12.19.2010

THE COOLEST ROYAL: PRINCESS MARGARET


Beautiful Princess Margaret Lord Snowden Photo

Princess Margaret! She really gave the British Royal Family great pause... A rebel and a glorious fan of parties and celebrity. Margo was great fun! She resided next door to Princess Diana at Kensington Palace. They were great friends and I am sure they kept each other's secrets... It was said that they had a falling out during Diana's divorce from Prince Charles... Margo's loyalty remained with her sister and the royal family.


She was the ultimate party-girl of the British monarchy and the darling of the celebrity press. Decades before Princess Diana came along, it was Princess Margaret who was the starlet of Britain's royal family, often defying the traditionally strict code of conduct imposed by the monarchy, choosing instead to live her life the way she pleased... Loved that about Margo.


1960: Margaret weds Armstrong-Jones

The public loved her. Margo would frequently be spotted at nightclubs, restaurants and parties. At the age of 19 she shocked the nation when she was spotted in public smoking – something women at the time were only supposed to do in private. (Now not at all!)

Margaret further defied the royal family when she fell in love (!) with Group Captain Peter Townsend, once equerry to her father and comptroller to her mother. Townsend had two strikes against him. He was 17 years older than the princess and he was divorced. Eventually, Margaret was forced to choose between Townsend and the Royal Family. She decided she would remain a princess.


In May of 1960 she again veered away from the royal norm when she married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in Westminster Abbey. She reportedly accepted the proposal after hearing that Townsend had decided to marry someone else. Margaret and Armstrong-Jones had two children, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones. The couple then again caused great Royal upset by divorcing in 1978.

Thousands, including many international and commonwealth visitors, lined the streets of central London to witness the Queen's younger sister get married.


Princess Margaret, 29, arrived on time for the ceremony, after making the journey from Clarence House in the Glass Coach with the Duke of Edinburgh. It was a fabulous occasion. Princess Diana's wedding was reminiscent of Margo's wedding. Read more about the wedding In her heyday, Margaret Rose was just as stunning to behold as Princess Diana or the soon to be Princess Kate Middleton. Her partying, smoking did take a massive toll on her health.


Her life has had some amazing highs and some devastating lows. She had to live within the strict protocol demanded of a member of the royal family while possessing a very creative and gregarious spirit.

Margo managed to carve a niche for herself by supporting the arts, marrying a photographer and raising two children who are artists. Her son, David, Viscount Linley, a furniture designer and restaurateur, survives her. Happily married to the former Serena Stanhope they have one son, Charles. Her funeral was held on Friday, February 15, 2002 - fifty years to the day of her father's funeral of 1952.

Read More on RK

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Beautiful picture of HRH Princess Margaret (top picture)!

Fast Film said...

As anyone can see from the top picture that you chose, Lord Snowdon was not only a credible but also a superlative photographer, much influenced by the best such as Irving Penn.

I must also take this opportunity to insert the only lyric of which I've ever heard utilizing your subject's name: Mr. Twister once rhymed "Lord Snowdon" with "dirty low down."

Retro Kimmer said...

Lord Snowden did a nice photography job but his book was pretty bad...

dee gilbert said...

I really liked this story.I looked at her pictures and she was so beautiful.I remember watching a show about her.Her husband the photographer was really handsome. I loved Diana and Kate is very pretty too...Thanks : ) ~ dee

Stephanie Stewart Morgan said...

"I loved Margaret - a royal before her time"

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