The sister of the late Queen Elizabeth had a rather extravagant morning routine.
It has been a number of years since the book ‘Ma’am Darling: 99 glimpses of Princess Margaret’ was published. Yet the special daily routine of the controversial princess, which was extensively reported in the book, recently resurfaced on the internet. And we would like to share with you how that went.
Black sheep
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. And she also proves this once again through her extravagant morning routine. In recent days, this extraordinary turn of events has been shared several times on X. And guess what? The routine, which included chain-smoking at breakfast and a vodka at midday, seems to be a hit with X users.
Craig Brown, author of the book Ma’am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, managed to capture the luxurious lifestyle of the late Princess Margaret. The book tells in particular what special habits the princess had and makes it clear that the royal had a preference for what we call ‘the good things in life’.
The routine
Margaret’s day started at 9am with breakfast in bed, which was of course served to her by one of the Clarence House staff. Meanwhile, the princess listened to the radio, lighting cigarette after cigarette. Margaret also read the newspapers every day from bed, which she then left scattered on the floor. All in all, this relaxing start to the day took the princess about two hours.
Bathing
When Margaret was fully up to date with the latest news, she had the bath filled by a maid. After taking an extensive bath, she moved to her dressing table where she had a layer of make-up applied and a nice haircut. Then it was time to put on her impeccably ironed clothes. “As one would expect of a princess, she did not wear her clothes more than once before having them cleaned,” Brown writes in his book.
Time for vodka
Exhausted by the morning routine so far, Margaret headed downstairs where – first things first – she had a vodka pick-me-up. She then enjoyed a sumptuous four-course lunch with the Queen Mother. Just for information: the average lunch would include half a bottle of wine per person, fruit and a dozen different types of native and continental cheeses. So much for the morning routine of the late Queen Elizabeth’s younger sister.
Cigarettes and whisky
The princess was known to smoke around 60 strong Chesterfield cigarettes a day. And although she was also regularly spotted with a glass of wine or gin and tonic, whiskey was her drink of choice. To be precise: Famous Grouse whiskey with a dash of water. She reportedly didn’t bat an eyelid when she was served a different brand. She also demanded that her favorite drink be mixed only with Malvern Water.
In the 1950s, there was always a decanter of Grouse on the tray at Margaret’s Clarence House residence, as Noel Botham recalls in his controversial biography, Margaret – The Untold Story. New employees were always informed that the combination of Famous Grouse and Malvern Water must always be available.
Source: Daily Mail UK | Image: NL Image
