Sister of Elizabeth II: the bright and tragic life of Princess Margaret. English Princess Margaret: biography and personal life Princess Margaret Rose

Princess Margaret was not only a royal daughter, the sister of the queen, and after the birth of Prince Charles, the third in line for the throne, but was also known as the first beauty of the kingdom of Great Britain. Shades of lipstick, perfumes and cocktails, tulips, gladioli, roses were named after her.
She flared up like a bright comet, but in an endless series of secular scandals, her star faded. Disease and oblivion followed. When her coffin, covered with a blue and purple cloth with white lilies, was taken out of the hospital in February 2002, a few onlookers asked: “What happened? Is the queen mother dead? Not? Princess Margaret? Has she survived to this day?

Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, was born on 21 August 1930 at Glamis Castle, the ancestral home of her mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, in Scotland.
At the time of her birth, she was fourth in the line of succession to the British throne.
She was destined to be a "reserve princess", to be on the sidelines, in the shadow of her crowned sister. To be noticed, she had to be much brighter than Elizabeth defying conservative conventions. No wonder Margaret was called the rebellious princess. The registration of her birth was delayed for several days so that the entry in the parish metric book would not be assigned the 13th number. But it is difficult to deceive even a princess from fate. However, all the storms are ahead, but for now she is just a lovely little "Her Royal Highness" in a beautiful castle, surrounded by the love and care of the entire royal family.

But from the very early childhood not without controversy and controversy. Mother wanted to name her Ann - "Elizabeth and Ann go so well together." Father was vehemently opposed and insisted on "Margaret Rose".
Elizabeth and Margaret did not attend school, they were taught by the Scottish governess Marion Crawford. Their education was controlled by their mother, who said: "After all, my sisters and I only had governesses and we all married well - one of us very well." Margaret later regretted her limited education.

Margaret played music and sang beautifully, which did not interfere with the rumors that spread among the people that the girl was deaf and dumb. Only her first public performance scattered them. Another girl loved to be the center of attention, and elder sister Elizabeth allowed this to her, commenting, "Oh, how much easier it is when Margaret is there—everyone laughs at what Margaret says."
Their father, who became King George VI after his father's death and his older brother's abdication, described Elizabeth as his pride and Margaret as his joy.
At this time, Margaret was already second in line to the throne and received the status of a child of the sovereign.

After the outbreak of World War II, Margaret and her sister were at Birkhall on the estate of Balmoral Castle, where they stayed until Christmas 1939. The nights there were so cold that drinking water froze in the decanters by their beds. Throughout the war, despite the bombing, the royal family spent windsor castle. Lord Hailsham wrote to Prime Minister Winston Churchill advising that the princesses be evacuated to Canada, to which their mother famously replied that “The children will not do without my help. I will not leave without the King. And the King will never leave."

After the end of the war in 1945, Margaret appeared on a balcony at Buckingham Palace with her family and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Afterwards, both Elizabeth and Margaret joined the crowds outside the palace, singing incognito, "we want a King, we want a Queen!"

Her twenty-first birthday party was held at Balmoral in August 1951. In next month her father underwent surgery for lung cancer and died in 1952.

Growing up, Margaret has grown into a dark-haired beauty with huge blue eyes, a voluptuous mouth, and an 18-inch waist. The editors of the fashion and beauty sections immediately drew attention to her. 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. Wherever she went, she was accompanied everywhere by a crowd of secular admirers, who became known as the "Margaret set." In 1956, 26-year-old Margaret appeared on the list of the most stylish people in the world. In this prestigious list, Margaret was mentioned second only to Grace Kelly.

Offended by her mother and sister, Margaret insisted on her resettlement in Kensington Palace, where she created an alternative court from her friends and where there was no place for formal dresses and tuxedos. In the evenings, her blue Rolls-Royce left the palace gates and headed towards Soho. Almost every day she returned from the clubs in the morning. With a brightly painted mouth, large violet eyes, a dazzling smile, high-combed dark red hair, flawless marbled skin, for which the women of the Windsor family were so famous, she simultaneously resembled Hollywood star and the classical aristocrat of the 19th century.

famous open dress Margaret for a reception in Hollywood, where it caused a sensation, and a scandal in the English press

The first scandal happened with Margaret Rose, Princess of York in 1955: the younger sister of Elizabeth II, almost married the royal equerry Peter Townsend, sixteen years older than her, the father of two children and also divorced. The sister-queen, parliament and the church, headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, opposed this marriage of Margaret, considering it a monstrous misalliance! In the autumn of 1955, the BBC interrupted its transmissions to broadcast a statement by Margaret, who notified the nation of the end of a twelve-year relationship with Captain Townsend. The lovers parted.

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. But when the pretty, witty and very talented society photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones began to hoot after her, Margaret unexpectedly showed firmness for everyone.

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 girlfriends and her beloved nephew - the little Prince Charles dressed up in the traditional Scottish kilt.

The young couple spent their honeymoon riding the royal yacht Britannia around the Caribbean. In May 1961, Margaret's pregnancy was officially announced.

With son and daughter
son - David, Viscount Linley, born November 3, 1961, daughter 0 Lady Sarah, born May 1, 1964. Both children were born by caesarean section

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, Rolling Stones”, writer Edna O’Brien, hairdresser and stylist Vidal Sassoon, designer, mini-skirt creator Mary Quant and hippy chic inspirer, Thea Porter, whose bright oriental robes were worn with pleasure by Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Collins ...

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.

Almost every week, Margaret opened exhibitions, auctions, charity concerts, horse races, traveled with official visits, was present as a representative of the royal house at weddings, christenings and funerals, made official visits to the colonies and countries of the Commonwealth.

Her husband, who received the title of Earl of Snowdon, in this highest protocol was far from the main role. Anthony complained to his friends that he was being treated as if he had been picked up from the gutter. The summer of 1965 was the last happy vacation that Anthony and Margaret spent together.

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 they living together went downhill, Margaret's style also changed. Along with youth, the retro of the 50s has also gone. In casual tweed suits, she looked squat, neither miniskirts nor ethnic outfits suited her, and the famous shirt dresses of the 70s were baggy on her. In those years, she rarely left the ranks of the most tastelessly dressed celebrities and received comments that her the view "leaves Londoners wishing there was no more fog in their city".

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.
“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. The newspapers called Margaret "expensive", "scandalous", "extravagant" and "useless".
Both spouses cheated on each other, but it was Margaret's betrayals that became public property thanks to the ubiquitous paparazzi.

The Snowdons divorced in 1978, the first divorce in the English royal family in 400 years since Henry VIII. Despite the fact that her husband had a very tarnished reputation, all the blame was placed on Margaret. 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. As more and more new heirs to the throne were born, Princess Margaret's turn dropped to 11, and interest in her was completely lost over 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 1985, Margaret underwent lung surgery. In 1991, her health began to decline dramatically. A series of strokes followed.

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. But another blow soon followed. 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. These were last days Princess Margaret. On the morning of February 9, 2002, she died in her sleep.

In 1950, the royal governess, Marion Crawford, who raised the princesses, published a biography of Elizabeth, describing both Margaret's childhood years, her "light-hearted fun" and her "funny and outrageous ... antics." Marion Crawford wrote: "The impulsive and flamboyant remarks she made made headlines and, taken out of their context, began to produce in the public eye an oddly distorted personality that bore little resemblance to the Margaret we knew."

American writer Gore Vidal recalled a conversation with Margaret in which she discussed her public fame, saying, "It was inevitable: when there are two sisters, and each is a Queen, one must be the source of honor and everything, something good, while while the other should be the center of the most creative malice, the evil sister." However, the sisters' letters to each other show no signs of disagreement between them.

Margaret's most important legacy is said to have paved the way for the public acceptance of royal divorce. Her sister's children followed suit, three of whom divorced and much more easily than would have been possible before.

In the art of the kinkmatographer, Margaret's personality has found many incarnations from her childhood years (Oscar-winning "The King's Speech" 2010) to reflecting the details of her troubled life
("Princess Margaret, a love story» 2005). In addition, she became the heroine of many television series (Women of Windsor (1992) and others).

21 August 1930 – 11 December 1936: her princess Royal Highness Margaret of York
11 December 1936 – 3 October 1961: HRH Princess Margaret
3 October 1961 – 9 February 2002: HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

When royalty ascends the throne, her name remains in history. But what happens to the other applicants? royalty. Unfortunately, their destiny is life in the shadow of their titled relatives. This is exactly what happened with Princess Margaret, the younger sister of the British Queen Elizabeth II. Despite the splendor and luxury of its existence, spare princess' has always suffered from loneliness.

Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret

In the early years of their lives, the sisters were very close. But, when due to their uncle's abdication Edward VIII, it was necessary for parents to enter the throne, the life of girls has changed dramatically. There was a spirit of rivalry between the sisters. Elizabeth was destined to become queen, so she began endless lessons on the structure of a constitutional monarchy. Margaret was out of work.

Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister Princess Margaret

The real shock for the princess was the death of her father, King George VI, at the age of 56. The mother suddenly moved away from everyone, wearing mourning, Elizabeth II was swallowed up by royal obligations, and the 21-year-old Princess Margaret felt that no one needed her.

Princess Margaret and Captain Peter Townsend

The first scandal associated with the name of the princess happened in 1953. On June 2, during the coronation of Elizabeth II, Margaret had the imprudence to brush off the ashes from the uniform of Captain Peter Townsend. The press regarded this gesture as meaningful and defiant. In fact, the relationship between them lasted for many years. The princess wanted to marry the captain, but he was divorced and had two children. The sister, the archbishop and parliament opposed such a statement, since the royal person did not have the right to marry a divorced person.

Margaret was given an ultimatum: in the event of marriage with Captain Townsend, she was deprived of all royal privileges and life support. 2 years later, Princess Margaret appeared on television and publicly abandoned her intention to marry the captain, citing her obligations to her country.

"Rebel Princess" Margaret

After that, Margaret became embittered and considered that now the whole point of her life would be fun. She started drinking and driving wild life. Her behavior in in public places becomes extraordinary: the days began with the fulfillment of royal obligations at endless receptions, trips to the theater, and ended invariably in nightclubs.

Princess Margaret was considered a style icon

Despite the intolerable character, Princess Margaret was gladly received in any establishments. She was very attractive. Marble skin, thin waist, sensual mouth. Every outfit in which she appeared was immediately printed in magazines, and then copied by fashionistas.

The princess flirted with the most famous beauties of the time. She was not offended by jokes with obvious overtones. The princess declared: if one sister is a queen, a manifestation of goodness, then the second is destined to be the embodiment of evil and corruption - the queen of the night.

Princess Margaret in her wedding dress

Despite numerous romances, no one suited Margaret's status as a groom. This was very depressing for the girl. In 1959, photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones asked for the hand of the 29-year-old princess. This led to another resonance, because in last time a person of royal blood married a commoner 450 years ago. Queen Elizabeth II nevertheless agreed to the marriage, wishing her sister female happiness.

"Spare Princess" Margaret

Unfortunately, this relationship did not bring the princess the desired peace, and after 18 years of marriage, she filed for divorce. How much she drank and smoked cigarettes was already legendary. Friends refused under various pretexts to accept her invitations to the palace, because Margaret would start drinking, and they would be stuck until the evening.

Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret

Last years Margaret were deeply tragic. As a result of an accident where she scalded her feet, the princess was chained to wheelchair. Her death came on February 9, 2002.
Life younger sister was bright but tragic. The elder sister, Elizabeth II, went down in history as the longest-serving monarch.

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 only clouded the fact that she was youngest child in 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 King Edward VIII agreed to abdicate the throne.

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 royal family- not even a gilded cage, but much worse, Princess Margaret went "out of order". 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, frankly, copious libations and active " Savor"didn't 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.

Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister, Princess Margaret Rose, was born on August 21, 1930 at Glamis Castle in Scotland. The future Countess of Snowdon from the Windsor royal family will live to be 71 years old and will die of a stroke on February 9, 2009. Like the understudies of space crews, her destiny was to always remain in the queen's shadow.

Both sisters were born on the 21st, four years apart. Only the eldest Elizabeth - in April, and the youngest Margaret - in August. As children, their parents raised them together, and the girls were friendly. Margaret's life changed dramatically in December 1936 when King Edward VIII abdicated due to his morganatic marriage to Bessie Wallis Warfield. His brother George VI, the father of Elizabeth and Margaret, becomes king.

Contemporaries of Her Royal Highness believed that Margaret was spoiled by her parents, especially her father, who allowed her liberties that are usually not allowed for a 13-year-old teenager of royal blood, such as staying up until dinner. King George spoke of Elizabeth as his pride and Margaret as his joy.

During the Second World War, the sisters, despite the bombing of London, remained at Windsor Palace and did not leave for Canada. Margaret was considered too young to entrust her with any business. The teenager continued to learn lessons and improve in singing and playing the piano. In 1950, former royal governess Marion Crawford published biographies of Elizabeth and Margaret. In a book called "Little Princesses" ( The Little Princesses) she described Margaret's "light-hearted antics" and her "funny and outrageous ... antics". The royal family was appalled by what they considered Crawford's unceremonious meddling in their privacy and abuse of trust, as a result, people close to the monarch ostracized Bonn.

Fifty-six-year-old George VI died suddenly on February 6, 1952. Margaret was heartbroken and doctors put her on sedatives for insomnia. By that time, her longtime acquaintance Peter Townsend had been appointed Comptroller of the Household of her mother's court and offered her sister English queen hand and heart. He was 16 years older than Margaret and had two children from a previous marriage. Under the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, this required the consent of the queen. In addition, in 1936 the Anglican Church refused to register divorcees for remarriage. After several years of romance, Margaret publicly announces her breakup with Peter "in view of duties to her country".

And before that eccentric, Margaret set off in all serious ways. Among her numerous fans were, according to rumors, Billy Wallace (Billy Wallace), Scottish aristocrat Colin Tennant (Colin Tennant) and John Turner (John Turner), later Prime Minister of Canada. On May 6, 1960, Margaret married her peer, English photographer and directed by Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, who received the title of the first Earl of Snowdon (1st Earl of Snowdon). Armstrong-Jones invented the electric wheelchair, for which in 1971 he received patent number 1230619 ("Mobile aids for people with disabilities").

Margaret's circle of acquaintances expanded. In addition to aristocrats, she began to communicate with bohemians and representatives big business. Her responsibilities included charitable work. The Earl and Countess of Snowdon loved to experiment with fashionable styles clothes. In this marriage, Margaret gave birth to a son and a daughter. Both children, at her request, were born by caesarean section. David, Viscount Linley was born November 3, 1961. Lady Sarah - 1 May 1964 The marriage lasted 16 years and all this time was on the verge of collapse, as the media constantly wrote about. The scandals were accompanied by drinking, drug use and adultery. On July 11, 1978, the couple divorced. The reason could be Anthony's bisexuality.

Princess Margaret is the subject of many books in her homeland, her biographies are published, which, as a rule, are not translated into other languages. Quite a lot of both documentary and feature films about her life. They feature Princess Margaret in different ages and in different episodes. In the 2010 Oscar-winning film The King's Speech! (The King's Speech) the role of little Princess Margaret was played by eight-year-old English actress Ramona Marquez. In the melodrama A Royal Night Out, released in 2015, the teenager Margaret was played by actress Bel Powley .

The princess started smoking at the age of 15. On January 5, 1985, part of her left lung was removed. Margaret quit smoking in 1991, but continued to suffer from binges. In 1993, she was hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia. In early 1999, as a result of an accident in the bathroom, the princess suffered severe burns on both legs. I had to transfer to a wheelchair. Princess Margaret died at the King Edward VII Hospital in London. The farewell ceremony took place on February 15, 2002, exactly on the 50th anniversary of her father's funeral. Unlike most other members of the Windsor royal family, Princess Margaret's body was cremated and her ashes were placed in her parents' grave.

When a royal person ascends the throne, her name remains in history. But what happens to other pretenders of royal blood. Unfortunately, their destiny is life in the shadow of their titled relatives. This is exactly what happened with Princess Margaret, the younger sister of the British Queen Elizabeth II. Despite the splendor and luxury of her existence, the "reserve princess" has always suffered from loneliness.

The princess flirted with the most famous beauties of the time. She was not offended by jokes with obvious overtones. The princess declared: if one sister is a queen, a manifestation of goodness, then the second is destined to be the embodiment of evil and corruption - the queen of the night.