Rebels are often tagged as the black sheep of the family. But being rebel in a famous family earns you more fame, may it be negative or positive.
Something similar happened to Princess Margaret, daughter of Queen Elizabeth and King George VI. Despite being a part of the royal family, Princess Margaret was quite different from her parents and four years older sister Elizabeth. She was often quoted to be brash, rude and frivolous. Her engagement in drinking and smoking was hardly a secret and she had quite an infamous social life too. From whiskey, gin to the divorce in the Royal family in 400 years, Margaret broke every stigma with no regret. There are several anecdotes affirming her wild and outrageous life. Even after her death, her stories are famous.
- A Luxurious Morning Routine-
The princess began her day with breakfast in bed and chain-smoking at 9 am, followed by two hours of listening to the radio and reading newspaper while awaiting 12:30 pm. 12:30 pm for Princess was ‘vodka-pick-me-up’ followed by ‘informal’ four-course lunch at 1 pm.
- The Bread Game-
Princess Margaret was not someone who would just get bored at an event and wait for it to end. She would rather play games with her husband Anthony Armstrong-Jones to pass her time. One of such games was the bread game where both would tip off pieces of bread when anyone said something cliché to them and keep it in the middle of the table. The one with a maximum number of bread pieces will win.
- Her Word is the Last Word-
Although she was not the queen, she commanded the room. At any dinner event, her presence was necessary for the dinner to begin. At the same time, unless she commanded, no party would be over even if it was 4 am in the morning. The problem was she did not hesitate in taking her sweet time to get ready for any event and that collided with others’ plans.
- The Tiara Incident-
The Poltimore Tiara gained much importance in Princess Margaret’s life. She decided not to wear a tiara that was from the Royal Treasure and instead bought one at an auction worth $5,500 in those days. She wore it at her wedding with Lord Snowden. It also featured in a very controversial photo of her in a tub, wearing only the tiara.
- A Sharp Tongue-
Princess Margaret’s sharp wit and classically rude behaviour were quite famous. Supermodel Twiggy tasted the bitterness of Princess’s words. At a dinner party, when Twiggy met Princess, the latter enquired who she was. The farmer replied, “I’m Lesley Hornby, ma’am, but people call me Twiggy”. Princess Margaret quipped back, “How unfortunate” and turned her back on the baffled model. A similar incident happened with Grace Kelly whom she met during her visit to America in the 70s. She told the movie star who herself became a princess later, “You don’t look like a movie star.”
- Bitterness for not being the Queen?
Princess Margaret may have had garnered some ill-feeling for not being elected the Queen. Perhaps that is why she was so rebellious and out of the line. In an incident when a hostess enquired of the Queen health, she had rudely replied, “Which one? My mother, my sister or my husband?”
Princess Margaret also had one of the most controversial affairs. Her relationship with 16 years older Peter Townsend was not hushed at all and she did not bother to hide it either. Princess Margaret was a quizzical complex that everyone failed to understand. She left a pretty deep mark on the Royal Family as the spoilt youngest child but no one can deny her spunk and charm.
