History of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon in Timeline

1602

Margaret was the first British princess or prince to be born in Scotland since Robert Stuart, Duke of Kintyre, in 1602. She was delivered by Sir Henry Simson, the royal obstetrician, with the Home Secretary, J. R. Clynes, in attendance to verify the birth. Registration of the birth was delayed for several days to avoid her being number 13 in the parish register. She was baptised in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace on 30 October by Cosmo Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

1901

In February 1976, a picture of Margaret and Llewellyn in swimsuits on Mustique was published on the front page of a tabloid, the News of the World. The press portrayed Margaret as a predatory older woman and Llewellyn as her toyboy lover. On 19 March 1976, Margaret and Snowdon publicly acknowledged that their marriage had irretrievably broken down and that they had decided to separate. Some politicians suggested removing Margaret from the civil list. Labour MPs denounced her as "a royal parasite" and a "floosie". On 24 May 1978, the decree nisi for the couple's divorce was granted. In the same month, Margaret was taken ill, and diagnosed as suffering from gastroenteritis and alcoholic hepatitis, although Christopher Warwick in his biography, Princess Margaret: A Life of Contrasts (2002), denied that she was ever an alcoholic. On 11 July 1978, the divorce was finalised. It was the first divorce of a senior member of the British royal family since that of Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse in 1901. Allegedly, Margaret did not want a divorce: she tried to make her marriage succeed, but there were "too many challenges". Devastated by the divorce, Margaret never remarried. On 15 December 1978, Snowdon married Lucy Lindsay-Hogg, but he and Margaret remained close friends.

August 1930

Margaret was born at 9:22 pm on 21 August 1930 by Caesarean section at Glamis Castle in Scotland, her mother's ancestral home. She was the younger daughter and second child of Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), and Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother). Within the royal family she was affectionately known as "Margot".

August 1930

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002), was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. Born when her parents were the Duke and Duchess of York, she became second in line to the British throne after her father's accession in 1936, though her place in the succession declined as her sister's children and grandchildren were born.

1934

Margaret's early life was spent mainly at the Yorks' residences at 145 Piccadilly, their London town house, and at Royal Lodge in Windsor. The family were widely regarded by the public as an ideal domestic unit, but unfounded rumours that Margaret was deaf and mute persisted until her first major public appearance at her uncle Prince George's wedding in 1934.

January 1936

Margaret's grandfather died in January 1936, and her uncle acceded to the throne as Edward VIII. Less than a year later, in December 1936, Edward abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American whom neither the Church of England nor the Dominion governments would accept as queen. The Church did not recognise the marriage of a divorced woman with a living former husband as valid. Edward's abdication obliged Margaret's father to assume the throne, and Margaret became second in line, with the title The Princess Margaret to indicate her status as a child of the sovereign. The family moved into Buckingham Palace, where Margaret's room overlooked The Mall.

1937

Margaret was a Brownie in the 1st Buckingham Palace Brownie Pack, formed in 1937. She later became a Girl Guide and then a Sea Ranger, and she served as President of Girlguiding UK from 1965 until her death in 2002.

1940

At the outbreak of World War II, Margaret and Elizabeth were at Birkhall, on the Balmoral Castle estate, where they remained until Christmas 1939, enduring nights so cold that the drinking water in carafes by their bedsides froze. They spent Christmas at Sandringham House before moving to Windsor Castle, just outside London, for much of the remainder of the war. Lord Hailsham wrote to Winston Churchill recommending that the princesses be evacuated to the greater safety of Canada, to which their mother famously replied, "The children won't go without me. I won't leave without the King. And the King will never leave." At Windsor, the princesses staged pantomimes at Christmas in aid of the Queen's Wool Fund, which bought yarn to be knitted into military garments. In 1940, Margaret sat beside Elizabeth during their radio broadcast for the BBC's Children's Hour, addressing children who had been evacuated from cities; Margaret spoke at the end, wishing the listeners goodnight.

1943

In her lifetime, Margaret's fortune was estimated to be around £20 million, with most of it being inherited from her father. She also inherited pieces of art and antiques from Queen Mary, and Dame Margaret Greville left her £20,000 in 1943. In 1999, her son, Lord Linley, sold his mother's Caribbean residence Les Jolies Eaux for a reported £2.4 million. At the time of her death Margaret received £219,000 from the civil list. Following her death, she left a £7.6 million estate to her two children, which was cut down to £4.5 million after inheritance tax. In June 2006, much of Margaret's estate was auctioned by Christie's to meet the tax and, in her son's words, "normal family requirements such as educating her grandchildren", though some of the items were sold in aid of charities such as the Stroke Association. Reportedly, Elizabeth had made it clear that the proceeds from any item that was given to her sister in an official capacity must be donated to charities. A world record price of £1.24 million was set by a Fabergé clock. The Poltimore Tiara, which she wore for her wedding in 1960, sold for £926,400. A portrait of Margaret by Pietro Annigoni was purchased back by her son at the price of £680,000–more than three times the original estimate–once it became apparent that the sale had far exceeded expectations. The sale of her effects totalled £13,658,000.

1944

During the war, the King suggested appointing palace aides who were highly qualified men from the military rather than relying solely on aristocrats. Told that a handsome war hero had arrived, Margaret and Elizabeth met Peter Townsend, the new equerry, on his first day at Buckingham Palace in 1944; Elizabeth reportedly told her 13‑year‑old sister, "Bad luck, he's married". A temporary three‑month assignment from the RAF became permanent. The King and Queen were fond of Townsend; the King is said to have regarded the calm and efficient war veteran as the son he never had. He may also have been aware of Margaret's early infatuation with the non‑titled and non‑wealthy Townsend, reportedly observing the courtier reluctantly obey her instruction to carry her up the palace stairs after a party.

1945

Crawford despaired at the attention Margaret received, writing to friends: "Could you this year only ask Princess Elizabeth to your party? ... Princess Margaret does draw all the attention and Princess Elizabeth lets her do that." Elizabeth, however, did not mind, remarking, "Oh, it's so much easier when Margaret's there – everybody laughs at what Margaret says". Their father described Elizabeth as his pride and Margaret as his joy. When Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945, Margaret became extremely jealous, lamenting, "I was born too late!" as she was too young to join herself.

1945

Margaret appeared on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with her family and Winston Churchill at the end of the war in 1945. Afterwards, both Margaret and Elizabeth joined the crowds outside the palace, incognito, chanting, "We want the King, we want the Queen!" Mingling with ordinary people, they danced the hokey cokey, the Lambeth Walk, and the conga. "I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, and all of us were swept along by tides of happiness and relief," Elizabeth later recalled. Margaret and Elizabeth were "terrified" of being recognised, so they did their best to remain hidden in plain sight during the celebrations.

April 1946

On 15 April 1946, Margaret was confirmed into the Church of England. On 1 February 1947, she, Elizabeth, and their parents embarked on a state tour of Southern Africa. The three-month visit was Margaret's first trip abroad. She later claimed that she remembered "every minute of it", including rides on horseback taken by her and Elizabeth using horses lent by locals near the royal train. Her chaperon on those occasions was Peter Townsend, the King's equerry, who it was noticed, could be quite sharp with Margaret. In November 1947, Margaret was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten. Over the next three years, Elizabeth and Philip had two children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, whose births moved Margaret further down the line of succession.

1947

According to Margaret, her first solo public engagement was presenting a prize at the Princess Margaret Rose School in Windsor when she was 12. Among her first official engagements was launching the ocean liner Edinburgh Castle in Belfast in 1947. Subsequently, Margaret went on multiple tours of various places; in her first major tour she joined her parents and sister for a tour of South Africa in 1947. Her tour aboard Britannia to the British colonies in the Caribbean in 1955 created a sensation throughout the West Indies, and calypsos were dedicated to her. As colonies of the British Commonwealth of Nations sought nationhood, Margaret represented the Crown at independence ceremonies in Jamaica in 1962 and Tuvalu and Dominica in 1978. Her visit to Tuvalu was cut short by an illness, which may have been viral pneumonia, and she was flown to Australia to recuperate. Other overseas tours included East Africa and Mauritius in 1956, the United States in 1965, Japan in 1969 and 1979, the United States and Canada in 1974, Australia in 1975, the Philippines in 1980, Swaziland in 1981, and China in 1987.

October 1947

Townsend was so frequently near Margaret that gossip columnists overlooked him as a potential suitor. When their relationship began is unclear. Margaret told friends she fell in love with him during the 1947 South Africa tour, where they often went riding together. Her biographer Craig Brown recorded that, according to a National Trust curator, Townsend requested the bedroom next to hers during a trip to Belfast in October 1947. In November 1948, they attended the inauguration of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. In later life, Townsend admitted that there was an attraction between them at this point, though neither acknowledged it to the other. Soon afterwards, he discovered that his wife, Rosemary was involved in an extramarital affair, which ended. Contemporary anecdotes about their closeness then faded until late 1950, when their friendship appears to have rekindled, coinciding with Townsend's appointment as Deputy Master of the Household and the breakdown of his marriage.

1948

Favoured haunts of the Margaret Set were The 400 Club, the Café de Paris, and the Mirabelle restaurant. Anticipation of an engagement or romance between Margaret and a member of her circle was often reported. In 1948, international speculation suggested that her engagement to the Marquess of Blandford would be announced on her 18th birthday. Similar rumours later focused on the Hon. Peter Ward, then Billy Wallace, and others. The set also mixed with celebrities, including Danny Kaye, whom Margaret met after watching him perform at the London Palladium in February 1948; he was soon accepted by the royal social circle. In July 1949, at a fancy-dress ball at the US ambassador's residence, Margaret performed the can-can on stage, accompanied by Douglas and 10 other costumed girls. A press frenzy followed, with Kaye denying that he had taught Margaret the dance. Press interest could be intrusive: during a private visit to Paris in 1951, Margaret and Prince Nicholas of Yugoslavia were followed into a nightclub by a paparazzo who photographed them until British detectives physically removed him.

1950

During her lifetime, Margaret was considered a fashion icon. Her fashion earned the nickname 'The Margaret Look'. Margaret, dubbed a 'royal rebel', styled herself in contrast to her sister's prim and timeless style, adopting trendy mod accessories, such as brightly coloured headscarves and glamorous sunglasses. Margaret developed a close relationship with fashion designer Christian Dior, wearing his designs throughout her life and becoming one of his most prominent customers. In 1950, he designed a cream gown worn for her 21st birthday, which has been cited as an iconic part of fashion history. Throughout the decade, Margaret was known for wearing floral-print dresses, bold-hued ballgowns and luxurious fabrics, accessorising with diamonds, pearls, and fur stoles. British Vogue wrote that Margaret's style 'hit her stride' in the mid-60s, where she was photographed alongside celebrities like The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren. Margaret was also known for her "magnificent" hats and headdresses, including a canary feather hat worn on a 1962 Jamaica visit and a peacock feather pillbox hat to the 1973 Royal Ascot. Marie Claire stated that the princess "refused to compromise" on her style later in life, continuing with trends of big sleeves and strapless evening gowns.

1950

In 1950, the former royal governess, Marion Crawford, published an unauthorised biography of Elizabeth's and Margaret's childhood, The Little Princesses, in which she described Margaret's "light-hearted fun and frolics" and her "amusing and outrageous ... antics".

1951

From spring 1951, several accounts described a growing romantic attachment. A footman recalled how the King diverted the pair's picnic plans, adding that whatever the King and Queen knew about the developing relationship, most royal staff noticed it as it was obvious to them. Townsend said that his love for Margaret began at Balmoral in 1951, and remembered an incident that August when the princess woke him from a nap after a picnic lunch while the King watched, suggesting the King was aware. Townsend and his wife separated in 1951, a fact noticed by the press by July.

August 1951

During her 21st birthday party at Balmoral in August 1951, the press were disappointed to photograph Margaret only with Townsend, who was frequently seen in the background of royal engagements and was, to her parents, a trusted companion as Elizabeth's duties increased. The following month, her father underwent surgery for lung cancer, and Margaret was appointed one of the counsellors of State who undertook the King's official duties while he was incapacitated. Her father died five months later, on 6 February 1952, and her sister acceded as Elizabeth II.

1952

In 1952, although Margaret attended parties and debutante balls with friends such as Douglas and Mark Bonham Carter, the set were seen together less frequently. They regrouped for Coronation‑season social events. In May 1953, Margaret met singer Eddie Fisher when he performed at the Red, White, and Blue Ball; she invited him to her table and he was "invited to all sorts of parties". Margaret fell out with him in 1957, but Fisher later claimed that the night he met her was the greatest thrill of his life. In June 1954, the set performed the Edgar Wallace play The Frog at the Scala Theatre. Organised by Margaret's close friend Judy Montagu with Margaret as assistant director, it was praised for raising £10,500 for charity but criticised for its amateur performances. By the mid‑1950s, although still seen at fashionable nightspots and theatre premieres, the set had dwindled as its members married. As Margaret reached her late twenties unmarried, the press increasingly shifted from predicting whom she might marry to speculating that she might remain a spinster.

1952

Margaret spent much of her childhood with her family and elder sister. During the Second World War, she remained at Windsor Castle despite suggestions that she and Elizabeth should be evacuated to Canada. Too young to perform official duties, she continued her education while her sister undertook public responsibilities. Her father's death in 1952, which brought Elizabeth to the throne, marked a turning point in Margaret's life and coincided with her relationship with RAF officer Peter Townsend.

June 1952

In June 1952, the estranged Townsends hosted Margaret, Elizabeth, and Philip, at a cocktail party at their home. A month later, Rosemary Townsend and her new partner John de László attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show. It is thought the romance between Margaret and Townsend began around this time. The first reports that they wished to marry appeared in August 1952, though such stories remained rare. The Townsends' divorce in November received little coverage in Britain but more detailed reporting abroad. After the divorce was finalised in December 1952, rumours about Townsend and Margaret spread more widely; the divorce, combined with their shared grief over the King's death, probably brought them closer within the privacy of Clarence House, where Margaret had her own apartment.

April 1953

Private Secretary to the Queen Sir Alan Lascelles wrote that Townsend told him he had asked Margaret to marry him shortly before Christmas 1952. Other sources place the proposal in February or April 1953. He was 15 years her senior and had two children from his previous marriage. Margaret accepted and informed her sister, the Queen, whose consent was required under the Royal Marriages Act 1772. During the abdication crisis, the Church of England had refused to countenance the remarriage of the divorced. Queen Mary had recently died, and, after the coronation of Elizabeth II, the new queen planned to tour the Commonwealth for six months. She told her sister, "Under the circumstances, it isn't unreasonable for me to ask you to wait a year", and to keep the relationship secret until after the coronation.

May 1953

Margaret was grief-stricken by her father's death and was prescribed sedatives to help her sleep. Of her father she wrote, "He was such a wonderful person, the very heart and centre of our happy family." She was consoled by her deeply held Christian beliefs, sometimes attending church twice daily. She resumed attending events with her family in April and returned to royal engagements and social appearances when official mourning ended in June. American newspapers noted her increasing vitality and speculated that she must be in love. With the widowed Queen Mother, Margaret moved out of Buckingham Palace and into Clarence House in May 1953, while the new queen and her family moved into Buckingham Palace. After George VI's death, Townsend was appointed Comptroller of the Queen Mother's household.

June 1953

Although foreign media speculated on Margaret and Townsend's relationship, the British press did not. After reporters saw her plucking fluff from his coat during the coronation on 2 June 1953 – "I never thought a thing about it, and neither did Margaret", Townsend later said; "After that the storm broke" – The People first mentioned the relationship in Britain on 14 June. With the headline "They Must Deny it NOW", the front-page article warned that "scandalous rumours about Princess Margaret are racing around the world", which it insisted were "of course, utterly untrue". The foreign press believed that the Regency Act 1953 – which made Prince Philip regent instead of Margaret on the Queen's death – had been enacted to allow Margaret to marry Townsend, but as late as 23 July most British newspapers, except the Daily Mirror did not discuss the rumours. Acting Prime Minister Rab Butler asked that the "deplorable speculation" cease, without naming Margaret or Townsend.

July 1953

Elizabeth told the couple to wait until 1955, when Margaret would be 25, avoiding the Queen having to publicly disapprove of her sister's marriage. Lascelles – who compared Townsend to Theudas "boasting himself to be somebody" – hoped that separating the pair would end the romance. Churchill arranged for Townsend's assignment as air attaché at the British Embassy in Brussels; he was sent on 15 July 1953, before Margaret's return from Rhodesia on 30 July. The assignment was so sudden that the British ambassador learnt of it from a newspaper. Although Margaret and Townsend knew of his new post, they had reportedly been promised a few days together before his departure.

1955

Reportedly, Margaret had her first extramarital affair in 1966, with her daughter's godfather Anthony Barton, a Bordeaux wine producer. A year later she had a one-month liaison with Robin Douglas-Home, a nephew of former British prime minister Alec Douglas-Home. Margaret claimed that her relationship with Douglas-Home was platonic, but her letters to him (which were later sold) were intimate. Douglas-Home, who suffered from depression, died by suicide 18 months after the split with Margaret. Claims that she was romantically involved with musician Mick Jagger, actor Peter Sellers, and Australian cricketer Keith Miller are unproven. According to biographer Charlotte Breese, entertainer Leslie Hutchinson had a "brief liaison" with Margaret in 1955. A 2009 biography of actor David Niven included assertions, based on information from Niven's widow and a good friend of Niven's, that he had had an affair with Margaret, who was 20 years his junior. In 1975, Margaret was listed among women with whom actor Warren Beatty had had romantic relationships. John Bindon, an actor from Fulham, who had spent time in prison, sold his story to the Daily Mirror, boasting of a close relationship with Margaret.

January 1955

The couple were not restricted on communicating by mail and telephone. Margaret worked with friends on charity productions of Lord and Lady Algy and The Frog, and publicly dated men such as Tennant and Wallace. In January 1955, she made the first of many trips to the Caribbean, perhaps to distract, and as a reward for being apart from Townsend. The attaché secretly travelled to Britain; while the palace was aware of one visit, he reportedly made other trips for nights and weekends with the princess at Clarence House – her apartment had its own front door – and friends' homes.

March 1955

That spring Townsend for the first time spoke to the press: "I am sick of being made to hide in my apartment like a thief", but whether he could marry "involves more people than myself". He reportedly believed that his exile from Margaret would soon end, their love was strong, and that the British people would support marrying. Townsend received a bodyguard and police guard around his apartment after the Belgian government received threats on his life, but the British government still said nothing; despite being perhaps the most famous man in the world in March 1955, Dan Ranfurly, Governor of the Bahamas, wondered at a press conference "Who is Peter Townsend?" Stating that people were more interested in the couple than the recent 1955 United Kingdom general election, on 29 May the Daily Express published an editorial demanding that Buckingham Palace confirm or deny the rumours.

August 1955

The press described Margaret's 25th birthday, 21 August 1955, as the day she was free to marry, and expected an announcement about Townsend soon. Three hundred journalists waited outside Balmoral, four times as many as those later following Diana, Princess of Wales. "COME ON MARGARET!", the Daily Mirror's front page said two days earlier, asking her to "please make up your mind!". On 12 October Townsend returned from Brussels as Margaret's suitor. The royal family devised a system in which it did not host Townsend, but he and Margaret formally courted each other at dinner parties hosted by friends such as Mark Bonham Carter. A Gallup poll found that 59% of Britons approved of their marrying, with 17% opposed. Women in the East End of London shouted "Go on, Marg, do what you want" at the princess. Although the couple was never seen together in public during this time, the general consensus was that they would marry. Crowds waited outside Clarence House, and a global audience read daily updates and rumours on newspaper front pages.

October 1955

According to the final draft of the plan, Margaret would announce on 28 October 1955 that she would marry Townsend and leave the line of succession. As prearranged by Eden, the Queen would consult with the British and Commonwealth governments, and then ask them to amend the 1772 Act. Eden would have told Parliament that the Act was "out of harmony with modern conditions". Kilmuir had advised Eden that the 1772 Act was flawed and might not apply to Margaret anyway. Kilmuir estimated that 75% of Britons would approve of allowing the marriage. The August letter to Eden is evidence, Warwick said, that Margaret was aware of the government's intention to preserve her title and allowance.

October 1955

More than 100 journalists waited at Balmoral when Eden arrived to discuss the marriage with Elizabeth and Margaret on 1 October 1955. Lord Kilmuir, the Lord Chancellor, that month prepared a secret government document on the proposed marriage. According to a 1958 biography of Townsend by Norman Barrymaine and other accounts, Eden said that his government would oppose in Parliament Margaret retaining her royal status. Parliament might pass resolutions opposing the marriage, which the people would see as a disagreement between government and monarchy; Lord Salisbury, a High Anglican, might resign from the government rather than help pass a Bill of Renunciation. While the government could not prevent the marriage when Margaret became a private individual after a Bill of Renunciation, she would no longer be a Counsellor of State and would lose her civil list allowance; otherwise, taxpayers would subsidise a divorced man and his sons. The Church would consider any children from the marriage to be illegitimate. Eden recommended that, like her uncle Edward and his wife Wallis, Margaret and Townsend leave Britain for several years.

October 1955

On 31 October 1955, Margaret issued a statement:

1956

Margaret accepted one of Wallace's many proposals to marry in 1956, but the engagement ended before an official announcement when he admitted to a romance in the Bahamas; "I had my chance and blew it with my big mouth", Wallace said. Margaret did not reveal this publicly until an interview and subsequent biography with Nigel Dempster in 1977.

1958

After resigning from the RAF and travelling around the world for 18 months Townsend returned in March 1958; he and Margaret met several times, but could not avoid the press ("TOGETHER AGAIN") or royal disapproval. Townsend again left Britain to write a book about his trip; Barrymaine concluded in 1958 that "none of the fundamental obstacles to their marriage has been overcome – or shows any prospects of being overcome". Townsend said during a 1970 book tour that he and Margaret did not correspond and they had not seen each other since a "friendly" 1958 meeting, "just like I think a lot of people never see their old girl friends". Their love letters are in the Royal Archives and will not be available to the public until 100 years after Margaret's birth, August 2030. These are unlikely to include Margaret's letters. In 1959, she wrote to Townsend in response to him informing her of his remarriage plans, accusing him of betraying their vow not to marry anyone else and requesting her love letters to him be destroyed. He claimed he complied with her wishes, but kept this letter and an envelope of burned shards of the vow she had sent, eventually destroying these also. He was apparently unaware Margaret had already broken the pact by her engagement to Billy Wallace as it was not revealed until many years later.

1958

Margaret met the photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones at a supper party in 1958. They became engaged in October 1959. Armstrong-Jones proposed to Margaret with a ruby engagement ring surrounded by diamonds in the shape of a rosebud. She reportedly accepted his proposal a day after learning from Townsend that he intended to marry a young Belgian woman, Marie-Luce Jamagne, who was half his age and greatly resembled Margaret. Margaret's announcement of her engagement, on 26 February 1960, surprised the press, as she had concealed the romance from reporters.

1960

Celebrated for her glamour and social life, Margaret attracted widespread attention in the 1950s for her romance with Townsend, which she ended under pressure from government and church. In 1960, she married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, later Earl of Snowdon, with whom she had two children, David and Sarah, before their divorce in 1978. Margaret's private life, including her reputed romances and social circle, was often the subject of speculation by the press.

May 1960

Margaret married Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey on 6 May 1960. The ceremony was the first royal wedding to be broadcast on television, and it attracted viewing figures of 300 million worldwide. 2,000 guests were invited for the wedding ceremony. Margaret's wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell and worn with the Poltimore Tiara. She had eight young bridesmaids, led by her niece, Anne. The Duke of Edinburgh escorted the bride, and the best man was Roger Gilliatt. Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher conducted the marriage service. Following the ceremony, the couple made the traditional appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The honeymoon was a six-week West Indies cruise aboard the royal yacht Britannia. As a wedding present, 3rd Baron Glenconner, Colin Tennant gave her a plot of land on his private Caribbean island, Mustique. The newlyweds moved into rooms in Kensington Palace.

1961

In 1961, Margaret's husband was created Earl of Snowdon. The couple had two children (both born by Caesarean section at Margaret's request): David, born 3 November 1961, and Sarah, born 1 May 1964. The marriage widened Margaret's social circle beyond the court and aristocracy to include show business celebrities and bohemians. At the time, it was thought to reflect the breaking down of British class barriers. The Snowdons experimented with the styles and fashions of the 1960s.

September 1973

By the early 1970s, the couple had drifted apart. In September 1973, Colin Tennant introduced Margaret to Roddy Llewellyn. Llewellyn was 17 years her junior. In 1974, she invited him as a guest to Les Jolies Eaux, the holiday home she had built on Mustique. It was the first of several visits. Margaret described their relationship as "a loving friendship". Once, when Llewellyn left on an impulsive trip to Turkey, Margaret became emotionally distraught and took an overdose of sleeping tablets. "I was so exhausted because of everything", she later said, "that all I wanted to do was sleep". As she recovered, her ladies-in-waiting kept Snowdon away from her, afraid that seeing him would distress her further.

August 1979

In August 1979, Margaret's second cousin once-removed Lord Mountbatten and members of his family were killed by a bomb planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. That October, while on a fundraising tour of the United States on behalf of the Royal Opera House, Margaret was seated at a dinner reception in Chicago with columnist Abra Anderson and Mayor Jane Byrne. Margaret told them that the royal family had been moved by the many letters of condolence from Ireland. The following day, Anderson's rival Irv Kupcinet published a claim that Margaret had referred to the Irish as "pigs". Margaret, Anderson, and Byrne all issued immediate denials, but the damage was already done. The rest of the tour drew demonstrations, and Margaret's security was doubled in the face of physical threats.

January 1980

Margaret's later life was marred by illness and disability. She began smoking cigarettes in her late teens and had continued to smoke heavily for many years thereafter. In the 1970s, she suffered a nervous breakdown and was treated for depression by a psychiatrist from the Priory Clinic. Later on, she suffered from migraines, laryngitis, and bronchitis. In January 1980, she was operated on at the London Clinic to remove a benign skin lesion. On 5 January 1985, she had part of her left lung removed; the operation drew parallels with that of her father 34 years earlier. She quit smoking in 1991 or January 1993, although servants still claimed they could smell cigarette smoke in her apartment and she continued to drink heavily.

1981

In 1981, Llewellyn married Tatiana Soskin, whom he had known for 10 years. Margaret remained close friends with them both.

January 1981

As a child, Margaret enjoyed pony shows, but unlike other family members she did not express interest in hunting, shooting, and fishing in adulthood. She became interested in ballet from a very young age and enjoyed participating in amateur plays. She directed one such play, titled The Frogs, with her aristocratic friends as cast members. Actors and film stars were among the regular visitors to her residence at Kensington Palace. In January 1981, she was the guest for an episode of BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. Her musical choices included "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford which she said had entertained her in a traffic jam. Her favourite was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. In 1984, she appeared as herself in an episode of the radio drama The Archers, becoming the first member of the royal family to take part in a BBC drama.

January 1993

In January 1993, Margaret was admitted to hospital for pneumonia. She experienced a mild stroke on 23 February 1998 at her holiday home in Mustique. Early the following year, she suffered severe scalds to her feet in a bathroom accident, which affected her mobility in that she required support when walking and sometimes used a wheelchair. She was hospitalised on 10 January 2001, due to loss of appetite and swallowing problems after a further stroke. By March 2001, strokes had left her with partial vision and paralysis on the left side. Margaret's last public appearances were at the 101st birthday celebrations of her mother in August 2001, and the 100th birthday celebration of her aunt Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, that December.

October 1993

In October 1993, a friend of Margaret revealed she had met Townsend for what turned out to be the last time before his death in 1995. She had not wanted to attend the 1992 reunion to which they had both been invited, for fear it might be picked up by the press, so she asked to see him privately instead. Margaret said that he looked "exactly the same, except he had grey hair". Guests said he had not really changed, and that they just sat chatting like old friends. They also found him disgruntled and had convinced himself that in agreeing to part, he and Margaret had set a noble example which seemed to have been in vain.

1995

Eden reportedly told Elizabeth in Balmoral when discussing Margaret and Townsend that, regardless of outcome, the monarchy would be damaged. In 1995, Harold Brooks-Baker was quoted in Townsend's obituary: "In my opinion, this was the turning point to disaster for the royal family. After Princess Margaret was denied marriage, it backfired and more or less ruined Margaret's life. The Queen decided that from then on, anyone someone in her family wanted to marry would be more or less acceptable. The royal family and the public now feel that they've gone too far in the other direction".

2002

Her divorce and lifestyle drew controversy, and she became a symbol of both royal modernity and scandal. A heavy smoker, her health declined in later years, and from 1998, she suffered a series of strokes. She died in 2002, aged 71, following another stroke. She is remembered as one of the most glamorous and controversial members of the British royal family.

February 2002

Margaret died in her sleep at King Edward VII's Hospital at 6:30 am on 9 February 2002, aged 71, three days after the 50th anniversary of her father's death. She was 11th in line to the throne at the time of her death. The previous day, she had suffered another stroke that was followed by cardiac problems. Charles paid tribute to his aunt in a television broadcast. UK politicians and foreign leaders sent their condolences as well. Following her death, private memorial services were held at St Mary Magdalene Church and Glamis Castle.

April 2002

Margaret's coffin, draped in her personal standard, was taken from Kensington Palace to St James's Palace before her funeral. Her funeral was held on 15 February, the 50th anniversary of her father's funeral. In line with her wishes, the ceremony was a private service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, for family and friends. Unlike most other members of the royal family, she was cremated, at Slough Crematorium. Her lady-in-waiting, Lady Glenconner, stated that Margaret found the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore "very gloomy" and would have wanted to be where her father was buried. Margaret's ashes were temporarily placed in the Royal Vault of St George's Chapel. Following the Queen Mother's death seven weeks later and after her funeral, they were interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel to rest alongside her parents. A service of thanksgiving and remembrance for Margaret was held at Westminster Abbey on 19 April 2002. A memorial service marking the tenth anniversary of the deaths of both Margaret and the Queen Mother was held on 30 March 2012 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, attended by Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family.

2004

Papers released in 2004 to the National Archives disagree. They show that Elizabeth and Eden (who had been divorced and remarried himself) planned to amend the 1772 Act. Margaret would have been able to marry Townsend by removing her and any children from the marriage from the line of succession, and thus the Queen's permission would no longer be necessary. Margaret would be allowed to keep her royal title and her allowance, stay in the country, and even continue with her public duties. Eden described Elizabeth's attitude in a letter on the subject to the Commonwealth prime ministers as "Her Majesty would not wish to stand in the way of her sister's happiness". Eden himself was sympathetic; "Exclusion from the Succession would not entail any other change in Princess Margaret's position as a member of the Royal Family", he wrote.

April 2007

In April 2007, an exhibition titled Princess Line – The Fashion Legacy of Princess Margaret opened at Kensington Palace, showcasing contemporary fashion from British designers such as Vivienne Westwood inspired by Margaret's legacy of style. Christopher Bailey's Spring 2006 collection for Burberry was inspired by Margaret's look from the 1960s.