Rebel behind the throne
BBC2, 9pm
PARTLY thanks to hit drama The Crown, there’s been a lot of chit-chat about Princess Margaret in recent times.
Vanessa Kirby played the princess in the Netflix series, with Helena Bonham Carter taking the baton for the upcoming season. Certainly Margaret, the Queen’s younger sister who died in 2002, was an extraordinary character, one who combined a modern flair with respect for tradition – although she had a reputation for being a rebel.
“She said if there’s a good princess, there has to be a bad one. And that was her role, to be the bad one,” says a commentator in this compelling two-part documentary.
With sumptuous archive footage and a series of revealing interviews, the series follows Margaret’s life as she redefined our image of the modern princess.
As it takes us through her life, we hear from contributors including childhood friend and lady-in-waiting Lady Anne Glenconner, Basil Charles, a bar owner on the Caribbean island of Mustique who met her in the 1970s, and Christopher Warwick, an authorised biographer.
Tonight’s episode follows what happened to Margaret after the abdication of her Uncle Edward propelled her to being second in line to the throne.
Her role involved everything from visiting schools to opening flower shows. But Margaret really preferred fashion, theatre and house parties. Then, at 16, she fell in love with Peter Townsend, a married older man.
An intriguing look at the people’s princess of her day.