Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1930-2002)

[Laviollette]

BBC News: Princess Margaret "secret son" claim

Royal parentage claim court date

A High Court date has been set to decide if a Jersey man who claims he is the illegitimate son of Princess Margaret can have access to her will.
The executors of the wills of the princess and the Queen Mother have been summoned to appear on 24 October.

read: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/jersey/6063366.stm

 

[Bella]

I really doubt this is true. I believe it's been discussed already before but it would have been very very difficult for Pss. Margaret to have hidden a pregnancy back in the day when she was one of the most photographed and sought after women in the world. Has the RF agreed to allow DNA testing?

 

[fanletizia]

Robert Brown arrives outside the family division of the High Court in central London, 24 October 2006. Brown attended a preliminary hearing at the Court Tuesday in which he claims to be the illegitimate son of the Queen's late sister Princess Margaret

from anp

 

[sm1939]

who was meant to be his father ???

 

[BeatrixFan]

Conveniently, he doesn't know.

 

[lashinka2002]

I don't think I see any resemblance...
Either way this makes for a neat story!

 

[Bella]

Does anyone know if Mr. Brown had any sort of relationship w Pss. Margaret while she was alive? Did he try to contact her at any time over the years? Did she know all this was brewing? Have there been any comments from Lord Linley or Lady Sarah Chatto? What about Lord Snowden? He's been pretty outspoken lately, any word on this from him? What about his family? What, if anything, have they said? It just seems so random to me. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[Lady Marmalade]

Even if it were true, he would have born out of wedlock, therefore NO CLAIM to the throne and NO TITLE as the Earl of Snowdon would not have been his father and even still if you are born out wedlock you cannot inherit titles in the peerage according the guidelines anyway.

What amazes is how the British papers keep saying he would be in line to the throne when they should no succession laws better than that.

 

[magnik]

He is 51 year old guy. That's mean that he was conceived between 1953 (coronation's time) to 1954 and born between 1954 to 1955. - On this time Princess Margaret was very busy person. So how she could be in pregnant and none saw that and gave a birth to any child

Photos month by month on getty (page 13 and next)
http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/FrameSet.aspx?s=ImagesSearchState%7c0%7c0%7c-1%7c28%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c1%7c%7c%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c4%7c%7cprincess+margaret%7c2233391784121335%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0&p=4&tag=2

 

[Iluvbertie]

On another board I have read the story is that he was born in Jan 1955 at a time when Margaret was indisposed with some illness but she was well enough to be on an official tour of the Carribean a month later looking great as usual.

He claims he had a meeting with her when aged 2 and on that basis believes that she was his mother. The meeting I am not sure if it was a random one or whether she went to his home for some reason - I think the former. There exists a photo of him with a woman reportedly to be her if I remember the reports I have read correctly.

As for his family they are conveniently deceased from what I have read.

The birth certificate names the people who raised him as his parents and he has not produced any evidence yet to even suggest that he was adopted.

Sounds a bit far-fetched to me but then....

 

[BeatrixFan]

By the way, did I mention I'm the illegitimate offspring of the Duke of Kent and Fanny Cradock?

 

[Zonk]

Again...who is he claiming as his father?

 

[BeatrixFan]

He's sketchy. He did appear on "This Morning" two years ago and he claimed that Princess Marina was his mother. He seems to have changed his mind.

 

[Elspeth]

I think he's claiming that Peter Townsend is his father. Mind you, if he's claiming both Princess Margaret and Princess Marina as his mother, goodness only knows who he thinks his father really is.

 

[Zonk]

At that is the thing...if at one time he claimed that Princess Marina was his mother..and now he claims Princess Margaret...it makes me question his sanity. I am surprised that the court is taking this seriously.

 

[BeatrixFan]

Well, the Palace may be rubbing their hands with glee. If this gets thrown out of court, the Palace could take him to court for libel. Then again, if he's a nutter then they won't bother. He did say in that interview that the Palace was ignoring his letters and that he'd written to "his sister" Princess Alexandra and she had ignored him too. Maybe he'll write to his Aunty Lillibet directly....

 

[Avareenah]

What Margaret did and what Sarah did were two totally different things though Nicole. Sarah gave interviews and gave away personal info, she allowed herself to be made a fool of and generally, she behaved like a little girl in a sweet shop. Margaret didnt really shake things up, the press just jumped on Margaret being the trendsetter that she was. If she went to a party and danced with Peter Sellers, "Princess dances with commoner" was the headline. But in reality, she didn't do anything majorly wrong, except do things for the first time. They were not bad things, they were just new things. And they were acceptable. She divorced. Outrageous for the time but it didn't damage the monarchy. It may have damaged her reputation but her good work made up for that - or it would have done if the press had reported it.

Margaret was a Princess in every sense of the word. She knew her position, she knew what it entitled her to and she used it and I'm glad she did. To me, she not only about glamour, but she was also about duty. She was a loving daughter and sister and when her family life let her down, she threw herself into charity work. When the press stopped reporting her good work and her family started treating her poorly, she escaped to Mustique. I just feel so sorry for Margaret. I thought she was wonderful and I still miss seeing her. She wasn't spoilt - she was a Princess and she didn't allow anyone to forget it, just as the Queen doesn't allow anyone to forget she's the Queen.

So we'll agree to disagree on this one darling. She stood up for the Queen, for the family and she said what most people were thinking. As far as I'm concerned, Margaret had guts. And she'd kill me for calling her Margaret.

Margaret didn't "talk", so you are correct there, but she was also lucky enough to live in a time where the media didn't talk either. Some of Margaret's private behaviour was as scandalous as that of Sarah but, out of the respect the press had for the Queen and the monarchy at that time, she was lucky that it never made to to the tabloids and the talk shows, in my opinion.

 

[Skydragon]

Margaret didn't "talk", so you are correct there, but she was also lucky enough to live in a time where the media didn't talk either. Some of Margaret's private behaviour was as scandalous as that of Sarah but, out of the respect the press had for the Queen and the monarchy at that time, she was lucky that it never made to to the tabloids and the talk shows, in my opinion.

According to some of the reports now coming out, Margaret was worse than Sarah but, as you say, the media was more respectful and there wasn't the 'celebrity' culture that has reared it's ugly head.
Yes Margaret acted like a princess, a very spoilt, very selfish, drink sodden one! IMO.

 

[BeatrixFan]

I do wish people would stop painting the Princess as an alcoholic. It really is quite unfair.

 

[ysbel]

I think Princess Margaret was given a lot of the benefit of the doubt from the public after she appeared to be forced to part with Peter Townshend.

Also I think BeatrixFan brought up a good point in that Margaret never talked to the press whereas Sarah did. They were in different position but I'm always quite amazed how true the old British maxim is that you can do the most scandalous things and get away with them as long as you don't talk about them. Perhaps in coming public, Sarah gave the appearance of trying to justify her actions whereas Margaret, since she never explained anything anyway, just seemed to do things and not worry about what people thought of her.

I'm always reminded of the famous phrase by (who was it?) Mary Poppins?

"Never complain, never explain" A particularly British maxim and one that it seemed that Princess Margaret lived by.

 

[BeatrixFan]

"Never complain, never explain" was the Duchess of Windsor.

 

[magnik]

That's right!!!

They were two totally different women which we shouldn't compare. Even if they behaviors (only) smth were similar.

 

[ysbel]

"Never complain, never explain" was the Duchess of Windsor.

On the internet it seems to be a very popular quote.

It was attributed to Benjamin Disraeli, Katharine Hepburn, Henry Ford II and the Duchess of Windsor.

Mary Poppins, I found out, only said, "Let me make one thing perfectly clear, I never explain anything."

At any rate the quote seems to define Princess Margaret perfectly.

I can quite understand why Katharine Hepburn and the Duchess of Windsor would have taken the quote as their motto but now I'm intrigued as to learn more about Benjamin Disraeli and Henry Ford II.

 

[BeatrixFan]

Well, in her memoirs, the Duchess does use it and so I assume it really was her who said it first. It does fit Princess Margaret well though.

 

[Skydragon]

I never said she was an alcoholic, although her fondness for alcohol was well known, IB.

Yes people felt sorry for her that she was forced to choose between her titles and all they gave her and the man she loved, but, it should be remembered that in the end she chose money, position and titles.

 

[BeatrixFan]

It just seems that sometimes Margaret is always painted as "drink sodden" and it gets to me. Then again, I'm drink sodden too so maybe I shouldn't be so defensive.

 

[Bella]

Mary Poppins, I found out, only said, "Let me make one thing perfectly clear, I never explain anything."

HAHAHA! This is great! Best post I've seen in a long time.

 

[Georgia]

I don't think Margaret was as bad as is made out. She supported her sister and brought up two fantastic children. Can the Queen really say that? Secondly, I don't believe this man is the Princesses son. Not even the Royal Family could keep that a secret. An abortion maybe but not an actual birth.

 

[Skydragon]

I don't think Margaret was as bad as is made out. She supported her sister and brought up two fantastic children.

It should be remembered that in the upper echelons of society, very few 'mothers' have anything to do with 'bringing up' the children.

I don't recall much 'support' for her sister either, with Margaret seemingly lurching from one crisis to the next, the scandals that did reach the papers and the many that probably didn't.

 

[iceflower]

You are most welcome, Bella , here is a portrait of Margaret and her children in the 1970s:


(Majesty)