Facts About Princess Margaret: What You Should Know

Table of Contents

6 Facts About Princess Margret

She was King George and Queen Elizabeth’s youngest child.
Queen Elizabeth II was her only sibling.
Her fourth and final stroke killed her in 2002 in London.
She became a famous socialist in 1950.
She never remarried after divorcing her spouse.
She was valued more than $27 million.

Who is Princess Margaret?

Princess Margaret was the youngest daughter of King George and Queen Elizabeth. She was the countess of Snowdown and Queen Elizabeth II’s only sister. Born on August 21, 1930, the Princess passed away on February 9, 2002.

The majority of Margaret’s formative years were spent in the company of her parents and sister. When her uncle, King Edward VII, resigned to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorcee, her world was turned upside down. The kingship went to her father, and when she was second in line, her sister took over. Yet when her sister went on to have children and grandchildren, her chances of ascending to the kingdom dwindled.

Beginning in 1950, Margaret became one of the world’s most celebrated socialists, known for her glamorous lifestyle and reputed romances. The Princess was head over heels for the Group Captain Peter Townsend as a young adult. Her father died in 1952, making her sister queen; Townsend divorced his wife Rosemary and proposed to Margaret.

The government and the Church of England both disapproved of Margaret’s marriage to Peter Townsend because of widespread concerns that he was inappropriate for a woman of her age (22). Margaret was forced to call off her engagement to Peter Townsend and instead tied the knot with photographer Anthony Amstrong-Jomes in 1960. The queen bestowed upon him the title of Earl of Snowdown.

Before the couple finally divorced in 1978, they became parents to two children. After that, she did not enter another marriage.

Margaret’s health declined progressively since she smoked heavily throughout her adult life. In 1985, she underwent surgery on both lungs, in 1993, she was diagnosed with pneumonia, and between 1998 and 2001, she suffered at least three strokes. In 2002, she suffered a fatal stroke in London. She lived to be 71 years old before she passed away.

Princess Margaret Early Life

Princess Margaret was born on August 21, 1930, in her mother’s childhood home of Glamis Castle in Scotland. She was the first member of the royal family to have a straight line of succession born in Scotland, which dates back to the 1600s.

Margaret was christened by Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Lang on October 30, 1930, at the palace’s private chapel.

Princess Margaret Education

Marion Crawford, their Scottish governess, was responsible for the education of Princess Margaret as well as her sister, Elizabeth. Her mother was primarily responsible for supervising the Princess throughout her academic career.

Princess Margaret Relationships & Marriages

During World War II, King George VI advised hiring palace servants who were highly skilled military men. It was then that Princess Margaret first laid eyes on Peter Townsend, but by 1944, he was already married.

Peter Townsend and Princess Margaret became so close to one another over the course of their relationship that gossip columnists failed to see him as a potential suitor for the Princess. It’s unclear when their connection began. The Princess had confided in her friends that she had fallen in love with Peter Townsend during their time spent riding together on the Sout Africa Tour in 1947.

When pressed about his feelings for Princess Margaret years later, Peter Townsend said he was attracted to her. Within a short time, he learned that his wife was having an illicit fling. In 1951, he filed for divorce and publicly declared his feelings for Princess Margaret.

In August of 1952, they began seriously considering tying the knot. In December of 1952, Peter Townsend formalized his divorce from his wife.

Towards the end of 1952, Private Secretary to the Queen Sir Alan wrote to Peter Townsened, asking him to come marry Princess Margaret. Princess Margaret was 15 years younger than Peter Townsend, who had two children from a previous marriage. Because of this, there were long delays in getting the government, media, and churches to cooperate. The thought of Princess Margaret’s marriage to a divorcee was met with strong opposition from the church, and not just because of his age. Her sister the Queen advised the pair to hold off until Princess Margaret turned 25 in 1955.

It was finally agreed upon October 24, 1960, that they would not be getting married. Princess Margaret debated for the following week over whether or not to make her statement public before finally doing so on October 31, 1960.

Princess Margaret first met photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones at a supper gathering in 1958. On the tenth of October, 1959, they became engaged. In a move that caught the media off guard, Princess Magaret revealed their engagement on February 29th, 1960.

Princess Margaret wed Anthony Armstrong-Jones on May 6, 1960, at Westminster Abbey. TV’s first live wedding coverage was of her ceremony. Three hundred million people throughout the world watched it. In 1961, her husband was elevated to the title of Earl of Snowdown. Both of the couple’s children were born through C-section. Her firstborn, David, was born on November 3, 1961, and her second, Sarah, was born on May 1, 1964.

The wedding greatly increased Princess Margaret’s network of friends and acquaintances. They had both famous people in the corporate world and bohemians there. They engaged in a mutual act of adultery. Antony Armstrong-Jones’ long-term mistress was the subject of a succession of affairs.

Affair rumors began swirling around Princess Margaret in 1966. Afterwards, a year passed, and she carried on a one-month affair with Robin Douglass-Home. She insisted, however, that she and he had only a platonic friendship. In addition to the adulterous affair, drugs, alcohol, and bad behavior facilitated by bribed individuals were also present in the marriage.

A decree nisi was signed officially ending their marriage on May 24th, 1976. The Princess fell ill that same month, and doctors determined that she had gastroenteritis and alcoholic hepatitis. There was a finalization of the Snowdowns’ divorce on July 11, 1978.

Princess Margaret Illness & Death

Illness and incapacity devastated Princess Margaret’s final years. She began smoking when she was very young and continued to smoke heavily for many years. Due to a psychological breakdown, she suffered excruciating pain and distress. Back in the 1970s, she sought help from Mark Collins for her depression. Migraines, pneumonia, and laryngitis all become chronic issues for her over time.

Princess Margaret gave up cigarettes in 1991, however she kept drinking heavily. A piece of the princess’ lungs was taken out on January 5th, 1985. In January of 1993, she was hospitalized due to pneumonia. She had another stroke and subsequent heart difficulties, and she passed away on February 9, 2002, at the age of 71, at King Edward VII’s Hospital in London.