Mrs Peter Townsend, the former HRH the Princess Margaret (b.21 August 1930), died yesterday at her modest farmhouse outside Paris.
The younger sister of HM Queen Elizabeth II, she renounced her right of succession to the throne on 31 October 1955, issuing her famous statement: ‘I would like it to be known that I have decided to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend. I am aware that, by seeking to contract a civil marriage, I must first renounce my rights to the succession, and this I have done. I continue to pledge allegiance to my sister, The Queen, who has been a great comfort to me during this difficult time. From this point on, I shall be participating no more in public affairs, but I shall continue to offer my support to Her Majesty in every way that I can.’
The Princess became Mrs Peter Townsend on 4 January 1956 in a private ceremony at Marylebone Register Office. Following a small luncheon party hosted by Noël Coward, the couple flew to their new home in France.
In addition to Townsend’s two sons from a previous marriage, the couple had two children of their own, David, born in 1961, and Sarah, born in 1964.
In their self-imposed exile, the Townsends became regular visitors to the home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor within the Bois de Boulogne. ‘They had much in common,’ observed a close friend. ‘Margaret used to love gossiping with her uncle about the family they had both left behind, and the Duchess was always eager to join in, clapping her hands in delight at Margaret’s waspish remarks. “Oh, but Margot, darling – you really shouldn’t!” But poor old Peter would find their habitual sniping at those he still regarded with loyalty and affection a little awkward, and so would occasionally take himself off for a discreet walk.’
The Townsends’ marriage ended in divorce in September 1972. Friends said they had been growing apart for some time. Margaret had never been wholly reconciled to her loss of status, and would entertain only those who were content to curtsey and address her as ‘Ma’am’. While she was drawn to the artistic community, her husband, who worked in the wine trade, was said to prefer the company of those from military or business backgrounds. Sometimes, when her husband was talking, Margaret could be spotted yawning theatrically. Inevitably, Paris society buzzed with rumours of her romances with, among others, Yves Montand, Jacques Brel and Charles Aznavour. The latter’s chart-topping 1974 hit ‘She’ was often said to be about her:
She may be the beauty or the beast,
May be the famine or the feast,
May turn each day into a
Heaven or a hell.
In November 1972, Peter Townsend married Marie-Luce Jamagne, the former wife of high-society party photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones. Margaret Townsend never remarried. Towards the end of her life she returned to England, where she lived in a small apartment in Kensington Palace, along with two pugs, Betty and Pip, inherited from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.