Though The Crown primarily revolves around the life of Queen Elizabeth II, season 3 of the show is also set to shine a light on her sister Princess Margaret (played by Helena Bonham Carter), particularly, the ups and downs of her marriage to Lord Snowdon, a.k.a. Antony Armstrong-Jones (played by Ben Daniels). During the couple's 18-year union, both Antony and Margaret reportedly began seeing other people, which led to their eventual divorce.
From the beginning, Margaret and Antony's relationship was painted as a "rebound." As fans of The Crown season 2 can remember, Margaret initially had her heart set on marrying Captain Peter Townsend. Unfortunately for Margaret and Peter, outside pressure broke the two apart. Peter had been married and divorced, which, at that time, made it impossible for the pair to wed under the rules of the Church of England. Prime Minister Anthony Eden and other British officials told the princess, according to the BBC, that if she insisted on marrying Peter, she would have to renounce her rights of succession. In 1955, Margaret canceled the wedding, claiming that she had "reached this decision entirely alone."
Margaret and Atony in 1960.
Little did Margaret know that three years later she would become completely entranced with Antony, a well-liked high-society photographer. Unlike Peter, the royal family approved of Antony.
Biographer Anne De Courcy wrote in her book Snowden: The Biography:
“They all liked him very much — Tony had great charm, very good manners and he knew exactly how to behave. He felt devotion to the royal family, to the Queen, who he admired immensely. He got on very well with Prince Charles and he adored the Queen Mother."
In 1960, Margaret and Antony tied the knot, making them the first royal wedding to be shown on TV (Town and Country reports that over 300 million watched the ceremony). A year later came their son, David, and three years after that they welcomed their daughter, Sarah.
As explored on The Crown, Margaret and Atony's marriage soon became contentious. Antony had always been obsessed with his career, and when he became an artistic advisor of The Sunday Times, he was forced to travel a lot while on assignments — a situation that encouraged his extramarital flings.
Margaret and Atony in 1966.
"Margaret's template of marriage was quite different from Tony's," Anne's book noted. "He had parents who split, while her parents' and sister's marriage were very happy. She expected her husband to be with her more, but one of Tony's strongest motivations was work. He had a workshop in the basem*nt of Kensington Palace, and while she was understanding of his work commitments, Margaret didn't realize it would take him away from her so much."
Infidelity became a huge problem. Antony had an affair with his best friend Jeremy's wife, Camilla Fry, and wound up getting her pregnant. Camilla's daughter Polly, who was born three weeks into Margaret and Atony's honeymoon, grew up thinking that Jeremy was her biological father, but a 2004 DNA test confirmed that Antony was actually her father. Toward the end of the 1960s, according to The Evening Standard, Antony also began a romantic fling with Lady Jacqueline Rufus-Issacs. He also got involved with Lucy Hogg, who he eventually married in 1978.
Margaret on the day of her divorce from Atony in 1978.
Antony wasn't the only one. Margaret was reportedly also romantically intertwined with her husband's friend Anthony Barton and a nightclub pianist Robin Douglas-Home. But what caught the most media attention at the time was Margaret's fling with Roddy Llewellyn, who was 17 years younger than the princess. The media, at the time, unfairly portrayed Margaret as a cougar and Roddy as a toyboy, reports Harper's Bazaar. The two met in Scotland in 1973 and were seen vacationing together on the island of Mustique in 1976 — the same year Atony and Margaret separated.
After a myriad of adultery on both accounts, Atony and Margaret officially divorced in 1978, though they remained "good friends" for the sake of their children.
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FAQs
As explored on The Crown, Margaret and Atony's marriage soon became contentious. Antony had always been obsessed with his career, and when he became an artistic advisor of The Sunday Times, he was forced to travel a lot while on assignments — a situation that encouraged his extramarital flings.
What happened between Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong Jones? ›
Both the princess and Antony participated in extramarital affairs throughout their marriage, leading to their eventual divorce in 1978. While Antony remarried (and then divorced), the couple remained close until Princess Margaret's passing in 2002.
Did Princess Margaret really want to marry Peter Townsend? ›
Princess Margaret fell in love with the dashing war hero Group Captain Peter Townsend when she was 22, but she was prevented from marrying him due to his status as a divorcé.
How many times was Princess Margaret engaged? ›
The sister of Queen Elizabeth II, 91, was engaged to marry no less than three different men during her lifetime. While her doomed engagement to Peter Townsend and her engagement and subsequent marriage to Lord Snowdon are well known, her brief engagement to Billy Wallace is less so.
What does Princess Margaret's daughter do? ›
Who was the best man at Princess Margaret's wedding? ›
The Princess was escorted to the altar by the Duke of Edinburgh, where the groom and his best man Dr Roger Gilliat were waiting.
Did Princess Margaret's children attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral? ›
David walked behind Prince William and Prince Harry during the Queen's state funeral procession on Sept. 19, while Sarah attended the day's services. Here's everything to know about Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones' two children, David Armstrong-Jones and Sarah Chatto.
Did Princess Margaret attend Peter Townsend's funeral? ›
Did Princess Margaret attend Peter Townsend's funeral? No. He died in France in 1995. He left a wife, and five children, who doubtless would not have appreciated the gesture - given the massive fuss of press attention and security her presence would have generated at a private family funeral.
Did Princess Margaret ever forgive the Queen? ›
Margaret endured a lonely and agonising separation; the fable fermenting that she never forgave the Queen for not sanctioning the marriage. Yet, in spite of their differences and difficulties, the sisters always remained touchingly close.
How accurate is The Crown? ›
Did Kate Middleton meet Princess Diana before her death? Did the Queen sneak out to celebrate the end of World War II on V-E Day? The Crown's creator, Peter Morgan, has previously acknowledged that The Crown intertwines “acts of imagination” with real-life events, so it's not going to be 100% accurate.
How heartbroken Princess Margaret broke off her secret engagement with Group Captain Peter Townsend on this day. She chose duty - and her privileges as a Royal - over love... Forced to choose between duty to her country and the man she loved, it was a titanic collision of loyalties. And in the end, duty won out.
Why did Princess Margaret never remarry? ›
Margaret accepted and informed her sister, the Queen, whose consent was required by the Royal Marriages Act 1772. During the abdication crisis, the Church of England refused to countenance the remarriage of the divorced.
Did Princess Margaret get along with her sister? ›
“You see this jealousy and you also see this loyalty that Margaret had towards Elizabeth.” Yet, despite their assigned places in history, their devotion to each other never wavered. Princess Margaret had a telephone with a direct line to her sister at Buckingham Palace.
Did Princess Margaret's children inherit money? ›
Share this: The bulk of Princess Margaret's £7.6 million fortune is to be divided between her two children, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto, it was announced on Tuesday. The Princess also left personal bequests to friends and members of staff, but exact details of the legacies will not be disclosed.
How many strokes did Princess Margaret have? ›
But much of Margaret's earlier glamour was stripped away after she suffered three strokes between 1998 and 2001. Manville was drawn to the knottiness of portraying Margaret “in this difficult and lonely time of her life,” she said. When the character's illness also takes away her looks, her identity is shaken, too.
Did the Queen cry at Margaret's funeral? ›
WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 15: The Royal Family Attending The Funeral Of Princess Margaret At St. George's Chapel In Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth II Gives Way To Her Grief And Is Seen Crying As She Stands With Princess Margaret's Children Lady Sarah Chatto And Lord Linley (viscount David Linley).
Did Antony Armstrong-Jones have a child before he married Princess Margaret? ›
But The Crown tells the story of Polly Fry, the daughter he fathered before marrying Princess Margaret.
Why did Princess Margaret abandon Peter? ›
The government, then led by divorced Prime Minister Anthony Eden, decided that if the princess insisted on marrying Townsend, she would be stripped of all her royal privileges as well as her income. This left Margaret in an impossible position and on October 31 of the same year, the princess made her decision clear.
How accurate is the crown? ›
Did Kate Middleton meet Princess Diana before her death? Did the Queen sneak out to celebrate the end of World War II on V-E Day? The Crown's creator, Peter Morgan, has previously acknowledged that The Crown intertwines “acts of imagination” with real-life events, so it's not going to be 100% accurate.
What happened to Princess Margaret Tudor? ›
Death. Margaret died at Methven Castle on 18 October 1541. Henry Ray, the Berwick Pursuivant, reported that she had palsy (possibly resulting from a stroke) on Friday and died on the following Tuesday.
