Adorable Story #91: Princess Margaret

Glamour and Controversy

“Disobedience is my joy”

Princess Margaret

Princess Margaret photographed on August 17th, 1949 — Photo © by Getty Images

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, was born on August 21st, 1930, as the second daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother). She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II.

Her life, marked by a blend of privilege and rebellion, unfolded against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world after WWII. As a member of the British royal family, she became an icon of style and a subject of public fascination and curiosity, embodying both the allure and the constraints of royal duty.

---

Table of Contents: Early Life / World War II / Meeting Peter Townsend / Antony Armstrong-Jones / Later years

---

If you aren’t subscribed yet, hit the subscribe button below to receive the Adorable Stories every weekend, directly in your inbox:

---

Early Life

Margaret was raised in the royal household, alongside her sister, the future Queen Elizabeth II. She was educated privately by a Scottish tutor, Mrs Marion Crawford, receiving a well-rounded education that included languages, music, and the arts. From a young age, she displayed a strong sense of independence and in later years she was resentful about her limited education and aimed open criticism at her mother.

In those early years, J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, frequently read stories to Elizabeth and Margaret as children.

Margaret’s grandfather, King George V, died in January 1936, and her uncle acceded to the throne as Edward VIII. Less than a year later, in December 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated his throne in order to marry Wallis Simpson (a twice-divorced American, featured extensively in the Adorable Story #85), whom neither the Church of England nor the Dominion governments would accept as queen.