| This article is about a British royal. For other uses, see Margaret. |
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- "When she's Queen Elizabeth she'll have the same sorts of worries that Papa has. She'll have to read all those papers that come in red boxes every day. She'll have to have meetings with the prime minister. And she'll worry about our people all the time, like Mummy and Papa do. I don't think it's much fun ruling a country. I'd rather stay just a princess."
- —Princess Margaret[3]
Princess Margaret Rose (21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the only sister of Elizabeth II. She was the second daughter of her parents, George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Fun-loving Margaret was often considered the opposite of her responsible sister, Elizabeth. Nevertheless, during World War II, Margaret learned how to be more appreciative and empathetic.
Biography[]
Early life[]
On 21 August 1930,[2] Margaret was born to George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. She had an older sister named Elizabeth. Her family lived at Piccadilly, before her father became King of the United Kingdom and they moved into Buckingham Palace.[4] Margaret was a descendant of Queen Victoria and had many distant relatives through her.[5]
World War II[]
In June 1939, shortly after starting her diary, Margaret and Elizabeth went to greet their parents in Southampton. They had been away on an overseas tour. The family went to London, before leaving for Dartmouth. There Margaret and Elizabeth met Prince Philip, a nephew of their cousin Louis Mountbatten. Margaret quickly noticed Elizabeth's crush on the young cadet, which she teased her frequently about. By August, the family was in Scotland but Margaret's father left early. Shortly later, she learned that England was at war with Germany. Margaret's mother soon left to be by her husband's side. In December, the sisters left Scotland for Norfolk to spend the Christmas holidays.
Following New Years', the sisters were moved to Windsor. It was later suggested for them to be evacuated to Canada, but their mother refused outright. The war continued raging and the girls did small things to help, such as auctioning off their dolls. In May 1941, Philip was able to visit England for the first time since the start of the war. The girls returned to Scotland that summer. America joined the war in December. Philip also came to see their Christmas pantomime. In early 1942, Margaret and Elizabeth rejoined the Girl Guides. The girls learned in August about the death of their uncle George in a crash.
In 1943, Margaret began to feel left out as her sister was older and getting to do more important things. She also became Elizabeth's confidante as her crush on Philip grew more serious. England and its allies began winning the war in 1944. The year was also punctuated by deaths in the family, including the sisters' grandfather. Victory in Europe was declared in May 1945, though the war did not end officially until August. The following year, Elizabeth and Philip were engaged. Margaret's and Elizabeth's parents were hesitant to announce the engagement, pushing it off. The family went on tour in South Africa in early 1947. After returning home, Margaret spoke to her father who finally gave in the engagement.
Personality and traits[]
Margaret was characterized as being the exact opposite of Elizabeth, who generally acted proper. In contrast, Margaret was prone to doing the wrong thing, such as laughing at improper times or flubbing her manners. She was very fun-loving and enjoyed activities like singing, dancing, and acting. She wished to have singing lessons, but father said no. At times, Margaret forgot how priveleged her life was, which Elizabeth often reminded her of. She sometimes felt envy for other children for having more freedom to do regular things. As Elizabeth got older, Margaret wished that she was able to do the same things she was doing.
Family tree[]
| ♛George V (1865-1936) | Mary of Teck (1867-1953) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♛George VI (1895-1952) | Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002) | Mary, Princess Royal (1897-1965) | Prince Henry (1900-1974) | Prince George (1902-1942) | Princess Marina (1906-1968) | Two others | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prince Philip (1921-2021) | ♛Elizabeth II (1926-2022) | Princess Margaret (1930-2002) | George Lascelles | Prince Edward (b. 1935) | Princess Alexandra (b. 1936) | Prince Michael (b. 1942) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♛Charles III (b. 1948) | Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950) | Two others | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Key:
♛ - King or Queen of the United Kingdom - Notes:
- For brevity's sake, only people mentioned in Wartime Princess are included on this tree.
Behind the scenes[]
- Margaret is the main character of Wartime Princess by Valerie Wilding.
- Elizabeth's likeness and name is used on the cover of both editions of Wartime Princess instead of Margaret's. Additionally, Margaret's later life is not mentioned in the "Afterword."
- In Journey to Tangiwai, Margaret is mentioned by the protagonist. He talks briefly about her "scandal" with Peter Townsend, whom she could not marry because he had been married once before.
Appearances[]
- In chronological order:
- Wartime Princess
- Journey to Tangiwai (Mentioned only)
References[]
- ↑ Wartime Princess, Valerie Wilding, page 1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Margaret celebrates her birthday several times in Wartime Princess, though the exact day is never revealed; her birth and death dates are included here because it can be considered public knowledge.
- ↑ Wartime Princess, Valerie Wilding, pages 45-46
- ↑ Wartime Princess, Valerie Wilding, page 5
- ↑ Wartime Princess, Valerie Wilding, page 11
See also[]
Further reading[]
- Princess Margaret at The Royal Family
- Princess Margaret at Britannica
Princess Margaret on Wikipedia