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Camelot International > Royal Palace
HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, CI, GCVO
 HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, CI, GCVO Princess Margaret was born on August 21, 1930, in Glamis Castle, Scotland. She was brought up in the same way as her sister Elizabeth with private tuition at the family homes instead of going to a public school. Princess Margaret was something of a royal trendsetter, attempting to vary standard tradition long before the changes brought in by the current generation of young royals. After the second world war, Margaret's early life was dominated by what became known as the Townsend Affair. Margaret wanted to marry the dashing RAF Group Captain Peter Townsend. However, Group Captain Townsend was divorced and Margaret was refused permission to marry him by the monarch and the government, she tried a second time but was again refused permission. The romance between the Princess and the Fighter Pilot was the topic of millions of 'ordinary'people up and down the length of the British Isles. Margaret eventually married a photographer, Anthony Armstrong-Jones, in 1960. They had two children, (David, Viscount Linley; and Lady Sarah) but unfortunately the marriage came to an end and the couple were divorced with little fuss 18 years later. Apart from the relative excitement of a royal divorce the marriage was also noted for the fact that Armstrong was a 'commoner' and it was unusual for such marriages to go ahead. Margaret has been an active member of the family with frequent official tours and involvement with children's and medical charities. She also has a great love of the arts, she has a good singing voice and her considerable piano playing ability was rewarded with an honourary doctorate in music from the University of London. She was the first president of the Royal Ballet.
Margaret is a 'down to earth' Princess and is the only royal to smoke openly. She has a house on the island of Mustique, called 'Les Jolie Eaux', which serves as a retreat from the pressures of royal life. It was on such a relaxing holiday to the Caribbean in the latter half of the 1990s that Princess Margaret suffered a mild heart attack. It was no surprise that she made a full recovery but only after a lot of support from her many friends and loved ones.
Honours:
- CI - Order of the Crown of India
- GCVO - Royal Victorian Order
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