Princess Margaret caused a crisis within the royal family in 1953, when she fell in love with the dashing Battle of Britain hero Christopher Townsend. Margaret needed the Queen’s permission to marry, as she was under 25, however both the monarch and Parliament hesitated due to the fact that Townsend had been divorced. Eventually Margaret would be forced to choose between marrying the man she loved and her royal title.
Margaret may have incurred the displeasure of the royal family, however the public had a great deal of sympathy for the young Princess.
Amazon Prime documentary ‘Princess Margaret: Her Real Life Story’ narrates how the royal family initially separated Margaret from Townsend when their love affair become public.
The biography, which first aired in 2007, relates how, unbeknown to Margaret: “The plan was for Townsend to be sent to a diplomat’s post in Brussels for two years.”
Margaret was sent on a royal tour with the Queen Mother to Zimbabwe, then known as Rhodesia.
Princess Margaret in the 1950s (Image: Getty)
Glamorous Princess Margaret made headlines when she fell in love with divorced Peter Townsend (Image: Getty)
It was a “punishing schedule - 54 appointments in just 16 days. There was only one rest day scheduled".
It was during this brief respite that: “The Queen Mother broke the
