Margaret chose life of service over love

For the Queen’s sister, falling for a divorced man meant either a life without a royal title, or without her man, writes

The Queen may have chosen her husband, but sadly her sister was not able to do so. Princess Margaret suffered the same fate as so many spare heirs – going from equal sibling, to slipping further down the line of succession, while still trapped by palace conventions. This time, it would be her own beloved sister who ruled.

Princess Margaret’s love for Group Captain Peter Townsend, a war hero and equerry to her father, and then her sister, was revealed when she was spotted brushing fluff off his shoulder at the coronation. The newspapers ran with the love story and the public supported the pair – but there was one problem. Peter was divorced, which at the time was seen as scandalous, particularly when a royal family member was involved. It had, after all, ended in the abdication of her uncle.

It was down to the Queen and Queen Mother to guide Margaret, and they did so by sending Townsend to Brussels and asking her to wait until she was 25 and no longer needed her sister’s permission to marry. She did, but in 1955, the Queen told Margaret the government decreed in order to marry her true love, she must renounce her royal position. Unlike her uncle, she chose to stay and gave up Townsend instead. On one side, conservatives commended the Queen’s sensible guidance and traditional values; on the other, they railed at the outdated cruelty. Margaret “paid a high price for her proximity to the throne,” wrote biographer Matthew Dennison about a story that would play out

again through the decades.

(Princess Margaret) paid a high price for her proximity to the throne

BIOGRAPHER MATTHEW DENNISON

A troubled Princess Margaret returns to Clarence House after a weekend away with her true love, Group Captain Peter Townsend.

Princess Margaret, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Peter Townsend and Princess Elizabeth at the theatre. Pictures: Getty Images, AFP a weekend at Allanbay Captain Townsend on his horse during in 1955. Park in Berkshire with Princess Margaret

Princess Margaret smokes a cigarette with her sister the Queen at a horse competition at Badminton in Gloucestershire.

Group Captain Peter Townsend with Margaret in Africa (left); and (right) shadowing Margaret at the British Industries Fair in London.