Queen lets Margaret’s lover grieve in royal tomb
TWO decades after the death of her beloved sister, the Queen has made an incredible acknowledgement of the role played in Princess Margaret’s life by her toyboy lover, Roddy Llewellyn.
I can disclose that the retired landscape gardener, who had an eight-year affair with Margaret, was granted special permission to visit her final resting place on the anniversary of her death on Wednesday.
Llewellyn, 74, paid his respects to her in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor.
After the Princess’s death in 2002 at the age of 71, her ashes were placed in the tomb at St George’s Chapel to rest alongside the remains of her parents, George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
Sir Roddy — who inherited a baronetcy upon the death of his brother, Sir Dai Llewellyn, in 2009 — has turned down many lucrative offers to divulge the secrets of his relationship with Margaret.
Their affair, which was revealed after photos of them embracing in Mustique in the Caribbean were published, hastened the end of her marriage to celebrated photographer the 1st Earl of Snowdon.
SIR Roddy, who now lives in a village in South-West France, had apparently asked for permission to visit Margaret’s grave. The Queen is the only person who can grant access to the Royal Family’s tomb.
‘Going to Windsor was an enormously important moment for me,’ he told friends at a reception following the Chelsea funeral of conservationist John Rendall, at which Roddy was an usher.
‘After two years of having absolutely nothing in my diary, I had two crucial dates — to go to St George’s and to be at John’s funeral. Very kindly, Mel [Rendall’s wife] moved the time of John’s service so that I could go to Windsor in the morning and be at his funeral in the afternoon.’
Sir Roddy went on to describe how ‘tiny’ the space was in the royal crypt, observing: ‘I don’t know how there will be space for the Queen; there’s hardly any room next to King George and the Queen Mother.’ He added that it had been Margaret’s express wish to be cremated, and that she did not want to be interred at Frogmore, the normal burial ground for lesser royalty, which she viewed as too gloomy. Thus, on the day of her funeral, the Princess’s body was driven from Windsor Castle to Slough crematorium for a municipal cremation. ‘She was simply listed as “Number Eight” at the crematorium. Can you imagine that!’ exclaimed Sir Roddy. He was 17 years her junior when he met the Princess at a house party in Scotland and they began an affair. The couple were criticised after they were snapped at her Caribbean villa, with one headline blaring, ‘Give up Roddy or quit!’ The Queen was said to be despairing of her sister’s ‘guttersnipe life’ but Margaret refused to end the relationship. Sir Roddy, whom the Princess once referred to as ‘my last great love’, remained on good terms with her long after their passion had cooled. In 1981, he married Tatiana Soskin, an old friend, and Margaret became a regular visitor to the couple’s home in Warwickshire. One of the Princess’s closest friends, Lady Anne Glenconner, said: ‘After Princess Margaret’s funeral, the Queen said, “I’d just like to say, Anne, it was rather difficult at moments, but I thank you so much for introducing Princess Margaret to Roddy because he made her really happy”.’