Born Margaret Rose in 1930 at Glamis Castle in Scotland, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the youngest child of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and only sister of Queen Elizabeth II.
After the war, Margaret fell in love with Group Captain Peter Townsend. In 1952, Margaret’s father died, her sister became queen, and Townsend divorced his first wife. Early the following year, he proposed to Margaret. Many in the government believed he would be an unsuitable husband for the Queen’s 22-year-old sister, and the Church of England refused to accept marriage to a divorced man.
Margaret ended up abandoning her plans with him and, in 1960, accepted the proposal of photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, who was named Earl of Snowdon by the Queen. The couple has two kids. They divorced in 1978.
Margaret was often seen as a controversial member of the British royal family. Her divorce garnered her negative publicity and she was romantically linked to several men. Her health gradually deteriorated in the last two decades of her life.
A heavy smoker for most of her adult life, she had a lung operation in 1985, a bout of pneumonia in 1993, and at least three strokes between 1998 and 2001. She died in King Edward VII’s Hospital in 2002.
A set of photos found by Colin John Ford showing Princess Margret’s wedding in London in 1960.
