You know what my mom used to say about Princess Margaret? “She was the one who made it seem fun to be royal.” I grew up in the 80s and I remember seeing footage of her on telly, with a cigarette hanging out of her lips, seeming like she’d rather be anywhere else than at some fusty royal do.
I was going through my grandmother’s photo albums last month and found this newspaper clipping from 1960. Margaret in her wedding dress, looking absolutely beautiful and radiant next to that photographer bloke she married. In the margin, Gran had written, “Finally found someone who gets her.” That was when I really began to ponder what Margaret Princess meant to the Royal Family.
She wasn’t supposed to be the rebel. That was never the plan.
The Royal Sister Who Refused to Be Ordinary
Margaret Rose was born into royalty in 1930, the second daughter of the Duke of York. No one would have predicted her father to become King George VI. She was the backup, the one who could live quietly in the background.
But Margaret had other ideas. As a child, she was unlike her sister Elizabeth. If Elizabeth was dutiful and serious, Margaret was spirited and mischievous. The palace staff used to joke that you always knew when Princess Margaret was around because you could hear her laughing three rooms away.
Then her father became king in 1936, and everything changed. And suddenly, Margaret was the sister to a future queen. It was a tonne of pressure, and she navigated it in her own way. She threw herself into royal duty while also ensuring everyone knew she wasn’t going to be a carbon copy of her sister.
The Royal Romance That Shocked Everyone
Group Captain Peter Townsend was no ordinary royal employee. He was a war hero, a gentleman and absolutely dedicated to the Royal Family. He’d been equerry to King George VI, so he was constantly at the palace. That’s how he and Margaret became lovers.
When the newspapers uncovered their relationship in 1953, it was front-page news for months. The issue with Townsend was not only that he was divorced, but also that Margaret, as a sister of the Queen, required the government’s permission to marry. And they weren’t having it.
The entire thing took two years. Margaret Princess, divided between her heart and her royal duty. She chose duty in the end, issuing that famed statement in October 1955. But you have to imagine it did break something in her. The carefree princess we had once known was no more.
Royal Wedding and a Creative Marriage
When Margaret married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in May 1960, at least we felt as if the Royal Family was finally catching up with modern times. Here was a royal princess marrying someone from the world of arts, someone who knew about creativity and passion.
Their wedding at Westminster Abbey was viewed by 300 million people around the world. Armstrong-Jones became Earl of Snowdon and their first child, David, was born in November 1961. Next was Lady Sarah in May 1964.
What I admired about their marriage was the way they combined royal life and musical passions. Snowdon was still photographing for Vogue and The Sunday Times. Margaret was supporting the arts: she became president of the Royal Ballet. They were showing that being royal didn’t have to mean you had to be boring.
The Royal Mother and Her Independent Children
The children of Margaret had a childhood unlike any other royals. She wanted them to have careers, to be on their own. Lady Sarah Chatto went on to become an accomplished artist, with a stint at the Royal College of Art, and she started exhibiting her paintings in 1995.
In 1994, Sarah married Daniel Chatto. they had two sons who are now living their best lives. Sam’s a potter; Arthur’s at university. Neither have any royal titles beyond what they were given rather than earned, and it appears both seem perfectly happy about that.
David, who became the Earl of Snowdon, has his own furniture company. He has been married twice and continues to have a relationship with the Royal Family without being beholden to them. That was just what Margaret Princess hoped for her children.
Royal Duty Despite Personal Struggles
What people forget about Margaret is how seriously she took her royal duties. Between 1947 and 2001, she carried out over 20,000 royal engagements. She was patron of over 80 organizations, many focused on the arts and medicine.
But the later years were tough. She had a stroke in 1998, another in 2001. Her health declined rapidly, and she died on 9 February 2002 at King Edward VII’s Hospital in London. The Queen Mother followed just seven weeks later.
Margaret’s funeral was private, held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Her ashes were placed in the Royal Vault beside her parents’ tomb. Later, when the Queen Mother died, all three were moved together to the King George VI Memorial Chapel.
Royal Legacy That Changed Everything
Here’s what Margaret Princess really achieved: she humanized the Royal Family. She showed that royals could have complicated relationships, could struggle with duty versus desire, could make mistakes and keep going.
When you look at how William and Harry talk about mental health, when you see royals pursuing their own careers, when you watch them being honest about their struggles – that’s Margaret’s influence right there.
She paid a heavy price for being the first royal to live authentically in the modern media age. But she paved the way for every royal who came after her.
The Royal Grandchildren Carrying On
Margaret’s grandchildren are fascinating examples of modern royalty. They attend royal weddings, they support family events, but they’re not working royals. They have normal jobs, normal relationships, normal lives.
Sam Chatto recently had his pottery featured in British Vogue. Arthur’s at university studying art history. Neither of them seems interested in the celebrity aspect of being royal, but they clearly love their family and understand their heritage.
That balance between royal heritage and personal freedom? That’s Margaret’s greatest gift to her family.
Why This Royal Still Matters
Margaret Princess wasn’t perfect. She made mistakes, had affairs, struggled with alcohol and depression. But she was real in a way that royals hadn’t been allowed to be before.
She showed that you could love your family, serve your country, and still be human. Still have flaws. Still want things you can’t have.
Every time a royal today chooses love over duty, speaks honestly about their struggles, or pursues their own path while respecting their heritage, they’re walking a road that Margaret first carved out.
She was the royal rebel who changed everything. And we’re all still feeling the effects today.
