Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1930-2002)


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O-H Anglophile said:
I do think Margaret's choice of vacation location played into the stories. It is easier to criticize someone vacationing in the Caribbean where it is warm and sunny with beaches than vacationing in the wilds of northern Scotland.
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Going to the Carribbean meant travelling first-class on British Airways with her whole entourage and all its costs.

Taking an holiday in Scotland required nothing of that sort.
 
But the Queen and Prince Philip are exceptions in that they have for decades pretty well restricted themselves to taking their annual holidays in Scotland.

There are plenty of examples of Royals, not just from the BRF, but also including them, who journey to exotic and luxurious resorts all over Europe and elsewhere all through the year. And yes, they take nannies and other staff with them, and also join friends. The airlines accommodate them and I'm sure many don't pay top dollar for their flights.

I don't see why Princess Margaret should be singled out simply because she preferred the warm waters of the Caribbean to striding through the heather in tweeds at Balmoral.
 
At the time, she was the only British Princess who did so on a regular basis. there weren't many senior royals back in the 60s and 70s.. and since she was seene (correctly) as snobby and arrogant and not keen on royal work, she wasn't liked much. So when the public alos felt "I only get 2 weeks at Butlins or Margate" it was bound to be something that added to her lack of popularity.
 
 
Curryong said:
There are plenty of examples of Royals, not just from the BRF, but also including them, who journey to exotic and luxurious resorts all over Europe and elsewhere all through the year. And yes, they take nannies and other staff with them, and also join friends. The airlines accommodate them and I'm sure many don't pay top dollar for their flights.
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Yes, plenty of royals go on holiday to exotic places.

But I don't think any of them ever take a 6-week holiday in the Caribbean between February and March like Margaret used to do.
 
The Queen (and usually Prince Philip) have taken the end of July, the month of August, and much of September (going into October in recent years) to holiday in Scotland at Balmoral, and have done so for years. I would argue, if you are going to argue expenses, that being there with a full component of staff, family members, friends, dignitaries etc, would cost a considerable amount too.

I have also posted a considerable schedule of Royal visits, tours, charities and causes which occupied much of Margaret's time throughout the year, when she wasn't in the Caribbean, carrying out what you call a few 'menial duties'.
 
Is it true that Margaret was left as a sort of regent during the Coronation Tour in 1953 like it's portrayed in The Crown?
 
Kronprinz said:
Is it true that Margaret was left as a sort of regent during the Coronation Tour in 1953 like it's portrayed in The Crown?
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I may be wrong about this but I believe if the Queen was away on a foreign tour such as her Coronation tour, Margaret most likely acted as a Councillor of State during her absence. I didn't see The Crown so don't know what it was called in the show but its possible they got the terms Regent and Councilllor of State mixed up.
 
She certainly was not a regent, but I think she was on the Council of State
 
Margaret was a Councilor of State in her father's, George VI, reign from 21 August 1951 – 6 February 1952. She was a Councilor of State for her sister, Queen Elizabeth II from 6 February 1952 – 10 March 1985.

BTW: thanks for the correct spelling of Councilor. Some words throw me for a loop no matter how much I try to get them right. :D
 
>? I'm sure you've spelled it right Osipi. Anyway its so hard on a computer with the damn thing jumping and changing words!!
 
The Queen Mum was known for being fond of her drinks as was Margaret from all accounts that I've read. One thing about the royal family is that drinking and cocktails were an integral part of their day. Some have said that Margaret took to excessive drinking and with smoking, that played an integral part of her declining health in her later years. How true this is, I have no idea.

In his book "Behind Palace Doors: My Service As the Queen Mother's Equerry", Colin Burgess does go into detail of when and what the Queen Mum loved to drink and some of the anecdotes are humorous but he said relatively little about Margaret if my one brain cell is functioning today. :D
 
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One thing though about Margaret's smoking habit (and George VI's too) is that during that era, smoking was actually promoted as being good for you. Doctors would prescribe taking up smoking to calm the nerves and for weight loss and tobacco companies began to target women as potential smokers as WWII approached.

As far as drinking, nothing much was thought about it. Heavy drinking wasn't considered a real problem in that era. Alcoholism wasn't formally recognized as a disease until 1956.

So, its not unusual that during Margaret's lifetime that not much was thought of her excesses and the dangers she was putting on her health. It just was more or less accepted that these things are things that people do.

When smoking was good for you! Advertisers used to claim cigarettes would keep women slim | Daily Mail Online
 
Yes, Osipi, right up until the 1970s cigarettes were being promoted as 'manly' 'enjoyable', relaxing', 'sophisticated' etc. Awful to think of, now. Of course, George V smoked like a chimney too, odd in view of the fact that he had rather a weak constitution. And Edward VII enjoyed cigars and was constantly suffering from bronchitis in the last years of his life. Of course his obesity didn't help!
 
And smoking was promoted as sexy too! Horrors, these days, of course, for many of us.

Cigar Aficianado, the Magazine still exists and still shares the machismo, sexiness, air of intelligence that they think go along with enjoying the pleasure of tobacco intake.
 
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From The Crown's Season 2 trailer I think we'll get to see Margaret as fabulously rude.
 
I just finished watching the seventh episode of Season 2 of the Crown. I won't give away any spoilers, but let's just say I never knew all of the...er...interesting things about Princess Margaret's ex husband. I have never been interested in her that much, until watching The Crown. Can someone recommend a reliable book about her life? Thanks.
 
Theo Aronsen's book on Princess Margaret was quite good if a bit elderly. I still have it on Kindle. I believe there's a new bio out on Margaret called 'Ma'am Darling' that is supposed to be quite amusing, but I haven't read it.
 
"A Life of Contrasts" by Christopher Warwick is a good read. The "Ma'am Darling" one is mostly gossip. It's amusing but not very well sourced.
 
The Queen Mum also was fond of her gin and Dubonnet before lunch. Actually an alcoholic drink before a meal increases the appetite. :D
 
Ah the QM and I are the last people to drink Dubonnet....
 
Margaret was an alcoholic even though people were not aware of that at the time.
 
Thing is, Kronprinz, that nobody can determine whether another person is an alcoholic or not. There are many, many drunks out there that are not alcoholics and many alcoholics out there that aren't always drunk. There is a huge difference. Alcoholism is an actual disease.

However, its a valid observation to state that you believe that someone has a drinking problem. ;)
 
duchessrachel said:
I just finished watching the seventh episode of Season 2 of the Crown. I won't give away any spoilers, but let's just say I never knew all of the...er...interesting things about Princess Margaret's ex husband. I have never been interested in her that much, until watching The Crown. Can someone recommend a reliable book about her life? Thanks.
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Royal Sisters: Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret by Anne Edwards
 
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Osipi said:
Thing is, Kronprinz, that nobody can determine whether another person is an alcoholic or not. There are many, many drunks out there that are not alcoholics and many alcoholics out there that aren't always drunk. There is a huge difference. Alcoholism is an actual disease.

However, its a valid observation to state that you believe that someone has a drinking problem. ;)
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I don't think she was an alcoholic, she just liked to drink....
 
What's important to remember is that (shocking as it may seem today), Britons drank far more in the 1960s and 1970s than they do today. And some would say we drink far too much in 2017! There wasn't the same understanding of alcohol. We had quite lax drink driving laws for example and a popular government poster in the early 1970s was "Should you drink that 7th pint before driving home?" :)eek:)

I don't think Margaret was an alcoholic, functioning or otherwise, but I certainly think she was a product of her time and the habits she embraced in the 60s and 70s may have been hard to shake as she got older and perhaps a little more isolated and lonely. The more a person drinks on a regular basis, the stronger their tolerance becomes and it takes far more for them to actually get drunk. I suspect with Margaret (having never seen reports of her being drunk, only that drank habitually) this was the case and that she was following the trend of the time and had a strong constitution.
 
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