The discreet charm of Princess Margaret

  • By:karen-millen

24

12/2022

cut with his bold way of perceiving life.

Perhaps this is why her father, King George VI, said: “Lilibeth is my pride, but Margarita is my joy”. He made it clear that "Margot", as she was known at home, was born to shine like a star in the real scene.

His departure occurred 18 years ago and August 21, 2020 marks the 90th anniversary of his birth; However, Margaret Rose Windsor, Princess of the United Kingdom, left an indelible mark on history by breaking the mold from the moment she was born, as she was the first British royal to be born in Scotland for 300 years, on 21 August 1930, and also the first member of the royal family to be cremated, on February 9, 2002.

The royal lived a fantastic career, which included a modest childhood, a youth stalked by the paparazzi, scandalous romances with great personalities (Mick Jagger, Peter Sellers or Warren Beatty), an excessive taste for white fox fur, Raleigh cigarettes and vodka tonic, as well as episodes of physical and mental fragility that marked her until the end of her days, revealing a strong-willed woman with sublime emotional chords, which inspired other great minds, such as the playwright J.M. Barrie and Helena Bonham Carter herself, who claims to have received feedback from the late princess through a medium to build her most notable character in recent years: that of Margarita, in The Crown series.

Rise to Fame

When their father, George VI, died on February 6, 1952, sisters Margarita and Isabel emerged as leading figures before an orphaned nation. They understood that they had to take charge of the present, injecting hope and youth into Britain. However, for the enigmatic royal this loss meant a double mourning, because not only had the man she admired the most died, but now she also had to give up her greatest love: Peter Townsend, a handsome British air force officer, 16 years older than her and whom he intended to marry.

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In addition, the young woman must have matured quickly, since her entire life was going to be exposed and all her decisions they would be valued by their sister, whom they proclaimed queen, and Parliament.

The discreet charm of Princess Margaret

Gone are the quiet years at Glamis Castle, Scotland, or her escapades through the London suburbs with her girlfriends to jazz nightclubs; now her agenda would be dictated by all kinds of protocols, where she would shine and crash at the same time, leaving her mark, earning the adjective of 'rebel' and 'reformer' among the press for her unusual behavior in the face of what must be a member of royalty, serving as an example for other extraordinary women, such as Diana of Wales or Meghan of Sussex.

The birth of an it girl

By the time Margarita managed to shake off the immense sadness of the failure of her marriage plans with Townsend due to being divorced, the young woman began to blossom, drawing attention for her exquisite features, Delicate cut and good taste.

It was then that Elizabeth's little sister began to be requested in all kinds of social events inside and outside England: museum openings, horse races and multiple parties.

Thus, by revealing her taste for dancing, singing and all kinds of fun, the young woman began to be called it girl, she captured the attention of all those present with her 1.55 m tall, and thus filled halls and entire palaces.

Princess Margaret's low-key charm

Publications like Petticoat hailed her as a free-spirited, sophisticated face, mixing Dior gowns with vintage pieces from the royal treasury, as well as adding fur and feathers of exotic animals to his outfits, becoming a guru of his own generation and those to come.

“I've never liked the formal tone of the court, but Marguerite was powerful, I remember cutting her image out of glossy magazines to make paper dolls with my sister Olga,” designer Vivienne Westwood revealed in the documentary Punk, Icon, Activist.

Fashion, Martinis and Marriage

Even though the youngest of the Windsors affirmed that her life before marriage was better, all her attitudes pointed to the opposite: her reluctance to attend official events, abide by the Her sister's designs and the criticisms of her detractors inside and outside the court bored her more than imaginable.

For this reason, from the age of 23 to 29, Margarita began a 'warm-up' routine to withstand the daily onslaught. This included breakfast in bed, two or three newspapers, a bubble bath, the famous Pick-me-up martini, lunch with the Queen Mother, and fittings with her go-to couturiers: Monsieur Dior and Norman Hartnell, who both contributed much to the look of la royal and its social development, as affirmed by the chronicler of royalty Danielle Stacey, of the Mirror newspaper.

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“Before she, noblewomen were inconceivable of wearing tight clothing, smoking in public, or make their discomfort evident at events, as she did. In some ways, being so open with her emotions is what contributed to her reputation as a rebel, which served as the lure between Anthony Jones-Armstrong and the princess, resulting in a fiery and complicated marriage."

In this sense, some journalists specialized in the monarchy agree that the union between the commoner and Margarita was his moment of greatest splendor and degradation, since he experimented with his style, sexuality and encounters with celebrities; However, her relationship was not perfect, the now brand new Countess Snowdon became a character of great chiaroscuro, where each of her movements was mercilessly advertised.

She went from being an it girl to a “libertine princess”, due to her growing addiction to alcohol and tobacco, in addition to her lousy behavior, surprising the world with her fluctuating mood swings.

Margarita was not a woman of half measures. He insulted Grace Kelly at a state dinner by telling her she "didn't look like a movie star" and openly outshone the First Lady of the United States when she first visited the United States in 1965, immediately captivating President Lyndon Johnson, who made his charm visible for the countess during a gala.

These and a thousand other anecdotes seasoned the volatile marriage of Lord and Lady Snowdon, who put Buckingham in check on little more than one occasion for their scandalous lifestyle, mutual infidelities being the reason for the separation. It is rumored that Anthony not only cheated on her with women, but also with some men, as recounted in the controversial book Ma'am Darling, by Craig Brown.

Far from London and close to Eden

By the time she divorced Snowdon in 1978, Margarita was already facing several health problems, including cancer and depression, so she traveled to her Caribbean property in the Mustique Island to take time for herself.

She was regularly stalked by the press for bringing 'disgrace' to the family by being the first direct-line royal to be divorced since her ancestor Victoria Melita of Edinburgh in 1901.

For this reason, the reclusive countess sought other kinds of refinements that did not involve rigorous codes of etiquette: activities with her children David and Sarah; visits from her friends, such as Barbra Streisand, and new opportunities for love at the hands of landscaper Roddy Llewellyn, with whom she never clarified her sentimental status, but without him her recovery would have been impossible.

Over time, the princess gradually disappeared from public life, only attending important events, such as her mother's 101st birthday, although she never abandoned her effervescent personality that added glamor and daring to the most traditional of monarchies, earning her the title of queen of chic and formal for her overwhelming personality and casual style.

By: Carolina M. Payán

The discreet charm of Princess Margaret
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