Princess Margaret felt “deep grief” on her deathbed after being prevented from marrying Peter Townsend, the former Archbishop of Canterbury claims in a new documentary.
George Carey, who was Archbishop between 1996 and 2002, will appear in the first episode of the five-part documentary The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor, which is due to air on ITVX next Thursday.
During the programme, he explained how he visited Princess Margaret on her deathbed in 2002, saying: ‘She was heartbroken. There were moments when I expressed such sadness.
“Here is a woman who longs for love and commitment, and she was forbidden to love her love, and that was a deep human grief.”
The story of the princess’s passionate, but ultimately doomed, affair with her father’s knight, Battle of Britain flight captain Peter Townsend – a married man with children – is one of the most famous episodes of the late Queen’s reign.
Princess Margaret felt ‘deep grief’ on her deathbed after being prevented from marrying Peter Townsend, the former Archbishop of Canterbury claims in a new documentary (pictured, Princess Margaret with Peter and the Queen Mother in the foreground)
The story of the princess’s passionate, but ultimately doomed, affair with her father’s knight, Battle of Britain flight captain Peter Townsend – a married man with children – is one of the most famous episodes of the late Queen’s reign.
Speaking of visiting Margaret at her bedside, George explained: ‘I spoke quietly to her and said a prayer, and he anointed her with oil and she died soon afterwards.
“It was a pretty moving occasion.”
After explaining that he believed the princess died of “deep sadness” over her relationship with Peter, he added, “We have to learn lessons from that.”
Margaret’s dashing but divorced horse was described by Time magazine as ‘the most controversial romance since Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson’.
At the Queen’s coronation, on June 2, 1953, Princess Margaret, then 22, inadvertently confirmed her affair with the former RAF Commander in the Battle of Britain, who was the equal of her late father, King George VI.
At a party after the ceremony, she was seen brushing a bit of fluff out of Townsend’s jacket – an intimate gesture that raised eyebrows.
Their desire to marry caused an uproar – as was recently portrayed on screen in The Crown – drawing in the Palace, the Church of England, public opinion and Sir Anthony Eden’s government, which threatened to strip the princess’s royal prerogatives if she insisted on a union.
In addressing the potential repercussions of the affair, the Queen was faced with the unenviable decision of compromising her position as Head of the Church of England, which did not sanctify divorce, or denying her sister’s future happiness.
She was still very new to the job and was asked to choose between duty and family, royal expert Penny Junor said in a Channel 4 documentary in 2021.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury said he believed the Princess died with ‘deep sadness’ over her relationship with Peter (pictured, Margaret in 2001)
Unable to agree to the marriage, the Queen faltered.
“She could see there was a loophole,” Junor added. When Margaret reached the age of 25, she no longer needed the Queen’s permission to marry. So I guess she urged her sister to wait.
Meanwhile, Townsend was sent to Brussels.
Two years later, with Margaret’s 25th birthday approaching, decision time came and the couple needed permission from the government if the marriage was to last.
According to the documents, the Prime Minister struck a deal whereby Margaret could keep her title and civil list allowance but lose her position in the line of succession.
Some questioned whether this settlement was sufficient for Margaret. He certainly didn’t convince her that she wanted to marry him.
On 31 October 1955, after reuniting with her fiancé amidst a press frenzy, Margaret announced: ‘I have decided not to marry group leader Peter Townsend.
“Knowing the Church’s teaching that Christian marriage is indissoluble, and mindful of my duty to the Commonwealth, I have resolved to put these considerations before any others.”
When Princess Margaret announced her decision to break off her engagement to group captain Peter Townsend, it was widely believed that the Queen persuaded her to put duty before love (above, Townsend with Margaret in 1947, before their romance blossomed)
Margaret married Tony Armstrong-Jones, and had affairs with other men, including author and pianist Robin Douglas-Home — nephew of Tory Sir Alec — whose suicide at the age of 36 is believed by some to have been linked to her dumping him for actor Peter Sellers — and garden designer Roddy Llewellyn.
How Princess Margaret’s life would have ended had she married Townsend we can never know. On his part, he was happily married to Mary Luce until his death in 1995.
She died in February 2002, with a statement from the palace stating: “The Queen, with great sadness, has requested the following announcement immediately.”
“Her beloved sister, Princess Margaret, died peacefully in her sleep this morning at 6.30 am in King Edward VII Hospital.”
The statement continued: Her sons, Lord Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto, were at her side.
Princess Margaret suffered another stroke yesterday afternoon. She developed heart problems during the night and was taken from Kensington Palace to King Edward VII’s Hospital at 2.30am.
Lord Linley and Lady Sarah were with her and the Queen was fully briefed throughout the night.
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and other members of the royal family have been informed.
