monarchy's infulence on those choices? No 1 & No 2 always seem to be food for thought.....

 

[EmpressRouge]

I read something a few years ago (probably mentioned in these forums) that supports this theory, that Margaret and Townsend's relationship was not the "great love" Townsend described. It might have been an extended teenage crush that lingered because of George VI's early death.

 

[Hereditary Thane]

Some of the above information is new to me. Whatever its merits and authenticity what speaks volumes from the past is the perfidious nature of the British ruling elites, then as now. All I know personally about Princess Margaret is that, despite her ascerbic reputation, she was a deeply religious woman who really did carry out quiet good works. Sad she may have been in later life, but never bitter.

 

[Mermaid1962]

That makes sense to me. Princess Margaret wasn't married when her father died and so didn't have another significant man in her life. A girl could easily think herself deeply in love with an older man in that case.

I read something a few years ago (probably mentioned in these forums) that supports this theory, that Margaret and Townsend's relationship was not the "great love" Townsend described. It might have been an extended teenage crush that lingered because of George VI's early death.

 

[Skydragon]

The actor and comedian has, however, upset friends of the late Princess Margaret by accusing her of anti-Semitism.
At the HarperCollins History Lecture at the Royal Institute of British Architects, Fry claimed that the Queen's sister had been shocked when he told her at a dinner party that he had Jewish ancestors. Fry, who is a great chum of the Prince of Wales, alleged that she expressed her horror by shouting to everybody else at her table: "He's a Jew. He's a Jew."

Anger at Stephen Fry's claims about Princess Margaret - Telegraph

 

[Jaya]

Princess Margaret was like a figurine . She had great beauty and charisma in her day. But she lacked a formal education and she was a chain smoker.
Townsend was a diabetic and Margaret had a wavering mind. The Countess De Rosse was her mother-in law from the Snowden marriage.
I think she could have done more for the arts etc.

 

[Jaya]

This is what I found , it's not the full version unfortunately:


All in all, there was a fair measure of hypocrisy in the infamous letter of rebuke that Margaret wrote to the Duchess of York in response to the flowers Fergie once sent her as a peace offering.
Fergie had been exposed three years earlier for her toe-sucking episode with American John Bryan, and Margaret had never forgiven her. 'Not once have you hung your head in embarrassment, even for a minute, after those disgraceful photographs,' Margaret stormed in her letter.
'Clearly, you have never considered the damage you are causing us all. How dare you discredit us like this, and how dare you send me those flowers

The queen of hedonism | Mail Online

I am sure the full version is out there somewhere

What a hypocrite of a princess!

I find this rather bad behaviour on he part of Princess Margaret towards Fergie. As Princess Margaret had been no saint with Townsend I do not know why anyone would write her an apology for anything. Did she apologize that she smoked her way to death and that the rumours were always rife about what happened on Mustique? No Sorry but Princess Maragaret has lost me here.
Also having been able to wed Townsend is news without her renouncing her annuity should have paved the way for that. I think Princess Margaret had a wavering mind. She could wear the lovely clothes,etc but she could not quit smoking? I think as the years went by she became bitter and critical.May she rest in Peace.

 

[Lord Rossmore]

Christmas at Sandringham in the Past

Hi all,
I posted this Thread so we can all post up pictures of the Royals at Sandringham in the Past before. But i am especially looking for a Picture of Princess Margaret at Sandringham 1993 she was wearing a Fur Coat and Hat. If anyone has this picture id look to see it thanks. Happy Christmas and Happy Posting

 

[silverstar]

Cremation

I read this on the net..........

She eventually died in her sleep on February 9, 2002, with her son and daughter at her bedside. She was 71 years old.

The funeral was held at St George's Chapel, Windsor, where her father lay buried (and where her 101-year-old mother would join them both in a matter of weeks).

Lord Snowdon arrived, limping heavily and grumbling because the Lord Chamberlain had mistakenly told him there would be no steps to climb.

At one point, he came face to face with Llewellyn. Roddy seemed eager to talk. Snowdon cut him dead.

The Princess's ashes were lodged in a little side chapel behind bars - a paradox of accessibility and distance. She had always liked to be noticed and appreciated but did not, on the whole, like ordinary people to get too close. As in life, so in death.

Read more: Princess Margaret: How she lost the will to live | Mail Online


Was Princess Margaret cremated ? surely not !

 

[MAfan]

Yes, she was cremated; her ashes are buried in the same chapel of her parents, in St. George Chapel in Windsor.

 

[silverstar]

that must be a first for the Royal family surely ?

 

[Duchessmary]

I believe she's the first and only to date.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Lord Glenconner: Will Princess Margaret's louche confidant betray her most intimate secrets from beyond the grave? | Mail Online

He was the last of an old-fashioned breed: titled, moneyed, eccentric, the best friend of the wayward Princess Margaret and the founder of upmarket tourism to the Caribbean.

Now, only a couple of months after he welcomed, with typical elan, his unknown illegitimate son into his family with a huge party at his Scottish baronial castle, Lord Glenconner has died aged 83 — back in the West Indies which have been his home for 40 years.

 

[Russophile]

Lord Glenconner: Will Princess Margaret's louche confidant betray her most intimate secrets from beyond the grave? | Mail Online

Ooooh! *Russo licks her chops* Can't wait for this one to be published!

 

[sirhon11234]

This book sounds very interesting. I've always found Margaret to be a sad yet beautiful, hypocritical figure. She was such a sad person imo.

 

[la_noblesse]

Lord Glenconner and his sur mesure turquoise suits, he better rest in peace now. It is my belief that royal history owes something to the extraordinary Princess Margaret. To my discontent, these intimate secrets may appear as scandalous to some people, even at this day and age. It is no secret that Margaret considered her sister and the rest Windsors as rather rustic, and not to her taste. Their country-inspired notions and interests did not amuse her, fair enough. She was in another league, dared to differ, and this was her crime according to the majority. However the masses can be easily misled and jump to unfair conclusions, which is unpleasant to many of us. I very much tend to believe that time will pay justice to this wonderful person. Farewell!

 

[Tsaritsa]

From the above links...

Princess Margaret's decision not to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend, a divorcee, has always been thought to have been made under pressure and opposition from the Queen, the court and senior members within the Church of England.

But now a newly discovered letter from the Princess turns the story on its head, revealing that she was "uncertain" of her love for Townsend, despite their long-term affair. Far from being forced to act, the Princess's letter to Anthony Eden, the then prime minister, shows that she was determined to take the decision herself of whether to marry Townsend or not.

The letter also makes clear that Princess Margaret was aware that the government was paving the way for a marriage if she and Townsend wanted it. In addition, and no less important, the latest papers confirm that had the couple married, the Princess would have been required to surrender nothing more than her right of succession to the throne. She would have retained her style and rank of Royal Highness together with her Civil List annuity. That may at last put to rest the often-voiced but mistaken opinion that she chose to put the privileges of being a royal princess before everything else.

end of quotes
- - - - - - -

There was no legal impediment stopping Princess Margaret from marrying Peter Townsend and under the terms of the Act of Settlement she would not have lost her place in the Line of Succession. Therefore it's curious that the government would insist on her displacement which could only be achieved by an Act of Parliament depriving her of her rights.
Given that at the time the Queen had two direct successors in Charles and Anne (making Margaret third in line) the proposition seems somewhat extreme and heavy-handed.

There can have been no lonlier place to be than in Princess Margarets' shoes following the death of her beloved father. In the drawing of his final breath her tight family unit, "us four" became single individuals in grief. Elizabeth had a husband and children, not to mention a country!!! to fill her time whilst Mummy was in a place reserved for a woman in shock at losing, too soon her husband. It would be unsurprising if Margaret felt abandonned especially as she was regarded as being her father' favourite, the one who made him laugh, the one to whom he could deny nothing. Consolation for having been the second born as had he - maybe.
Might this have been the moment that what ever was in the embryonic stages with Peter Townsend went up a notch? Out of ones' mind with grief is no throwaway line. So there could have been a situation developing, which otherwise may have not, because too absorbed in their own grief, there was no one to steer it in another direction. I have a sense of her, psychologically stamping her dainty little Royal foot and reminding those by whom she felt ignored that she was THE Princess Margaret and if they continued to treat her as if she was of no importance she would do something that would really make them sit up and take notice........and she did, but having read her letter I can't dismiss the feeling that she became "hoist by her own petard." The letter, to me, is a fait accompli, but it backfired. Ther government were paving the way for the marriage to happen. She had what she wanted.........but did she really want it!!!? However, by now, she had the one thing I believe she wanted from the start - to be NOTICED. Not just by her mother and her sister, but by the whole world. A very powerful, heady place to be which she put to advantage........she delayed her decision.
Backtracking comes to mind, coupled with cold feet. Was there a sudden need to extricate herself from a situation that had got out of hand? Now it was available to her, did she see the reality instead of the fantasy and
at some point had she longed for somebody with enough authority to say ENOUGH? I find it very difficult to accept that PT was the love of her life.She was unique. A Star, albeit a frequently frustrated one for whom the gilded cage was sometimes a trap, but one she couldn't live outside of for too long.

 

[Mermaid1962]

What you say makes a great deal of sense, Tsaritsa. Princess Margaret would have been so young when her father died and hadn't had the opportunity to begin her own family. When a person's in grief, especially in the initial stages, so much doesn't make sense. In "falling in love" with Captain Townsend, PM had an attachment of her own and probably built up castles in the air of what a life with him would have been like. Loneliness is a powerful feeling as well.

It would be unsurprising if Margaret felt abandonned especially as she was regarded as being her father' favourite, the one who made him laugh, the one to whom he could deny nothing. Consolation for having been the second born as had he - maybe.
Might this have been the moment that what ever was in the embryonic stages with Peter Townsend went up a notch? Out of ones' mind with grief is no throwaway line.