Her lifestyle was quite extravagant to say the least.
Currently, many fingers would point in the direction of Prince Andrew, if asked which British royal has the most scandals. If we had asked that question 50 years ago, we would have quickly ended up with Princess Margaret. So here are some iconic stories about the sister of the late Queen Elizabeth that we don’t want to withhold from you.
Black sheep
Despite being called the black sheep of her generation of royals, Margo didn’t necessarily bother her with that reputation. “Disobedience is my joy,” she would say. And looking back, that seems to be the motto of the queen’s younger sister. After its 71-year existence, with a complicated personality, the British monarchy became a little less vibrant when the princess died in 2002. She smoked like a heretic, drank heavily, was chronically unfaithful and as a result there are countless colorful anecdotes to be told about the princess. Glamial selects 11.
11 anecdotes
1. She signed her checks (and there were quite a few) as ‘Margaret’. No title, no last name, nothing. Just Margaret. Because everyone knew who she was, right?
2. She had a luxurious – and ridiculous – morning routine. It started with breakfast in bed at 9 a.m., “followed by two hours in bed listening to the radio, reading the newspapers (which she invariably left scattered on the floor) and chain smoking,” we read in Craig’s book Ma’am Darling Brown. And at 12:30 it was time for a vodka pick-me-up. Cuz that’s what a girl needs…
3. When they were bored at dinner parties, she and her husband, Anthony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon, would play the bread game. Every time someone said something cliché, Margaret or Anthony would tear off a piece of bread and place it in the center of the table. At the end of the evening, whoever tore the most pieces of bread would win.
4. When Anthony wanted to divorce his already estranged wife, it was up to Margaret’s private secretary, Lord Nigel Napier, to deliver the news over the telephone. To which the princess replied: “Thank you, Nigel. I think this is the best news you’ve ever given me.” We also immediately know how loving (not) their marriage was…
5. According to royal protocol, dinner couldn’t begin until Princess Margaret arrived – which was a problem because Margaret could be unfathomably late. For example, a dinner was once planned for half past seven in the evening and her hairstylist arrived at half past seven, well you guessed it, it took hours before dinner could finally be had… It’s Margaret, me, myself and I.
6. Princess Margaret hated squirrels. So much so that when she saw a woman in a public park feeding them, she walked up to the creatures and started whacking them with an umbrella.
7. Her humor was legendary – and often quite cruel. The princess met Twiggy at a dinner party and asked who she was. The supermodel replied: “I’m Lesley Hornby ma’am, but people call me Twiggy.” “What a pity,” replied Princess Margaret.
8. Did Princess Margaret have an affair with Mick Jagger? A royal rumor that no one seems to know for sure. But the fact that it’s even rumored is pretty impressive. Just like the reports that Picasso desperately wanted to marry her.
9. She lived an extravagant lifestyle: For example, her six-week honeymoon on the royal yacht Britannia in 1960 cost $115,000. In 1995, she took $10,000 worth of clothes for a week’s trip to the United States. And once she demanded a motorbike escort for a journey from Kensington Palace to Waterloo Station.
10. On her wedding day she wore the Poltimore Tiara – a diadem that did not come from the Crown’s collection, but from her own. She bought it at auction for around £7,700, breaking royal tradition when she agreed.
11. She loved smoking and drinking, so much so that she “tried to combine smoking and drinking by gluing matchboxes to cups so that she could continue drinking while lighting her cigarette.”
Source: Glamial archive | Image: NL Image
