Princess Margaret: star and death of the first beauty of the British Kingdom. English Princess Margaret: biography and personal life Margaret is a British princess and her sister relationship

sister English queen Princess Margaret was called "style icon", "bohemian guru". There were many about her. incredible stories, shocking rumors. There were legends about her. Long before Lady Diana, she gained fame as a "rebellious princess"

Only the most chosen and most famous Hollywood stars managed to live such a full, stormy, rich in love life life as Princess Margaret. From childhood, Margaret was nicknamed "P-2", "princess number two." Lively, witty and impulsive, Margaret was complete opposite thoughtful, reserved and serious Elizabeth, who was four years older. “Elizabeth is all in Coburg ancestors, Margaret is in Hanoverian ones,” Elizabeth, their mother, explained the difference in the characters of her daughters. Margaret was born in an old ancestral Scottish castle, which since the 12th century belonged to her mother's family, an ancient dynasty of Scottish aristocrats. Glamis Castle still attracts tourists today with its ancient walls, historical legends and ... ghosts.

The Duchess of York, unlike her daughters, did not believe in any ghosts, although she was the daughter of the 14th Earl of Kinghorn and was the great-great-great-granddaughter of the very devil-cursed Scottish Earl of Strathmore. The girls' father, the shy and timid Prince Albert, was the second son of the king who ruled England at the time. Albert was not going to be King, being content with the title of Duke of York. His father, George V, was preparing to pass the throne to his eldest son, the Duke of Windsor. But history judged otherwise. In January 1936, after the death of George V, the crown passed to his unmarried son, who became known as Edward VIII. And he renounced his title and throne in order to marry a twice-divorced American Mrs. Simpson. So unexpectedly for everyone, the shy and gentle father of Margaret in December 1937 became King George VI. The family moved to Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth became heir to the crown, and Margaret was second in line to the throne.

The first scandal happened with Margaret Rose in 1953: the younger sister of Elizabeth II almost married Captain Townsend, who served at court, sixteen years older than her, the father of two children and also divorced. She met him as a teenager, at the end of the war, and all these years the relationship of lovers was kept in the strictest confidence.

But on June 2, 1953, during the coronation of Elizabeth, Margaret inadvertently, in front of everyone, brushed off a tiny trace of cigarette ash on her lover's uniform. Reporters and distinguished guests invited to the coronation regarded her gesture as extremely defiant, indecent, intimate ...

The sister queen, parliament and the church, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, opposed Margaret's marriage to officer Peter Townsend, considering it a monstrous misalliance, moreover, not a single member royal family never married a divorced partner!

In the autumn of 1955, the BBC interrupted its broadcasts to broadcast a statement by Margaret, who was notifying the nation of the end of a twelve-year relationship with Captain Townsend. The lovers parted. The tabloids, having lost interest in the "spare princess" and "abandoned younger sister", left her alone for a while ...

But what the paparazzi, who were hungry for sensations, could not see in Margaret, the editors of the fashion and beauty sections saw.

Queen of the New Look

In 1956, 26-year-old Margaret, transformed into a dark-haired beauty with huge blue eyes and a sensual mouth, appeared on the list of the most stylish people in the world. In this prestigious list, Margaret was mentioned second only to Grace Kelly. Not only the royal daughter, the queen's sister, and after the birth of Prince Charles, the third in line for the throne, but, as it soon became clear to everyone, also the first beauty of the kingdom!

Petite, thin, with a beautiful figure, she became the inspiration for the New Look style. Her outfits were instantly published in women's magazines, and then copied by fashion dressmakers across the country. She was dazzling in exquisite hats and evening dresses Norman Hartnell and Victor Stiebel. The famous feminist and writer Simone de Beauvoir tried in vain to reason with fashionistas with her sermons that “leading a life imbued with a sense of style and not suffering from stress is possible only for well-to-do people who do not have to take care of children and the kitchen, laundry and ironing, shopping and cleaning. The cult of the new femininity was rapidly becoming fashionable.

When her mother asked her how she felt at the next official event, she received the answer: “To be honest, I was damn bored.” When Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary and gave a ball at Buckingham Palace, she did not go to the reception, ignored the dinner that followed, and did not appear at the ball. Late in the evening, she gathered her friends and went first to the theater, then to a restaurant, and in the morning ended up in a nightclub. Her arrival in the midst of a party in a fur coat in the company of fashion artists at the Cafe de Paris became a sensation. Margaret took the stage, took the microphone and sang Let's Do It. The crowd roared with delight.

The princess loved the London Cockney accent, strong Benson and Hedges cigarettes and Famous Grouse whiskey. She was not afraid of ambiguous jokes and dubious anecdotes. Almost every day she returned from the clubs in the morning. “I find joy in defiance,” she once told Jean Cocteau. - This is inevitable: when there are two sisters, and one of them is a queen, who should be an example and a role model, the other is, by definition, doomed to be spoiled and evil, the "queen of the night."

With a brightly painted mouth, large violet eyes, a dazzling smile, high-combed auburn hair, flawless marbled skin for which the women of the Windsor family were so famous, she resembled both a Hollywood star and a classic nineteenth-century aristocrat. Frank Sinatra called her eyes "the most perfect in the world", and Maurice Chevalier said that "they are on the spot". Shades of lipstick, perfumes and cocktails, tulips, gladioli, roses were named after her. But, receiving up to twenty marriage proposals a year, at the age of 30 Margaret was never married. None of her admirers corresponded to the status of the spouse of the “royal sister” - the princess did not dare to challenge this decision of her crowned relatives.

Misalliance

But when the handsome, witty and very talented society photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones began to look after her, Margaret unexpectedly showed firmness for everyone. They met in the summer of 1958 at the wedding of a relative, and in the fall they already danced at the Halloween ball at the Dorchester Hotel. In December 1959, Armstrong-Jones asked Elizabeth II for Margaret's hand, which led her into great confusion - in the history of England, the royal daughter only once married a commoner, and that was 450 years ago! In the end, the queen, who wished happiness for her younger sister like a woman, reasoned that this rootless applicant had at least graduated from Cambridge ...

On May 6, 1960, life in England stopped - a wedding was broadcast on TV from Westminster Abbey, which was watched by another 300 million people. The bride, bearing a bouquet of orchids, wearing a Norman Hartnell deep-V-necked silk gown with pearl beads and a veil held by a diamond Poltimore tiara from the Queen Victoria collection, was, as the newspapers wrote, "a masterpiece of style and hairdressing."

She was accompanied by eight girlfriends and her beloved nephew, little Prince Charles, dressed in a traditional Scottish kilt. The young people spent their honeymoon riding the royal yacht Britannia around the Caribbean Islands.

Margaret Colin Tennant's friend Lord Glenconner showed her Mustique Island, which he purchased in 1958. And when the princess could not hide her admiration, the lord gave her four hectares of this paradise land as a wedding gift. In London, the princess and her husband were given Kensington Palace to live in. In May 1961, Margaret's pregnancy was officially announced, and in October, a month before the birth of their first child, David, Armstrong-Jones was awarded the title of Earl of Snowdon.

Britain was entering the swinging sixties -new era, where the princess with her eternal cigarette in her hand and Snowdon with his incredible creative energy played a special role.

With the advent of her son, Margaret's life almost did not change, only her circle changed - now there are almost no aristocrats left in it, bohemia has replaced it: an aspiring actress, the future "Bond girl", Swedish Britt Ekland, her husband, comedian Peter Sellers, dancers Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fontaine, The Beatles Rolling Stones”, writer Edna O'Brien, hairdresser and stylist Vidal Sassoon, designer, mini-skirt creator Mary Quant and hippy chic tea style inspiration Porter, whose bright oriental robes were worn by Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Collins ...

It was a happy time - as if the strict world of her past with sorrowful experiences and a failed relationship with Captain Townsend receded into the shadows, giving way to the world of fashion, style and the art of living. In Hollywood, the couple had breakfast with Frank Sinatra, chatted with Gregory Peck, the princess tested her spell on Paul Newman.

In May 1964, the Snowdons had a daughter, Sarah. Her godfather Snowdon's comrade from Cambridge, Irishman Anthony Barton, who permanently resided in Bordeaux, became.

royal mask

The only thing that overshadowed the life of the young spouses was the royal duties of Margaret. Almost every week she opened exhibitions, auctions, charity concerts, horse races, went on official visits, was present as a representative of the royal house at weddings, christenings and funerals, visited the colonies and Commonwealth countries on official visits. Snowdon was far from being assigned the main role in this highest protocol.

Margaret's cheerful ease was often replaced by an arrogant "royal mask". During dinner at the house of Lady Cavendish, she was pissed off by a violation of decorum: the tired hostess of the evening, taking off her shoes under the table, got up to say goodbye to the little Prince Charles, and walked a few steps barefoot. Outraged, the princess set her shoes on a platter in the center of the table.

Only she was allowed to say “mother said that, sister said that ...”, and she regarded the words “your mother” or “sister” repeated after her as impudence and instantly pulled the offender, demanding that about the Queen Mother or Elizabeth II spoke using their royal titles. (She herself always called the queen "my poor sister".)

Born a princess, she insisted that even her closest friends address her as "ma'am."

The princess's servants did not accept Anthony Armstrong-Jones for a long time, believing that the hostess's marriage to some photographer "with a dog's face and in frayed jeans" was a monstrous misalliance. Every morning the maid, who had served Margaret since childhood, entered the couple's bedroom with breakfast. And each time on the tray she had only one cup of coffee and only one glass of orange juice - for Margaret. And Anthony, who had done without servants all his life, simply did not know how to express his displeasure to them. He complained to his friends that he was being treated as if he had been picked up from the gutter.

Finally, her "set" friends were convinced that she had accepted Jones's offer only to get her brave captain out of her mind. In order to comply with the "format" of the invitation and accompany his wife to Balmoral, Lord Snowdon had to take shooting lessons and learn how to fish. He did this clumsily and with obvious disgust, because neither a well-aimed hunter, nor a dexterous rider ever came out of him.

In the end, he was so tired of the role of "prince consort" that he began to increasingly absent himself on creative trips and "on business."

No, no, but she had heard rumors that he was interested in other women. The summer of 1965 was the last happy vacation that Anthony and Margaret spent together.

And other men

In 1966, while Snowdon was in India, she began an affair with Anthony Barton, who at that time had finally settled in Bordeaux and began, with the help of an uncle, to manage the two family estates of Leoville-Barton and Langoa-Barton. Snowdon this double cheating- friend and wife - very upset. And she fell in love with the gentleman winemaker so much that she even confessed her feelings on the phone to Burton's wife Eva. But then both marriages were saved.

Snowdon began to travel again, and Margaret again became interested - this time with the nephew of the Prime Minister of England, Robin Douglas-Home, who worked part-time in a nightclub. Robin was a pianist, gambler, drunkard and ladies' man. The list of his “victories” included Princess Margrethe of Sweden, the wife of the writer Richard Harris (author of The Silence of the Lambs) Elizabeth and even Jacqueline Onassis herself. The handsome upstart has already tarnished Jackie's honor by publishing their private correspondence in the tabloids. But Margaret was not afraid. Valentine's Day in 1967, the couple celebrated together at Douglas' house in Sussex. The princess bombarded her lover with letters thanking her for "returning to life." But Douglas-Home remained true to himself: he betrayed Margaret by selling her letters at a New York auction, which earned him a lot of money and universal censure. This relationship was short-lived, everyone remembered Douglas-Home only after the news of his suicide: a year and a half after breaking up with Margaret, he considered life meaningless and took a cocktail of alcohol and poison.

And Margaret was already carried away by the actor Peter Sellers. The appearance of a respectable bespectacled intellectual did not prevent Sellers from becoming one of the most famous comedians in the history of cinema. Sellers accompanied Margaret on her tours of the antique markets in Portobello, and in Snowdon's absence went with her to restaurants in South Kensington, to ballet and nightclubs. He frankly admired the magnificent forms of the princess, claiming that the size of her breasts is exactly the same as that of Sophia Loren. He brought her together with Warren Beatty, already famous actor and famous womanizer.

In the late 60s, Margaret and Lord Snowdon hardly spoke to each other. He refused to take his wife on his trips, claiming that he was bored with her.

On her 39th birthday in 1969, the Snowdons began to bicker loudly in a nightclub. He, having lost his temper, in the presence of guests began to put out cigarettes on her Evening Dress. “I have never seen someone congratulate the birthday girl like that,” American writer Gore Vidal commented on this scene without hiding sarcasm. On another occasion, when Margaret hosted a reception, Snowdon dragged into the palace a whole crowd of former university friends dressed in leather, nodded to the guests and walked with them into the back room. Their joint trips more and more often turned into a public showdown: one day, after a party in Barbados ended, the princess was ready to go home, and Snowdon could not be found anywhere. The count was found under the table ... with another guest, and he had to be literally dragged away from her.

Twenty reasons to hate

When an official invitation arrived from Australia with the note "in case Lord Snowdon accompanies your royal highness, it will give us even more pleasure, ”she did not even inform her husband about the impending visit. And when Anthony began to insist on a trip, this time not objecting to being in the shadow of his royal wife, she threatened to cancel the royal tour.

The photographer left notes on the table, one of which was titled "Twenty Reasons I Hate You." Their relationship was so tense that after quarrels he ran out into the yard, got behind the wheel and, in anger, with a terrible noise, drove around the park on sports car. Friends said that the spouses "exchange insults like shots." These scenes were reminiscent of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

In 1969, Snowdon began an affair with Lady Jacqueline Rufus-Isaacs, a neighbor in country house in Sussex. From a relationship with journalist Melanie Cable-Alexander, he had a son.

In the early 70s they living together went downhill, Margaret's style also changed. Fashion critics noted with surprise that "she could look luxurious one week, and seem unimaginably slut the next." However, the princess was never obsessed with clothes and did not really follow fashion. The retro style that adorned her so much in the late 50s has waned. She looked squat in casual tweed suits, neither mini-skirts nor ethnic outfits suited her, and the famous shirt dresses of the 70s sat on her baggy. In high platform shoes, with luxurious family jewelry that clearly did not fit a formal suit, and an invariable miniature handbag, which she did not let go of even when she met guests, Margaret gradually became an anachronism.

Her love of whiskey was already legendary. For breakfast, she appeared with the same glass of Famous Grouse. Even in the hospitals or museums that she patronized, employees always kept two bottles ready - one with Famous Grouse whiskey, the other (out of courtesy, just in case) - with Scotch mineral water highland spring. An untimely filled glass or an insufficient amount of ice caused her extreme irritation. During official visits, a specially assigned waiter with an ashtray followed her from room to room. Friends under various pretexts rejected her invitations to Kensington Palace, "because she will drink, and we will be stuck there until the evening."

In 1972, theater designer Olivier Messel built a 10-room coral-colored bungalow for Margaret with access to an isolated bay. A new villa with a swimming pool, terraces, stunning views of the Caribbean Sea was named Les Jolies Eaux - "Wonderful Waters". This house she called "the only real home on earth and the best haven outside of London." In addition, away from the paparazzi, she could organize any, the most informal and not limited by any conventions parties. Private concerts with Elton John and Mick Jagger, champagne, caviar and lobster dinners, and her invariable gin and tonic were on everyone's lips in those years. Margaret didn't seem to care. public opinion. And it was outraged by her new love adventure. This time, the choice of the Queen's sister turned out to be John Bindon, an actor of working origin, a petty gangster, a cocaine lover, who received two years in prison for beating. According to rumors, the character of Bindon inspired Guy Ritchie to create the film "Lock, Stock, Two Smoking Barrels". It is difficult to say what attracted Margaret about him, but their relationship continued in London. In his small apartment in Soho, he put on a fresh shirt, ironed his trousers, then a car picked him up and drove him to Kensington Palace. Once the princess and her boyfriend were noticed in a restaurant, where one of the attractions was chess, which were couples in various sexual poses.

In September 1973, at the estate of her old friend Colin Tennant, the Princess met Roderick, "Roddy" Llewellyn, in Scotland. The long-haired hippie turned out to be 17 years younger than her and, of course, was without certain occupations. Upon discovering that the young man had arrived without clothes to swim in the warm pool, the Queen's sister took the young man to the store and chose for him swimming trunks in the colors of the British flag. The next day they were seen in the vicinity of Glasgow - she bought him a sweater. Journalists spread the sensation all over the world, but this news looked so absurd that they simply refused to believe it then! Llewellyn and Margaret vacationed together on Mustique in 1974, where they attended a week-long 50th birthday party for Colin Tennant. The culmination of the evening was a performance by Mick Jagger and a special "golden reception", to which the tanned princess appeared draped in gold brocade.

Two years later, in 1976, The Sunday Times featured photographs of the bikini-clad princess in the arms of her young lover on Mustique. These pictures again immediately flew around the world. And when an enraged Anthony Armstrong-Jones demanded an official refutation, the princess's personal household secretary advised him not to be ridiculous, because his wife's relationship with Luvellin lasted quite a long time. The fact that Lord Snowdon, driven to a frenzy, finally left her house, was reported to the princess by phone. She was still on her island. Her reaction was calm: “He left? All the better. This is the best news you have ever given me,” she told her secretary.

In March 1976, it was officially announced that the couple would live separately - with the corresponding remark from Queen Elizabeth II that "she is very sorry about what happened."

Sunset P2

The Snowdons divorced in 1978, the first divorce in the English royal family in 400 years since Henry VIII. Anthony soon married television producer Lucy Lindsey-Hogg. It was then that Margaret said to her friend Colin Tennant: "I am back where I once was after parting with Captain Townsend, only this time I am divorced." Friends sent her to a psychoanalyst without revealing her incognito, the doctor's verdict was: "This woman needs treatment, and as soon as possible." She spent the following years between London and Mustique, living on the island like a shipwrecked Robinson

once had. AT free time she swam in the sea, lay in a sun lounger, solving crosswords in The Times.

The press called the princess "tedious", "spoiled", "lounging" and "irritable". Elizabeth II excluded her from the number of guests of honor and refused to pay the annual 219 thousand pounds laid down for the maintenance of a member of the royal house. In the year of her 50th birthday, Roddy Llewellyn announced his engagement to a fashion dressmaker. However, it seems that this fact did not upset Margaret: “If his engagement hadn’t happened, I would have been stuck in this story for a long time.”

She was increasingly sick, complained of feeling unwell, while not parting with either cigarettes (in those years she smoked 60 cigarettes a day) or whiskey. Continuing to perform royal duties, Margaret did not consider it necessary to choose expressions. In Los Angeles, she met the "Queen of Hollywood" Elizabeth Taylor. Having seen the Krupp diamond weighing 33.19 carats on her hand, she did not hesitate to call it vulgar. Taylor restrained herself and invited Margaret to try on the ring. And when the princess could not hide her admiration, the queen of Hollywood triumphantly said: “Now that it is on your hand, it already looks not so vulgar, does it?”

In 1991, her health began to decline dramatically. Loneliness became habitual and boring - she more and more went into the shadows. She was overshadowed by another Margaret - Thatcher. In the nineties, the princess entered on the "platform", and did not part with her heavy sandals either in winter or in summer. "And where did she just dig them up?" - fashion critics were perplexed. She was wrapped in pink satin, the look of a dusty old-fashioned mannequin in a cheap clothing store. Her world of noble heroes, love adventures, magnificent outfits, murderous arrogance, subtle irony ceased to exist.

Cynical, dissatisfied with nothing and never satisfied, by the end of her life she was known more as Prince Charlie's beloved aunt - far from being a primary character in the royal family, eleventh in line for the throne, a "monster" and a "rude woman."

But the real joy for Margaret was her children, who lived with her in Kensington Palace. Her daughter Sarah, an artist, has already had several exhibitions. Son David became a world-famous furniture designer whose works began to be hunted by show business stars, including Elton John himself. But most importantly, her children learned very well the lesson of what a bad marriage means. Their unions were stable and happy.

During her lifetime, the princess registered her villa on Mustique in the name of her son. And she did it with a light heart - she believed David and wanted to avoid inheritance taxes. But in the spring of 1998, buyers showed up at her Caribbean home wanting to see the property for sale. Their visit took Margaret, who was resting at the villa, by surprise - she did not know anything about her son's plans. For two days Margaret did not get out of bed. And on the third day, she scalded her legs terribly - the plumbing system on the island, which has not changed since the 60s, is hopelessly outdated. In 1999, Les Jolies Eaux was sold by David Linley for a million pounds. Margaret had her first stroke. The alcohol was done away with, two thousand cigarettes were returned to the suppliers, and Margaret never used the lighter again. She was never able to put on shoes on her sore feet.

Wanting to cheer up her sister, Elizabeth invited her to the theater, which she always loved, but Margaret unexpectedly refused. Then the queen said: "It seems that my sister has lost interest in life." In March 2001, Margaret suddenly stopped seeing objects. What frustrated her most was that she could not solve her favorite crossword puzzles in the evenings. At the celebration of the 101st birthday of the Queen Mother, she appeared in wheelchair, with a swollen face that was covered by large dark glasses.

On the first day of the new year, 2002, Elizabeth II canceled her daily ritual of riding a horse and came to sit with her sister. That case seemed to be on the mend ... But soon another blow followed. On the morning of February 9, 2002, Princess Margaret died in her sleep, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. As her coffin, covered with a blue and purple cloth with white lilies, was taken out of the hospital, a few onlookers asked: “What happened? Is the queen mother dead? Not? Princess Margaret? Has she survived to this day?

Margaret never found out that she was mourned long before her real death.

Any event in the British Royal Family instantly becomes public. Therefore, the august persons try to monitor their actions. But not Princess Margaret, the younger sister of K. "Spare Princess" Joinjo.ua will tell you about her life filled with extravagant deeds and tragic circumstances.

Childhood and youth

And it all started very well. The little potential heir to the throne had absolutely everything she wanted. It was overshadowed only by the fact that she was the youngest child in the family. This means that she could inherit the throne only after her sister, Elizabeth II. But this did not prevent the sisters from establishing really warm and friendly relations. And this went on for quite a long time - until November 16, 1936, when the king Edward VIII agreed to abdicate.

There was quite interesting story- He had several alternatives. Either refuse to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson, or dissolve parliament, which simply could not accept such a decision of the king, than to cause an acute crisis in the country. political crisis or renounce. By the way, remember this fact.

After the abdication of King Edward, his brother, Duke Albert George VI, automatically became his successor. Father of Elizabeth and Margaret. That is, there was an easy "shift change" of the dynasty. And before Elizabeth clearly loomed the prospect of becoming a real monarch. But it was necessary to prepare for this, and very strongly - etiquette, politics, economics, psychology. It only seems from the outside that under a constitutional monarchy, kings play an exclusively representative role. Everything is much more complicated.

And in 1952, the king died of a coronary thrombosis. Elizabeth II became Queen of Great Britain, and Margaret plunged into a deep depression. The death of her father affected her too much, as did the almost "break" with her sister, who now had too many responsibilities to the Crown. In fact, the young princess found herself all alone

Youth and scandals

Of course, there were those who tried to brighten up this loneliness. With varying degrees of success, though. Peter Townsend, at that time a captain in the Royal Air Force, did the best (in fact, the title of Group captain does not correspond to a captain, but to an army colonel. And the wrong interpretation was simply fixed historically).

They really had an affair, everything was kind of normal, but ... But. The royal court did not approve of this. My sister did not approve of this. The archbishop and members of parliament did not approve of this. And Margaret was put forward an ultimatum - either she refuses marriage, or concludes it, but is deprived of all royal privileges and the required maintenance. Yeah, exactly the same thing that happened to her uncle - King Edward VIII. Only she did not have the authority to "dissolve all the dissatisfied". The princess thought for 2 years before giving up this marriage.

And then everything went downhill. Realizing that the life of a member of the royal family is not even a gilded cage, but much worse, Princess Margaret went "into the dressing". Parties, booze, parties, booze with parties. Mix, repeat. At the same time, practically without going beyond the limits of what is permitted. I really didn't want to lose content. But about the rampant lifestyle of the "reserve princess" began to talk around the world.

And after a while the situation repeated itself. Photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones, with whom the princess had an affair, asked her hand. Again a misalliance, again a potential scandal. But morals were slowly changing, so that Elizabeth herself gave permission for this marriage, wishing her sister to finally find happiness.

Alas, for 18 years it did not work out. Divorce, by the way, is also an extremely atypical phenomenon for the royal family, but everyone was already mentally prepared for the fact that anything could be expected from Princess Margaret. And everything went back to normal. Although, to be honest, abundant libations and active "social life" did not stop.

Even after being confined to a wheelchair in an accident, Princess Margaret did not stop drinking and smoking. And she died safely on February 9, 2002.

As you can see, neither money, nor a huge weight in society, nor some kind of power - all this does not necessarily bring happiness. Therefore, the site team and journalist Artyom Kostin remind you that the most important thing is to be with yourself. Only in this way can one find personal happiness, to which success in business and good luck in personal life will automatically catch up.

1960
On May 6, 1960, life in England came to a halt - a wedding was broadcast on TV from Westminster Abbey, which was watched by another 300 million people. With a bouquet of orchids, Norman Hartnell's deep V-neck silk gown with pearl beads, and a veil held by a diamond Poltimore Tiara from the Queen Victoria collection, the bride was, as the newspapers wrote, "a masterpiece of style and hairdressing."
She was accompanied by eight friends and her beloved nephew, little Prince Charles, dressed in a traditional Scottish kilt. The young couple spent their honeymoon riding the royal yacht Britannia around the Caribbean. Margaret Colin Tennant's friend Lord Glenconnor showed her Mustic Island, which he purchased in 1958. And when the princess could not hide her admiration, the lord gave her four hectares of this paradise land as a wedding gift. In London, the princess and her husband were given Kensington Palace to live in.

The first public appearance of the newlyweds in public

This concludes the holiday almanac, but at the end of the holidays there were, alas, a lot of other things. Here is what they write about the princess on the Internet (not best article, in the spirit of "caravan of stories", but oh well)
“In May 1961, Margaret's pregnancy was officially announced, and in October, a month before the birth of their first child, David, Armstrong-Jones was awarded the title of Earl of Snowdon.
With the advent of her son, Margaret's life almost did not change, only her circle changed - now there are almost no aristocrats left in it, they were replaced by bohemia: an aspiring actress, the future "Bond girl", Swedish Britt Ekland, her husband, comedian Peter Sellers, dancers Rudolf Nureyev and Margo Fontaine, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, writer Edna O'Brien, hairdresser and stylist Vidal Sassoon, designer, miniskirt maker Mary Quant and hippy chic inspiration, Thea Porter, whose bright oriental robes are worn by Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Collins...
It was a happy time - as if the strict world of her past, with bitter experiences and a failed relationship with Captain Townsend, retreated into the shadows, and gave way to the world of fashion, style and the art of living. In Hollywood, the couple had breakfast with Frank Sinatra, chatted with Gregory Peck, the princess tested her spell on Paul Newman. In those golden days there were many parties - in Sardinia, the Costa Esmeralda and St. Tropez. There, Margaret looked younger, sexier, happier than ever ... In May 1964, the Snowdons had a daughter, Sarah. Her godfather was Snowdon's Cambridge friend Anthony Burton, who was permanently residing in Bordeaux.
Almost every week, Margaret opened exhibitions, auctions, charity concerts, horse races, went on official visits, was present as a representative of the royal house at weddings, christenings and funerals, visited the colonies and Commonwealth countries on official visits. Snowdon was far from being assigned the main role in this highest protocol.
The princess's servants did not accept Anthony Armstrong-Jones for a long time, believing that the hostess's marriage to some photographer "with a dog's face and in frayed jeans" was a monstrous misalliance. Every morning the maid, who had served Margaret since childhood, entered the couple's bedroom with breakfast. And each time she had only one cup of coffee on the tray and only one glass of orange juice for Margaret. And Anthony complained to the dregs that he was being treated as if he had been picked up in the gutter.
The summer of 1965 was the last happy vacation that Anthony and Margaret spent together.
In 1966, while Snowdon was in India, she began an affair with Anthony Barton, who at that time finally settled in Bordeaux and began, with the help of an uncle, to manage the two family estates of Leoville-Barton and Langoa-Barton. This double betrayal of a friend and wife upset Snowdon greatly. And she fell in love with a gentleman winemaker so much that she even confessed her feelings on the phone to Burton's wife Eva. But then both marriages were saved.
In the late 60s, Margaret and Lord Snowdon barely spoke to each other. On her 39th birthday in 1969, the Snowdons began to bicker loudly in a nightclub. He, having lost his temper, in the presence of guests began to put out cigarettes on her evening dress. “I have never seen someone congratulate the birthday girl like that,” American writer Gore Vidal commented on this scene without hiding sarcasm. The photographer left notes on the table, one of which was titled "Twenty Reasons I Hate You." Friends said that the spouses "exchange insults like shots." These scenes were reminiscent of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
In the early 70s, their life together went downhill, and Margaret's style changed. The retro style that adorned her so much in the late 50s has waned. She looked squat in casual tweed suits, neither mini-skirts nor ethnic outfits suited her, and the famous shirt dresses of the 70s sat on her baggy.

In high-platform shoes, with luxurious family jewelry that clearly did not fit a strict suit, and an invariable miniature handbag, which she did not let go even when she met guests, she gradually became an anachronism. (An American journalist once quipped, "Who is that walking around the house with a wallet?") In those years, she rarely left the ranks of the most tastelessly dressed celebrities. In the list compiled by the American critic Robert Blackwell, she was invariably given special place: he called her "an ugly waitress from a roadside cafe of the 1950s", then "a chaos of glamorous brands", then "the curse of world fashion." He called her 1973 wardrobe the pinnacle of bad taste, commenting that the sight of Margaret "makes Londoners wish there was no more fog in their city." She was number one on Blackwell's list that year.
Her love of whiskey was already legendary. For breakfast, she appeared with the same glass of Famous Grouse. During official visits, a specially assigned waiter with an ashtray followed her from room to room. Friends under various pretexts rejected her invitations to Kensington Palace, "because she will drink, and we will be stuck there until the evening."

The only place where Margaret felt safe was Mustik Island. All the years of marriage and many years after the divorce, Lord Snowdon could not hear either the name of Colin Tennant or the name of the island: after all, only Margaret was given as a wedding gift Mustik!
In 1972, theater designer Olivier Messel built a 10-room coral-colored bungalow for Margaret with access to an isolated bay. A new villa with a swimming pool, terraces, stunning views of the Caribbean Sea and the Grenadines Islands was named Les Jolies Eaux "Wonderful Waters". This house she called "the only real home on earth and the best haven outside of London." In addition, far from the paparazzi, she could organize any, the most informal and unrestricted parties. Private concerts with Elton John and Mick Jagger, dinners with champagne, caviar and lobsters, and her invariable gin and tonic were on everyone's lips in those years. Margaret didn't seem to care about public opinion. “We need to meet with young people - the rest of the applicants are either busy or have died long ago,” Margaret liked to say in those years.
In September 1973, at the estate of her old friend Colin Tennant, the Princess met Roderick, "Roddy" Llewellyn, in Scotland. The long-haired hippie turned out to be 17 years younger than her, and, of course, was without certain occupations. Upon discovering that the young man had arrived undressed for a swim in the warm pool, the Queen's sister took the young man to the store and chose British flag-colored swimming trunks for him. The next day they were seen in the vicinity of Glasgow - she bought him a sweater. Journalists spread the sensation all over the world, but this news looked so absurd that they simply refused to believe it then! Llewellyn and Margaret vacationed together on the Mystique in 1974, where they attended a week-long 50th birthday party for Colin Tennant. The culmination of the evening was a performance by Mick Jagger and a special "golden reception", to which the tanned princess appeared draped in gold brocade.
Two years later, in 1976, the Sunday Times published photographs of the bikini-clad princess in the arms of her young lover on Mustica. These pictures again immediately flew around the world. And when the enraged Anthony Armstrong-Jones demanded an official retraction, the princess's personal household secretary advised him not to be ridiculous, because his wife's relationship with Luvellin had been going on for quite some time. The princess was informed by phone that the frenzied Lord Snowdon had finally left her house. She was still on her island. Her reaction was calm: “He left? All the better. This is the best news you have ever given me,” she told her secretary.
In March 1976, it was officially announced that the couple would live separately - with the corresponding remark from Queen Elizabeth II that "she is very sorry about what happened." In the newspapers, Margaret was called "expensive", "scandalous", "extravagant" and "useless". In 1978, the Snowdons divorced - this was the first divorce in the English royal family in 400 years since the time of Henry VIII. She spent the next years between London and Mustique, living on the island like a shipwrecked Robinson who lost everything he had ever had. In her free time, she swam in the sea, lay in a sun lounger, solving crossword puzzles in The Times. Roddy constantly visited her Caribbean villa, who from time to time helped the neighbors to landscape their bungalows. The press called the princess "tedious", "spoiled", "lounging" and "irritable". Elizabeth II excluded her from the number of guests of honor and refused to pay the annual 219 thousand pounds laid down for the maintenance of a member of the royal house. In the year of her 50th birthday, Roddy Llewellyn announced his engagement to a fashion dressmaker. But it seems that this fact did not upset Margaret: “If his engagement hadn’t happened, I would have been stuck in this story for a long time.”
She was increasingly sick, complained of feeling unwell, while not parting with either cigarettes (in those years she smoked 60 cigarettes a day) or Famous Grouse whiskey.
In Los Angeles, she met the Queen of Hollywood, Elizabeth Taylor. Having seen the Krupp diamond on her hand, weighing 33.19 carats, she did not hesitate to call it vulgar. Taylor restrained herself and with a fake smile suggested that Margaret try on the ring. And when the princess could not hide her admiration, the queen of Hollywood triumphantly said: “Now that it is on your arm, it doesn’t look so vulgar anymore, does it?”
The press called Margaret "inattentive" and "insensitive". Even close friends complained that sometimes she behaved with people as if she said - "there is no need to be nice to these people, they are just subjects of my sister." She could not forget that she had once been second in line to the throne, always with the shadow of a queen in her speech and demeanor.
In 1985, Margaret underwent lung surgery. The doctors were truly alarmed, they knew that four monarchs - Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and the princess's own father, George VI - had died of smoking-related illnesses. But even the operation did not force Margaret to part with the lighter.

In 1991, her health began to decline dramatically. Her loneliness became habitual and boring - she more and more went into the shadows. Cynical, dissatisfied with nothing and never satisfied, by the end of her life she was known more as Prince Charlie's favorite aunt - the always grumbling "Charley's aunt", an aging, far from paramount character of the royal family, eleventh in line for the throne, a "monster" and " rude."
In 1999, Les Jolies Eaux was sold by Margaret's son David Lynley for £1 million. Margaret from this news struck the first stroke. The alcohol was done away with, two thousand cigarettes were returned to the suppliers, and Margaret never used the lighter again. Wanting to cheer up her sister, Elizabeth invited her to the theater, which she always loved, but Margaret unexpectedly refused. It was then that the queen said: "It seems that my sister has lost interest in life." In March 2001, Margaret suddenly stopped seeing objects. At the celebration of the 101st birthday of the Queen Mother, she appeared in a wheelchair with a swollen face, which was covered by large dark glasses.
On the first day of the new year 2002, Elizabeth II canceled her daily ritual of riding a horse and came to sit with her sister. Things seem to be on the mend...
But another blow soon followed. On the morning of February 9, 2002, Princess Margaret died in her sleep, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. When her coffin, covered with a blue and purple cloth with white lilies, was taken out of the hospital, a few terist onlookers asked: “What happened? Is the queen mother dead? Not? Princess Margaret? Has she survived to this day?

The bride and groom met on the set. He was an actor, and she was an assistant dresser. He was the son of an actor and theatrical agent. She was the daughter of a princess and the granddaughter of a king. He played the role of the prince (one of her cousins) in the film.
Lady Sarah Francis Elizabeth Armstrong-Jones was born on 1 May 1964 at Kensington Palace in London, England. Her parents are Princess Margaret, the youngest daughter of King George VI, and Anthony Armstrong-Jones. Her father was made Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley on October 6, 1961. Therefore, Sarah owns the title, worn according to custom - Lady Sarah. Sarah has an older brother, David.


Lady Sarah wore the Snowdon floral tiara to the wedding. This is a tiara given to Princess Margaret by her husband, but she never wore it to formal events.
The tiara unfolds into brooches. Lady Sarah at the celebration of the golden anniversary of the wedding of Elizabeth II and Philip Mountbatten, 1997


Sarah and Daniel chose a small 17th century church built by Sir Christopher Wren because wanted to get married in a romantic and cozy place. There is only enough space for 200 people, children were not invited precisely because of the size of the church. The bride decided not to use the royal carriage, and also to do without the red carpet and chimes. Daniel was so worried not to be late that he arrived at the church an hour and a half before the start of the ceremony.
Sarah arrived with her father, Lord Snowdon, and three bridesmaids: half-sister Lady Frances Armstrong-Jones, cousin Zara Philips and friend Tara Noble Sing.

The bride's arrival was almost overshadowed by the arrival of her more famous relatives, the Prince and Princess of Wales, who appeared at the same event, albeit separately, for the first time since Charles's public admission of adultery a month earlier.

After reciting their marriage vows, the couple exchanged simple gold rings. The ceremony lasted only 30 minutes and, unexpectedly for everyone, the newlyweds left the church without an announcement. Even the driver was not in place, which caused the laughter of the newly-made spouses. There was a reception at Clarence House after the ceremony, which the Princess of Wales did not attend. The couple spent their honeymoon in India - that's where they met.
The couple had two children: Samuel David Benedict Shatto, 28 July 1996, London, and Arthur Robert Nathaniel Shatto, 5 February 1999, London. Queen Elizabeth II maintains close contact with both of her sister's children, their families are always invited to royal events and they usually spend Christmas at Sandringham.
Sarah and Daniel are pursuing careers as artists, and their work can be seen on the website of their art gallery. (

Margaret Rose, the daughter of King George VI and the younger sister of the current reigning Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II, was born to attract admiring glances of others, to lead a carefree social life and, finally, to marry a high-born rich handsome man who would surround the girl with love and care. However, instead of all this, Margaret received a life full of loneliness, struggle and suffering, hidden behind a charming smile and incredible outfits and jewelry, as a "gift" from fate.

Sister of the future queen

As a child, little Margaret loved her older sister Elizabeth very much. Rumor has it that up to a certain point the princesses were inseparable, despite the radically opposite characters: the restrained, serious Elizabeth and the active, laughing Margaret. The girls' father did not yet claim the British throne - his brother Edward was to become king. However, the coronation did not take place. Edward became one of the first Windsors to choose love over the throne: his marriage to an American divorcee with a dubious past, Wallis Simpson, was not recognized, and Edward abdicated in favor of his younger brother George. This act decided the fate of the whole family of the new king, including the young Margaret, whose destiny is to always be “second”.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth with their daughters Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, December 1936

After the coronation of George VI, the life of his daughters and their relationship completely changed. Elizabeth became the main heir, and now she was being prepared for a great future, and Margaret got the role of "second violin". There was no enmity or envy between the sisters (none of the girls dreamed of becoming a queen), but this is a clear distribution of roles and royal protocol, obliging to be always behind crown princess to live in her shadow, grieved Margaret. Of the close feelings of the girl, only her father-king understood, because he himself grew up in similar situation. George VI was for Margaret the most dear person and she is his beloved daughter.

Margaret was 22 years old when the king passed away. The tragedy of the family and the whole kingdom was soon marked by a joyful event - the young Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne. But for her younger sister this was the beginning of the end. The last threads of sisterly love that bound Margaret and Elizabeth were broken. As soon as Elizabeth became queen, she occupied Buckingham Palace, moving her mother and sister to Clarence House.

Princess Margaret and Elizabeth II

tragic love Princess Margaret

Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend

His name was Peter Townsend, he was 16 years older than Margaret, and served as equerry to the late George VI. Margaret knew Peter from young years: He taught her horse riding and was responsible for the safety of the princess during trips. It is difficult to say exactly when this feeling originated. Perhaps their friendship at a certain moment grew into something more, and the couple could not hide their feelings from each other ... Hiding them from others, alas, did not work out for a long time either! During one event, to which representatives of the British press were invited, Margaret and Peter gave a rather characteristic intimate gesture - the girl brushed a speck of dust from the shoulder of the stableman. It turned out to be easy for journalists to prove the fact of the relationship between the princess and the commoner, and soon the whole kingdom was discussing Margaret's novel.

Townsend was not suitable as a candidate for the husband of Princess Townsend: the man was divorced, had two children, and was not of noble birth. The people were indignant. If it weren’t for the fact that the princess’s lover in the past was a colonel in the Royal Air Force and a hero of the Second World War, his further fate after such a daring act would be generally difficult to predict. But the man got off lightly - Elizabeth simply sent him away from her younger sister: to serve outside the country.

Despite the fact that the lovers were separated, Margaret's heart remained true to one Peter. Acting as a princess, she traveled the country on official visits, impressing those around her with her beauty and haute couture outfits. Knowing that the photos would get into the press, Margaret deliberately preened and smiled at the camera so that Peter could see her in the newspapers.

Princess Margaret and couturier Yves Saint Laurent

Princess Margaret and couturier Christian Dior

Royal tour, Jamaica, 1955

Royal tour, Caribbean, 1955

Before her 25th birthday, there was very little left. The girl was waiting for a chance to enter the age that gave her the opportunity to disobey the royal family and make a choice in favor of love. However, this dream turned out to be illusory. The princess was pressured not only elder sister but also the public. On Margaret's shoulders lay the burden of responsibility for the fate of the entire British monarchy, because the stiff country could not tolerate another renunciation of the titles of a member of the royal family! It turned out that Margaret had no choice.

Saying goodbye to Townsend was hard and painful. The paparazzi managed to take some pictures of Peter and Margaret's last date in 1955. On the face of the princess, leaving her lover forever, a mask of pain and despair froze. A few days later, she officially announced that their romance was over.

Princess Margaret in a car after saying goodbye to Peter Townsend, October 1955

Margaret, who from the age of 18 was fond of fashion and even shone on the covers of fashion publications, continued to attend shows of the best French designers and various social events. Despite the pain she endured, she performed well in public. Wherever the princess went, her trademark charming smile invariably remained on her face. The British press immediately doubted whether the princess was really in love if she so quickly forgot her equerry? Some publications again began to wag the name of Margaret in the press, but now reproaching her for choosing wealth and title, and not love. Margaret did not seem to react. But the resentment inside her forever put an end to her love for her sister and faith in people. The girl pointedly did not appear at official events that were important for her sister-queen, with pleasure replacing communication with her family with fun leisure activities with friends.

4 years after breaking up with Peter Townsend, Margaret was again in for a shock: Peter was going to marry a girl who looked remarkably like her. He himself told her about it in a telephone conversation. As it turns out, during their last meeting, Peter and Margaret vowed never to tie the knot with anyone else. Peter broke his promise, and Margaret finally lost her mind. Next in her life was a revenge marriage to photographer Tony Armstrong-Jones, a string of young lovers, wild life and general condemnation.

Peter Townsend with his wife

Princess Margaret's wedding to Tony Armstrong-Jones

The once beloved Princess Margaret, whose photos appeared in the press more often than pictures of other members of the royal family, has forever gone into oblivion. She grew old early, did not know happiness and spent the rest of her days alone. Despite the grievances, when Townsend was dying, Margaret came to say goodbye to him. The princess survived her beloved by 7 years.