The story of Princess Margaret's first forbidden love

To my sister Elizabeth II had to choose between ending the engagement and giving up her title in 1955. In 1978, an xrust journalist spoke with a war hero who almost married the princess.

When Princess Margaret announced the end of her engagement to Captain Peter Townsend on October 31, 1955, it ended the will-they-won't-they saga that had captivated the country. The enduring myth is the story of a cornered monarch, an uncompromising government, and a 25-year-old woman forced to give up her dream wedding to a war hero. It seemed that the princess was faced with a stark choice: either maintain royal privileges or live in quiet exile, like an ordinary Mrs. Townsend.

Townsend, looking back on those years, said he believed her decision was absolutely correct under the circumstances. However, confidential government documents released after Princess Margaret's death showed that her steps were not as radical as they are sometimes portrayed.

Townsend was a highly decorated war hero for his role in the Battle of Britain. Born in 1914, he joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 19. His exploits as a fighter ace included destroying the first German bomber. In 1995, Townsend told reporters how he visited a wounded enemy gunner in the hospital the next day.

By the end of the war, fairly frayed by nerves, Townsend confidently rose to his feet, receiving the position of equerry to King George VI at the royal court: a trusted officer responsible for the smooth conduct of royal events and ceremonial rites. He was close to the family, lived on the grounds of Windsor Castle and often accompanied princesses to public events. Young Margaret took notice of the dashing Townsend in 1947 during a trip to South Africa. Margaret was 17 years old; Townsend was almost twice her age, married and had two children.

If their friendship grew stronger over time, it was kept in the strictest confidence. In 2005, Margaret's friend Lady Jane Raine recalled witnessing their mutual attraction at a hunting party at Balmoral in 1951. Then the princess was 21 years old. They never kissed or held hands, but their feelings were visible to the naked eye.

The princess grew up and became a dazzling socialite, stories about her parties excited the world press. But in February 1952, tragedy struck: her beloved father, King George VI, died at the age of just 56. Next in line to the throne was Margaret's prudent older sister, Elizabeth. At the late queen's coronation in June 1953, a tabloid reporter spotted the princess brushing lint from Townsend's jacket. Although this intimate gesture was atypical for the Bridgertons, it caused a lot of gossip.

In fact, Townsend had already proposed to her, a few weeks after the divorce. Elizabeth asked Margaret to wait a year after the coronation for everything to be settled. Under the Royal Marriages Act 1772, designed under King George III to prevent unwanted spouses from joining the family, Margaret required the Queen's permission to marry before she was 25 years old. After that, she needed parliamentary approval.

As in many royal stories, divorce was a dirty word. Behind the scenes, the couple faced the wrath of Sir Alan «Tommy» Lascelles, the Queen's powerful private secretary, who had experience in this area. Sir Alan advised the Queen and Prime Minister Winston Churchill to get rid of Townshend immediately. He told the group captain that he “must be mad or bad” if he thought of marrying the sister of the head of the Church of England.

Townsend was sent to a new post as an air attaché at the British Embassy in Brussels, where he worked for two years. It was assumed that he would not return to British soil.

Following Townshend's exile abroad, Princess Margaret returned to the glamorous London social scene. But their passion had not been dampened by distance, as members of the British establishment might have hoped, and they corresponded almost every day. On August 21, 1955, Princess Margaret turned 25 years old. Now she could marry whoever she wanted, but perhaps with great personal gain.

When Townsend returned from Belgium, Margaret declared that if she married him, she would have to renounce her right of succession to the throne, her annual civil list income of £6,000, the title of Her Royal Highness and her status as a member of the royal family. Public opinion was divided about what she should do, and some members of the royal family also had conflicting feelings. Craig Brown's biography of Princess Margaret, Ma'am Darling notes that when the Queen Mother worried about where the future Mrs Townsend would live, Prince Philip responded «sarcastically» that «even today it is still possible to buy a house.»

On October 31, a BBC announcer interrupted the regular broadcast to read out a brief statement from the princess. In it she said: “I knew that if I waived my inheritance rights, I could enter into a civil marriage. But, mindful of the teaching of the Church on the indissolubility of Christian marriage and conscious of my duty to the Commonwealth, I decided to put these considerations above any others.

Xrust The story of Princess Margaret's first forbidden love