Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon Biography

Margaret Rose (August 21, 1930 – February 9, 2002) was born at Glamis Castle in Scotland. Her parents were Prince Albert, Duke of York, and her mother was Elizabeth, Duchess of York. Because of her royal lineage, Margaret received the treatment of Royal Highness. Her baptism was a huge event and it was led by Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury and it was carried out in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace on October 30, 1930. She was privately educated by a governess, named Marion Crawford. In 1936, her father rose to George VI after her uncle King Edward VIII abdicated the throne. She attended the coronation of her parents in 1937.

Early life

During World War II, Margaret remained at Windsor Castle. On February 6, 1952, her father died, and her older sister became Queen Elizabeth II. In her youth she met Colonel Townsend with whom she had an affair, this union was the target of much criticism and controversy for her failure. Despite his honorable military career, he had no chance of marrying the princess, because he was a divorced man, and her relationship caused great controversy in the 1950s.

Love life and marriage

The young woman had several lovers, including the future Canadian Prime Minister John Napier Turner. It was until May 16, 1960, that Margarita surprisingly married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, son of Ronald Armstrong-Jones and Anne Messel, at Westminster Abbey. In reality, no one was aware of this love, and it was never suspected that there was interest between the two. After the ceremony was approved by the Royal Household, this ceremony was described as a “modern” royal wedding, considered the first. It was televised in the UK. The Daily Express claims it had 300 million viewers around the world. After the honeymoon that lasted several weeks, they moved to Kensington Palace, where her son, David, would later be born.

In 1961, the princess’s husband was awarded the title of Earl of Snowdon; for this reason, Margaret formally obtained the title of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. During the 1960s, they were known as the most glamorous British couple, and their daughter Sarah was born. Antony Armstrong-Jones was the first “commoner” to marry the daughter of a king for more than 400 years, but the marriage crisis was not long in coming. In less than ten years of relationship, the couple had grown apart and, after almost 20 years of marriage, they announced their divorce. The royalty questioned this situation a lot and assured that it was due to their past detached from the aristocracy. The princess continued to be one of the most desired women in England.

Despite the situation, the princess’ family continued to have great affection for Tony. She got along very well with Prince Charles and adored Queen Elizabeth. But, the problems related to the lack of interest on the part of the princess began. Both had strong and defined personalities which prevented reaching an agreement. In 1962, Snowdon was appointed artistic advisor to The Sunday Times, a position he carried out with great responsibility and enthusiasm. This situation made the relationship even worse because he dedicated much more time to his work than to his family. Then infidelity came into the relationship.

Affairs

Margaret began to have encounters with Snowdon’s friend from college, Anthony Barton, and later with Roddy Llewellyn, an 18-year-old gardener. In 1969, it became known that Snowdon had an extramarital affair with Mrs. Jacqueline Rufus-Isaacs. Their divorce was the first in the royalty since King Henry VIII in 1540. Despite their problems, the couple continued to maintain a close relationship. Before long, Snowdon married Lucy Lindsay-Hogg. His only daughter, Frances Armstrong-Jones, was born from this union. At the time he got divorced again and he had another child with journalist Melanie Cable-Alexander.

Later, a DNA test in 2004 confirmed that he had had a daughter, Polly Fry, shortly before he married Princess Margaret. she proved her paternity, but he denied any relationship to that issue.

Death

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, passed away on February 9, 2002, of a cerebral vascular problem at the age of 71. Her funeral was at the same time as the 50th anniversary of the burial of her father, King George VI.