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.
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.
Celebrated for her glamour and social life, Margaret attracted widespread attention in the 1950s for her romance with Peter Townsend, her father's equerry, 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.
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.
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".
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.
At the time of her birth, Margaret was fourth in the line of succession to the British throne. Her father was the second son of King George V and Queen Mary, and her mother was the youngest daughter of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne. The Duchess of York originally wished to name her second daughter Ann Margaret, writing to Queen Mary: "I am very anxious to call her Ann Margaret, as I think Ann of York sounds pretty, & Elizabeth and Ann go so well together." George V disliked the name Ann but approved the alternative, Margaret Rose. By the end of 1948, she had ceased using her middle name.
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.
Margaret was educated alongside her sister, Princess Elizabeth, by their Scottish governess, Marion Crawford. Her education was supervised largely by her mother, who, in the words of Randolph Churchill, "never aimed at bringing her daughters up to be more than nicely behaved young ladies". When Queen Mary emphasised the importance of education, the Duchess of York replied, "I don't know what she meant. After all I and my sisters only had governesses and we all married well – one of us very well". Margaret later expressed resentment about her limited education and directed criticism towards her mother. However, the Duchess told a friend that she "regretted" that her daughters did not go to school like other children, and the decision to employ a governess rather than send the girls to school may have been taken at the insistence of their grandfather George V. J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, read stories to the sisters during their childhood.
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.
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.
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.
Unlike other members of the royal family, Margaret was not expected to undertake public or official duties during the war. She developed her skills in singing and playing the piano, often performing show tunes from stage musicals. Her contemporaries thought she was spoiled by her parents, especially her father, who allowed her liberties not usually permitted, such as staying up to dinner at the age of 13.
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.
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.