Princess Margaret Countess of Snowdon

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, CI, GCVO, GCStJ, CD (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. Margaret was born to the then Duke and Duchess of York and experienced a significant change in her life at age six when her father ascended the throne after Edward VIII’s abdication, making her sister the heir presumptive and placing Margaret second in line. Her position in the succession line decreased with the birth of her sister’s children and grandchildren. Margaret gained notoriety in the 1950s as a socialite with a glamorous lifestyle and high-profile relationships, notably with Group Captain Peter Townsend. Her subsequent marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon, ended in divorce in 1978, and she never remarried.

Margaret’s life was subject to intense media scrutiny, and her divorce garnered negative publicity. She was a smoker for most of her adult life and faced various health issues, including a lung operation and multiple strokes, leading to her death at the age of 71. She was known for her work with charities, her patronage of the arts, and her fashionable presence, becoming a style icon of her era. Margaret’s personal life, including her relationships and lifestyle choices, significantly impacted public perception of the royal family and contributed to a shift in societal attitudes towards divorce and personal freedom within the monarchy.