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Who was Princess Margaret and when did the Queen’s sister die?

She was a fashion icon of the 50s and 60s and once second in line to the throne. Here's all you need to know about the royal

RENOWNED for her wild partying, high-profile romances and incredibly haughty remarks, Princess Margaret revolutionised what it meant to be royal.

But who exactly was Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister who since Netflix's The Crown has returned to the spotlight over 60 years later?

 Princess Margaret was once just second in line to the British throne
Princess Margaret was once just second in line to the British throneCredit: REX FEATURES

Who was Princess Margaret?

HRH Princess Margaret was born on August 21, 1930, at Glamis Castle in Scotland, to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II.

For several days the registration of the princess' birth was deliberately delayed in order to avoid her being numbered 13 and associated with its 'unlucky' connotations.

In 1936 Princess Margaret's world was turned upside down when her uncle King Edward VIII abdicated to marry divorcee, Wallis Simpson.

It meant her father, a reluctant Prince George, would become King and that her sister Elizabeth was now the country's future Queen.

At the tender age of six, Margaret was second in line to the British throne.

When she was a child, there were also unfounded rumours that she was deaf and mute.

The Princess was home-schooled alongside her sister, but as an adult Margaret was said to have been resentful about her 'limited education'.

To many she was boisterous and outspoken, a far cry from the sensible and reserved nature of her older sister.

Princess Margaret opted for an extravagant life. The royal rebel reportedly struggled being in the shadow of her sister, the Queen, unable to make sense of what her own role in society was.

The Princess was regarded as a fashion icon of the 50s and 60s, with her bold dress sense being dubbed The Margaret Look.

When did Princess Margaret die?

On February 9, 2002, Princess Margaret passed away, aged 71, from cardiac problems following a stroke.

By 2001 the Princess had suffered several strokes, lost sight in one eye and most of the left side of her body was paralysed.

The chain-smoker and heavy-drinker had a lung operation in 1985 and a bout of pneumonia in 1993.

Just seven weeks after her daughter's death, the Queen Mother died in her sleep at the age of 101.

 In 1960 she married English photographer and film-maker Antony Armstrong-Jones
In 1960 she married English photographer and film-maker Antony Armstrong-JonesCredit: SPLASH NEWS

Who was Princess Margaret's husband Antony Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon?

On May 6, 1960, Princess Margaret married English photographer and film-maker Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.

The ceremony was the first Royal Wedding to be broadcast on television, attracting viewers of 300 million worldwide.

The princess first met Armstrong-Jones at a dinner party in 1958 and by October 1959 they were engaged after "Tony" proposed with a ruby engagement ring displaying diamonds in the shape of a rosebud.

The Snowdon marriage marked the age of the Swinging Sixties.

Embracing the decade of parties and flamboyant lifestyle, the newlyweds established a social circle outside of aristocracy with the likes of The Beatles and actor Jack Nicholson.

The marriage of a 'commonor' and a royal was also thought to represent the breaking down of British class barriers at the time.

In 1961 Armstrong-Jones was given the titles Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley.

In the same year Margaret gave birth to their first child David on November 3. The couple's second child Lady Sarah was born three years later on May 1, 1964.

 The royal went on to have two children David Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah
The royal went on to have two children David Viscount Linley and Lady SarahCredit: Splash News

Why did they divorce?

Cracks in the couple's marriage emerged early on, amid rumours of infidelity from both parties.

During their most turbulent years, Lord Snowdon is said to have left idle lists for his wife to find around their home or between the pages of her books which read 'things I hate about you'.

On March 19, 1976, the palace announced 'HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and the Earl of Snowdon have mutually agreed to live apart'.

Two years later on May 10, 1978, it was decided they would officially divorce.

In his bachelor days, Lord Snowdon had supposedly enjoyed a wild sex life, having orgies and flings with both men and women.

In 1978 he went on to marry Lucy Lindsay-Hogg, the woman who he had a long affair with while married to Princess Margaret.

In 2004, two years after the death of Princess Margaret, The Telegraph revealed  that Snowdon had an illegitimate daughter just before marrying Her Royal Highness.

Polly Fry was born May 28, 1960 – three weeks into his marriage with Princess Margaret.

 Princess Margaret was unable to marry the man of her choice, Group Captain Peter Townsend
Princess Margaret was unable to marry the man of her choice, Group Captain Peter TownsendCredit: Hulton Archive - Getty

Who was Group Captain Peter Townsend?

Princess Margaret was romantically associated with numerous men over the years.

Shortly after WW2, she had an affair with her father's married equerry, Group Captain Peter Townsend, who was 16 years her senior.

The Princess was just 17 years old when their liaison began.

In 1952, the same year that Elizabeth II became Queen, the RAF officer divorced his wife with the intention of marrying young Margaret.

Their romance first came to the public's attention when Princess Margaret was spotted plucking a piece off fluff from Townsend's lapel at her sister's coronation.

The union was met with opposition by those in Winston Churchill's government, with many believing it was inappropriate for the head of the Church of England's 22-year-old sister to be marrying a divorcee.

The only way they would be allowed to marry was if the Princess renounced all her royal privileges and left England for at least five years.

Princess Margaret and Group Captain eventually called off the proposal, with the latter admitting that he "simply hadn't the weight to counterbalance all she would have lost".

Decades later it was revealed that Princess Margaret could have kept both her title and money but was deliberately misinformed.

The Princess accepted Antony Armstrong-Jones' proposal just one day after learning that Townsend was intending to marry a 19-year-old Belgian woman.

Lord Snowdon, Princess Margaret's former husband, has died aged 86