Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (b. 1930)
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II.
Margaret spent much of her childhood with her parents and sister. Her life changed dramatically at the age of six when her paternal uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated to marry divorcée Wallis Simpson. Margaret's father became king and her sister became heir presumptive, with Margaret second in line to the throne. Her position in the line of succession diminished over the following decades as Elizabeth's own children and grandchildren were born. During the Second World War the two sisters stayed at Windsor Castle despite suggestions to evacuate them to Canada. During the war years Margaret was considered too young to perform any official duties and instead continued her education, being nine years old when the war broke out and turning 15 just after hostilities ended.
From the 1950s onwards, Margaret became one of the world's most celebrated socialites, famed for her glamorous lifestyle and reputed romances. Most famously she fell in love with Group Captain Peter Townsend as a young adult in the early 1950s. In 1952 her father died, her sister became queen and Townsend divorced his wife, Rosemary. He proposed to Margaret early the following year. Many in the government believed that he would be an unsuitable husband for the Queen's 22-year-old sister and the Church of England refused to countenance marriage to a divorced man. Margaret eventually abandoned her plans with Townsend and married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960; the Queen made him Earl of Snowdon. The couple had two children, David and Sarah, before divorcing in 1978. Margaret never remarried.
Margaret was a controversial member of the British royal family. Her divorce received much negative publicity and her private life was for many years the subject of intense speculation by media and royal-watchers. Her health gradually deteriorated in the final two decades of her life. She was a heavy smoker for most of her adult life and had a lung operation in 1985, a bout of pneumonia in 1993 and at least three strokes between 1998 and 2001. She died in London on 9 February 2002 after suffering a fourth and final stroke at the age of 71.