Weird Things Everyone Just Ignored About Princess Margaret

Princess Margaret was something of a cultural icon in her day. She was applauded for her unusual fashion choices, critiqued for her love of parties, and beloved for her exuberant personality. If Queen Elizabeth II was the steady hand that guided Great Britain through the tumultuous times of the 20th century, Margaret brought a little bit of glitter to the monarchy. She rebelled against royal protocol, famously declaring, "Disobedience is my joy," according to Vogue. She also knew how to use protocol to her advantage, forcing dinner guests to wait for her to arrive before breaking bread. Once, she was even said to have required everyone to hold off dinner until she got a last-minute hairstyling.

But beyond her complicated persona, Margaret was a human being just like any other. Unfortunately, the clash between her royal role and true self often meant that parts of her were overlooked. Over the course of her young life, Margaret found that many of her dreams were, strangely, ignored. As she got older, the people around her turned a blind eye to a number of her destructive habits. Ultimately, even many of her best moments — as witnessed by Margaret's friend, Lady Anne Glenconner — went unnoticed by the world. Indeed, many things about Margaret were blatantly ignored.

Growing up, Princess Margaret had many opportunities. As the daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Bowles-Lyon, the young princess frolicked in idyllic gardens, acted in amusing pantomimes, and had access to the very best clothes. However, there was one perk that Margaret never really had the chance to enjoy — a high-quality education. Indeed, Margaret's studies were limited to piano lessons from a private tutor and a governess who taught her the basics in addition to the French language. In contrast, the princess' older sister — who was destined to become Queen Elizabeth II — took on more academic challenges, and her instructors hailed from prestigious institutions like the University of Oxford or Eton College.

In regard to this dissonance between the two sisters' distinct educational backgrounds, Margaret's lady-in-waiting, Lady Anne Glenconner, said that it was a shame. Appearing on the documentary, "Princess Margaret: The Rebel Royal," Glenconner revealed, "She was intelligent but it was never put to any sort of good use. I think that's all that was expected of her. Do good work, marry somebody, and have lots of little princesses." The aristocrat went on to add that Margaret interpreted her own lack of educational opportunities as a slight. "I think she was afraid of being belittled, but what role can you have next to the queen? I don't know," Glenconner lamented (via Daily Mail).

Princess Margaret's education was not the only strange thing that the royal family and their advisors chose to ignore. Margaret's romantic interest in her father's equerry, Captain Peter Townsend, also apparently remained under wraps — not that the pair were particularly subtle in their expressions of affection. In 1953, on the day of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, a journalist noticed Margaret removing some fluff from Townsend's suit. This small yet very public gesture made it clear that there was something brewing between the duo. After all, the Windsors were not known for demonstrating physical affection at all, let alone with members of the palace team.

Margaret's affection for Townsend famously catalyzed a scandal as their relationship was not deemed appropriate. For one thing, there was a 16-year age difference separating the two. For another, Townsend was married to someone else. This did not apparently stop Townsend and Margaret from carrying on in private. Reports indicate that back in 1947, when Margaret was only 17 years old, the two stayed at Hillsborough Castle — and that one of the parties had specifically asked for adjoining bedrooms. Although it's hard to pinpoint exactly when Margaret's relationship with Townsend became physical, it's hard to imagine that nobody in royal circles would have noticed the increasing proximity between the pair. Ultimately, it seems that the couple's affection was blatantly ignored until that fateful day in 1953. 

Princess Margaret and Captain Peter Townsend's romance did not end in marriage — at least not with each other. When the press began covering Margaret and Townsend's love story, the palace sent the captain away to Belgium, where he eventually met his second wife, Marie-Luce Jamagne. Margaret, meanwhile, moved on with photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones, and the pair were wed on May 6, 1960. Unfortunately, however, Margaret's marriage was not a happy one, thanks to Armstrong-Jones' alleged emotional abuse tactics. According to Lady Anne Glenconner in an article for the Daily Mail, Armstrong-Jones would leave verbally abusive notes hidden among Margaret's things, wounding the princess deeply. 

"Everybody she'd ever met had always treated her with the utmost respect. Except Tony, who was spiteful in creative ways and liked writing vile little one-liners which he hid in her glove drawer, or among her hankies or tucked into books," the aristocrat wrote. Apparently, these constant jabs were so brutal that Margaret grew afraid of going about her own apartment. And why wouldn't she? Cruel insults were essentially lurking at every turn. "She told me, for instance, that she no longer opened her chest of drawers — she got her maid to do it instead — because Tony had developed a habit of leaving nasty little notes inside," Glenconner added. Despite this, the royal family did not encourage Margaret to seek a divorce because marital separations went against protocol at the time. 

Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones finally got divorced in 1978. But just because the two eventually parted ways did not mean that the princess' mental health did not suffer during their tumultuous marriage. Sources close to the princess have said that Margaret didn't fare well in the final days of the relationship. In 1974, she misused sleeping pills by taking a massive dose, as The Telegraph reported. Her staffers later found her and signaled alarms when she failed to wake. Margaret eventually told the press, "I was so exhausted because of everything that all I wanted to do was sleep ... and I did, right through to the following afternoon."

This was not the only occasion when Margaret demonstrated that her mental health was not good. At one point, the princess called a friend and declared her intentions to leap from her window. Sadly, when the friend in question phoned Queen Elizabeth II and informed her of what had transpired, Margaret's state was brushed under the rug. If anything, the queen made light of the issue, joking, "Carry on with your party. Her bedroom is on the ground floor" (via Irish Times). Sadly, this episode stands as an example of how the royal family did not necessarily respond to Margaret's mental health challenges. Although it may seem like a strange thing to ignore, the family's attitudes toward mental health have since shifted considerably.

Princess Margaret's mental health challenges were not the only thing that did not necessarily receive adequate attention. Sources indicate that her misuse of alcohol was largely ignored as well. According to royal expert Craig Brown in his book, "Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret," alcohol consumption was an integral part of the princess' life. Apparently, she would start her morning at 9 — only to indulge in spirits just three hours later. Her drink of choice? "A vodka pick-me-up," Brown wrote.

Following this initial drink, Margaret would go on to have lunch and drink even more. She and her mother, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, would apparently get together "for a four-course lunch served in an informal manner from silver dishes, with half a bottle of wine per person plus fruit and half a dozen different varieties of native and Continental cheeses," according to Brown. In the evenings, Margaret would often attend parties where she preferred gin or whiskey to champagne.

These days, the National Health Service recommends that women consume no more than two units of alcohol per day. Margaret, apparently, well surpassed this limit. But if the palace did little to intervene, it's perhaps because the people close to Margaret also engaged in alcohol misuse. Margaret's mother was also known to enjoy a cocktail at noon, followed by her lunchtime wine, a martini during cocktail hour, and champagne at dinner.

Princess Margaret's struggles weren't the only thing that strangely got little attention. Her moments of empathy also lacked much press over the years. Although Princess Diana is the royal who is perhaps best known for her support of patients diagnosed with HIV and AIDS, Margaret also cared greatly about those affected by the virus. In a piece for Newsweek, Lady Anne Glenconner shared, "When my son had AIDS, nobody knew how it was caught at the time and people were terrified. A lot of my friends suddenly said, 'Oh, so sorry, we can't come and stay with you,' and you knew why." According to the aristocrat, however, one person did not treat her family any differently. "Princess Margaret never did that, and she always kissed my son whenever she saw him," Glenconner wrote.

The former lady-in-waiting also said that Margaret extended her goodwill to strangers. "She used to visit my son when he was in The London Lighthouse, which was a special place for young men with AIDS ... Princess Margaret was not touchy-feely, but she was fun. We used to go into the men's rooms and she'd make them laugh," she added. Strangely, though Margaret's dedication to AIDS patients has gone largely unrecognized. According to Glenconner, though, the explanation was simple. "Nobody knew she was doing this; she never took photographers," she said. "It was something private she did, and we often did it together."

Princess Margaret was a complicated person who shared quite a few sharp words in her day. She made some of the royal family's most inappropriate comments of all time — even telling Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco that she "didn't look like a movie star." Margaret's quips earned her a reputation as something of a snob. As one 2002 piece in the Daily Record (via Free Library) scathingly put it, "Margaret simply couldn't bear to be anything as common as a commoner. She could not live without the trappings of royalty. She was a snob who ticked off a friend who referred to her father with a withering: 'You mean His Majesty the King.' ... Her closest friends had to call her Ma'am or Ma'am darling."

This description, however, strangely ignores the fact that Margaret didn't mind humbling herself on occasion. As Lady Anne Glenconner revealed in her piece for Newsweek, Margaret enjoyed serving her friends rather than reigning over them. "Princess Margaret came and stayed with me a dozen times. ... She made all the fires in the house, which she had learned to do as a Girl Guide, and even did some gardening," the aristocrat explained. Apparently, Margaret made a habit of washing Glenconner's car out of gratitude for her hospitality. And even though Margaret did ask Glenconner to refer to her as "Ma'am," it seems that there was more to the princess than her understanding of rank.

Princess Margaret was not exactly an easygoing person, but she was deeply loyal to her friends. When Lady Anne Glenconner was facing domestic abuse in her own marriage, Margaret stepped up to support her. After much discussion, the two women decided to share a residence. The arrangement made sense because both women were involved in extremely distressing marriages. As Glenconner revealed in an interview with Fox News Digital, "[F]or one wonderful year, I lived with her. ... We would just talk and talk. And in the end, when I left, she said, 'I really enjoyed having you, Anne. We got on so well. So much better than our awful husbands.'" Apparently, Margaret's dry sense of humor helped Glenconner survive those terrible times. "You have to laugh. Otherwise, life is impossible," Glenconner mused.

Although it might seem strange that Margaret has not been publicly remembered as a supportive friend, the reason likely pertains to the press. Dubbed "The Party Princess" in her heyday, Margaret's image was much more tied to the events that she attended than the people she cared about. Sadly, the media rarely touted Margaret's more caring side, covering her snark instead. This has allowed Margaret's role as a friend to go, strangely, ignored. 

These days, in the discussion around royal spares — or second-born children — Princess Margaret and Prince Harry have drawn some comparisons. Both figures were well-known on the party scene, both experienced educational frustrations, and both caused a scandal or two in their day. However, it's possible that the differences between Princess Margaret and Prince Harry's lives as spares have not been sufficiently accentuated. This has largely been due to the comparisons drawn by Harry in his tell-all, "Spare." After all, even the prince himself saw parallels between their stories, writing, "We had so much in common. Two spares. Her relationship with Granny wasn't an exact analog of mine with Willy, but pretty close."

Those who knew Margaret, however, say that the world has ignored the princess' distaste for airing dirty laundry. As Lady Anne Glenconner explained in an appearance on "Lorraine," "The thing about Princess Margaret, she was loyal. She was loyal. I never heard her say anything derogatory about the queen. She supported her in every way." Interestingly, other sources also hint toward Margaret's hatred for tell-alls. When Princess Diana appeared on "Panorama" to dish about her experience behind palace walls, Margaret retaliated with a strongly-worded letter condemning the interview. According to Town & Country, Margaret accused Diana of shirking her duties, describing her "incapable of making even the smallest sacrifice." This side of her personality, which was fiercely protective of the crown's image, certainly deserves more attention. 

Because Princess Margaret died in 2002, very few millennial and Gen Z royal watchers grew up following her story. With the rise of the television show "The Crown," however, this began to change. Because the show displayed many of the princess' best outfits and quippiest phrases, Margaret was once again recognized as an icon. Sadly, though, many viewers have failed to recognize that the on-screen version of Margaret is not necessarily compatible with who she was in real life. As Lady Glenconner had lamented to Newsweek, "I found 'The Crown's' portrayal of Princess Margaret so disappointing." The reason? "They had a scene where Princess Margaret had dinner at the White House and made up dirty limericks. Princess Margaret would never have done that!"

Other elements of Margaret's personality were also misrepresented in the television show, according to Glenconner. "There was also a scene where my character and Princess Margaret were sitting by a swimming pool in an awful country club, wearing bikinis. Princess Margaret never wore a bikini; she always wore a swimsuit," the aristocrat pointed out. Some of these errors were so egregious that Glenconner confronted "The Crown" actor Helena Bonham Carter — who, in turn, explained that she was just taking direction. Ultimately, though, one of the great tragedies of Princess Margaret's life may be that few hold an accurate memory of her. After all, so much that was strange about her life went ignored.