A long time ago, there was a princess who had almost everything a girl could dream of. Her beauty, her power, is the envy of all who know her, and it would be perfect if there was a realistic and charming prince in this picture of happiness. For this beautiful and generous princess, who is more suitable for this role than the handsome and dashing Royal Air Force combat hero? He was so successful that even the king himself had great trust in him. For the princess and her heroes in the air, this is simply a realistic version of the fairy tale. However, this sad, cut-out love, until the death of Princess Margaret, did not really usher in a happy ending.
Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret Rose was born in 1930 to her parents Albert and Elizabeth, who at the time, were known as the Duke and Duchess of York, living quietly in their own homes, away from the clamour of society. Margaret had an older sister named Elizabeth, queen Elizabeth II, whom we now better know. In any case, to their parents, Margaret and Elizabeth were just what they called "Margot" and "Lilybert", two pearls held in the palm of their hands.
In December 1936, Albert ascended the throne as king, known historically as George VI. Although only 6 years old, Margaret Rose was no longer just the daughter of a shy, reserved duke, she was now the second heir to the throne, and the quiet life she enjoyed on Piccadilly Avenue was gone. The royal family moved into Buckingham Palace. Suddenly, Elizabeth and Margaret were thrown to the forefront of public attention. But as the days go by, they find that their lives have changed little.
The new king and queen did everything in their power to ensure that their daughters enjoyed a normal childhood. They join girl scouts, visit relatives and friends, and always avoid the public eye. The two girls received a lady's education from an early age, and also enjoyed the favor of their parents, especially the king, and they were obedient to their daughter. Little Elizabeth had to prepare herself for her future role, while Margaret was unburdened and still walked easily.
With the beginning of the love sinus, Margaret's love of beauty has become stronger, and she has become more and more fond of pursuing the more vain things in life. She is slender, elegant, beautiful and passionate about fashion. Whether it's the brilliance of walking the red carpet or the devotion to charity, she is willing to be the focus of people's attention. Moreover, Margaret is quick-witted and intelligent, and everyone is eager to join her circle. Soon, she became a central figure in high social circles. Although she was not yet an adult, it was clear that Margaret would be a very competent princess in the future.
At the age of 17, Princess Margaret accompanied her parents on an official trip to South Africa. It was a destiny journey. During the visit, Margaret was accompanied by Air Force Colonel Peter Townsend, a 33-year-old former Royal Air Force officer who was one of the King's trusted attendants. Townsend can be described as a real combat hero, an idol in the hearts of any young girl, he is handsome, confident and gentle. In 1940, he was awarded the Distinguished Pilot's Cross for his bravery in battle. Townsend took part in the Battle of Britain and even successfully landed at sea. He has a brilliant record, even if he is injured, he is still fighting spirit. After surgery to remove a big toe, within weeks, the Air Force officer returned to the battlefield and flew into battle.
Air Force Colonel Peter Townsend
At the end of World War II, Townsend retired from the Royal Air Force and entered the court as George VI's personal bodyguard. He was a highly valued and trusted member of the King's private circle, and was later appointed "Her Majesty the Mother", the head of the household audit, and his high status was evident. One is a young and beautiful Princess Of Windsor, and the other is a handsome and mature Royal Air Force officer, and the two love each other fiercely, perhaps also in reason. But they can't have a happy future, because Townsend is not only personable, meritorious, and famous, he is also a husband with a wife.
On a gloomy day in February 1952, lung cancer took the life of the 56-year-old King. George and Margaret are deeply in love, and now, when her father dies, Margaret loses her dependence. The happy, happy, energetic girl of the past was becoming more and more depressed, sad, desperate, and desperate. Without her father's care, she felt like a kite with a broken line, drifting at once. It seems that everything in the world has been turned upside down.
With Elizabeth's ascension to the throne, Margaret lost her sister as a good companion. The new Queen and her family moved into Buckingham Palace, and Princess Margaret and her mother moved to Clarence House. They were accompanied by the new auditor general, ambitious Air Force Colonel Peter Townsend. When the princess was in a trance, he was very willing to lend her a strong arm for her to rely on.
Margaret and Peter Townsend, during a royal family trip to South Africa in 1947
In fact, at the time of George VI's death in 1952, Princess Margaret had never felt so lonely, so desperate, and in the midst of grief, she sought some sort of solace from someone she trusted. She didn't want to listen to the clichés of her socialite friends, or to hang out with the dignitaries she had befriended at the ball, but opened her heart to Peter Townsend. Although there is no reliable evidence that the two fell in love in 1952, it is easy to guess that even if the two were not skin-to-skin, their relationship must have crossed the boundaries between the princess and the bodyguard. By the time Townsend filed for divorce in November, the feelings between him and Margaret were certainly deeper than before. The curtain of scandals and tragedies is slowly lifting.
The young princess was of course overjoyed in the face of Townsend's marriage proposal, but before she accepted it, she must first obtain her sister's approval. It sounds bizarre, but this particular rule is a tradition of the George family. The Royal Marriage Act of 1772 had strict rules for the marriage of royal family members in order to ensure the purity of the royal bloodline. The core clause is that all members of the royal family must first obtain the formal consent of the incumbent monarch before they can negotiate marriage.
Still, for the 25-year-old royals, there is a small loophole in the clause. In the case of Margaret and Townsend, as long as Parliament does not oppose their marriage, then a year later, with or without the approval of the monarch, the wedding can be held.
The Daily Mirror, on October 18, 1955, covered the princess's love on its front page with a full page
However, the princess also found that Townsend was far from the best person she was going to marry. Not only was he much older than she was, he was also a divorced man. Margaret still remembers Edward's situation with the divorced Mrs. Simpson, and she must have guessed the outcome before asking her sister's permission. More seriously, the Church of England does not recognize the legitimacy of divorceees' remarriage, which also makes the love boat of the two more and more turbulent.
With the rise of public opinion caused by Margaret, the Queen decided to let Townsend move out of Clarence House and back to Buckingham Palace. The parliamentary response was even more drastic, outright refusing to approve the marriage unless Margaret agreed to renounce her royal status and privileges and relinquish her succession to the throne. If Margaret agreed to renounce her inheritance, she would be free to throw herself into the arms of her lover and enter the palace of marriage in a folk ritual. If she wished to preserve her inheritance, margaret would never marry Townsend, even if the chances of ascending to the throne were slim.
Peter Townsend with his wife Mary-Luce Gamani
Taking into account the Church's position on the remarriage of divorcees, and of her responsibilities to the Queen's sister's subjects, Margaret announced to the nation via radio waves that she would not marry Peter Townsend. “...... Bearing in mind the doctrine that Christian marriage is unbreakable, and that the duty of the Commonwealth is always at heart..." She declared, and the two parted ways. Is this a sublime confession from the heart, or is it just a hint of more sarcasm? Since then, there has been speculation that Margaret's decision was not due to the Christian faith, but to her own love of vanity. In fact, she was not willing to give up her royal life and privileges for love.
As the years passed, Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend never came together again. Although suitors continued around the world, she never considered marrying anyone until 1959, when Townsend told Margaret that he was going to remarry. The very next day, the princess accepted a marriage proposal from photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones (later Lord Snowden).
Princess Margaret, filmed on her wedding day
As a social icon and fashion icon, Margaret's life has always been the object of newspaper headlines or the whispers of people in high-society salons. Rumors of her lovers are varied, such as Warren Beatty, David Nevin, Robin Douglas-Holme (who committed suicide when their relationship broke). As she and Snowden grew closer, Margaret began an extramarital affair with Roddy Luerline. The princess was so indulgent that she almost wanted to be martyred. Nearly 17 years younger than her, Louerin was the coveted figure of the street tabloids, and just a few weeks after he and Margaret fell in love, the newspaper published a full-page front page: The Princess and Snowden publicly announced the end of their marriage. In 1978, the photographer and the princess were officially divorced.
Margaret with her husband, Lord Snowden, and their two children, in June 1964
Princess Margaret did not remarry. Peter Townsend died in 1995, and she died in 2002. As time passed, she became synonymous with vanity, a hedonist who was resentful around the Queen's sister. But once upon a time, she was also the focus of public praise! People think she deserves happiness. But then, her unheard-of decision to divorce Snowden suddenly brought the issue of royal marriage to the public eye. Her experience set a precedent for subsequent members of the royal family, ensuring that royal families could also divorce. The members of the Windsor royal family no longer had to endure in silence. In later years, several of her juniors also stepped into divorce court like her.
(Source: A Century-Old Legend of the British Royal Family)