Princess Margaret Biography Quotes 5 Report mistakes

Early Life and Family
Princess Margaret, born Margaret Rose on 21 August 1930 at Glamis Castle in Scotland, was the younger daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, who became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) after the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII, in 1936. Her elder sister, Princess Elizabeth, would become Queen Elizabeth II. The sudden elevation of her parents to the throne transformed Margaret's childhood, moving the family to Buckingham Palace and placing both sisters at the heart of national life. Despite the public role, their parents fostered a close family atmosphere at Royal Lodge, Windsor, emphasizing duty, faith, and service.

Education and Wartime Years
Privately educated by governesses, Margaret showed early talent for music and a lifelong interest in the arts. During the Second World War, the princesses lived largely at Windsor Castle for safety. In 1940, Elizabeth and Margaret made a morale-boosting radio broadcast on the BBC's Children's Hour, addressing evacuated children. Margaret accompanied her parents and sister on public engagements that brought the royal family into contact with bomb-damaged communities, shaping her understanding of service and public expectation.

Public Role and Early Adulthood
Margaret's coming of age coincided with a changing postwar Britain. In 1947 she joined her parents and sister on a landmark tour of Southern Africa. Later that year she served as a bridesmaid at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten, later the Duke of Edinburgh, with whom Margaret maintained a cordial family relationship. After the death of King George VI in 1952 and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, Margaret took on a growing number of engagements. She cultivated patronages in music, dance, and theater, becoming a prominent supporter of the arts and earning a reputation for elegance and style that captivated the press and public.

The Peter Townsend Affair
Margaret's relationship with Group Captain Peter Townsend, a decorated wartime fighter pilot who served as equerry to King George VI, became one of the defining stories of her life. The couple wished to marry in the early 1950s, but Townsend was divorced, and civil, ecclesiastical, and constitutional constraints complicated the prospect. With the Royal Marriages Act, the Church of England's stance at the time, and political considerations involving Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his successors, Margaret faced a stark choice between personal happiness and duty. In 1955 she issued a statement renouncing the marriage, affirming that she had decided not to wed Townsend. The episode left a lasting imprint on public perceptions of the monarchy's demands and on Margaret's public image.

Marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones and Family
In 1960 Margaret married the photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey in the first British royal wedding to be televised, an event watched by millions. He was created Earl of Snowdon, and Margaret became the Countess of Snowdon. The couple had two children: David (later the 2nd Earl of Snowdon), a furniture designer and cultural figure, and Lady Sarah Chatto, a painter. They established a home at Kensington Palace and were closely connected to creative circles. Snowdon's uncle, the designer Oliver Messel, and friends such as Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, were part of the couple's artistic milieu; Margaret's retreat on Mustique became synonymous with her off-duty life.

Strain, Separation, and Divorce
The marriage, celebrated for its modernity and artistic verve, came under strain from demanding schedules, the glare of publicity, and mutual infidelities. By the mid-1970s the couple had separated. Margaret's relationship with the landscape gardener Roddy Llewellyn drew intense media attention and symbolized broader cultural shifts within royal life. In 1978 she and Lord Snowdon divorced, the first such separation of a senior royal in modern times. Despite personal upheaval, Margaret remained a resilient public figure and continued to support her sister the Queen and their mother, who were central presences throughout her life.

Public Service and Cultural Influence
Margaret's patronages reflected deep engagement with the performing arts, notably ballet and opera, and with charitable causes across health, children's welfare, and cultural institutions. Known for quick wit and a commanding presence, she bridged traditional royal protocol with the modern media age, maintaining bonds with her nephews and niece, including the then Prince Charles and Princess Anne, as well as with the wider family circle that included Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Her long companionship with the Queen Mother and steadfast loyalty to Queen Elizabeth II anchored her public role even as attitudes toward the monarchy evolved.

Health Challenges and Final Years
Margaret's health declined from the mid-1980s. She underwent a partial lung operation in 1985 and suffered a series of strokes in the late 1990s and early 2000s. An accident in 1999, when she was scalded in a bath while on holiday, compounded mobility issues. Despite reduced public appearances, she remained engaged with her charities and family. Princess Margaret died on 9 February 2002 at King Edward VII's Hospital in London, aged 71, following a stroke. Her funeral took place at St George's Chapel, Windsor, and her ashes were interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel alongside her father. The Queen Mother died the following month, marking the end of a defining era for the royal family.

Legacy
Princess Margaret's life illuminated the tensions between private desire and public duty inherent in modern monarchy. As sister to Queen Elizabeth II and daughter of King George VI and the Queen Mother, she was part of the inner core of Britain's royal story across the twentieth century. Her choices, notably in the Townsend affair and her marriage to Lord Snowdon, spurred debates about tradition and change, while her patronage of the arts helped energize postwar British culture. Through her children, David and Sarah, and through the institutions she supported, Margaret left a legacy of creativity and service that continues to color perceptions of the House of Windsor.

Our collection contains 5 quotes who is written by Princess, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Motivational - Family.

Other people realated to Princess: Geoffrey Fisher (Clergyman), Elizabeth II (Royalty), Norman Hartnell (Designer)