by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, 1960.

• Unofficial Royalty: Westminster Abbey in London, England
• YouTube: Royal Wedding – Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones

Princess Margaret’s Background

Princess Margaret was the second daughter of King George VI and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. She was born Princess Margaret Rose of York on August 21, 1930, at her mother’s ancestral home, Glamis Castle in Scotland. At the time of her birth, she was fourth in line of succession to the British throne.

Six years after she was born, her grandfather King George V passed away and her uncle became King Edward VIII. Only eleven months later, he abdicated and Margaret’s father became King George VI. The family moved from their modest home at 145 Piccadilly in London to Buckingham Palace. Here, Margaret was a Brownie with the 1st Buckingham Palace Brownie Pack, and later a Girl Guide and Sea Ranger. These organizations held a special place in Margaret’s heart, and she remained involved with them until her death.

Margaret, along with her sister Elizabeth, was educated privately by her governess Marion Crawford, who later wrote a book about the Princesses which resulted in Miss Crawford being banished from royal life. During World War II, Margaret and Elizabeth lived at Windsor Castle, deemed safer than being in London. It was suggested that the two be sent to Canada for the duration of the war, but their mother quickly dismissed that idea. Despite the war, the two girls managed to enjoy a relatively ‘normal’ life at Windsor.

Sadly, in February 1952, her father King George VI passed away, and her sister became Queen. Margaret and her mother soon moved into Clarence House, along with the new Comptroller of her mother’s household, Group Captain Peter Townsend. Townsend had been an equerry to King George VI, and later Deputy Master of the Household. He and Margaret began a relationship and quickly fell in love. In 1953, he proposed and Margaret accepted. However, there were many obstacles at the time. He was 16 years older than Margaret, and he was divorced with two children.

At the time, the Church of England would not sanction a marriage of a divorced person. The Queen, who was preparing for her Coronation and then Commonwealth tour, asked the couple to wait a year. Hoping to dissuade them, she also had Townsend transferred to her own household. For the next two years, the couple waited, hoping to be permitted to marry. But the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, advised the Queen that Parliament would not approve the marriage unless Margaret were to relinquish her rights to the throne and her royal position. Margaret finally gave in. On October 31, 1955, she issued a statement in which she announced that she would not be marrying Group Captain Townsend. She chose to put her royal role and duties ahead of her personal happiness.

• Unofficial Royalty: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

Antony Armstrong-Jones’ Background

Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, was the husband of Princess Margaret from 1960 until their divorce in 1978. On October 6, 1961, he was created Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley, just before the birth of his first child, David. A gifted artist and photographer, he remained close to the British Royal Family after the divorce.

He was born on March 7, 1930, to Ronald Armstrong-Jones, a barrister, and his first wife Anne Messel, later the wife of Michael Parsons, 6th Earl of Rosse, whom she had married in 1935. Antony had an older sister Susan, later the wife of John Vesey, 6th Viscount de Vesci, and three half-siblings from his parents’ other marriages. He was educated at Sandroyd School, in Wiltshire and Eton College, and then enrolled at Jesus College, Cambridge University where he studied architecture. Following university, Armstrong-Jones began working as a photographer, later becoming known for his portraits, including those of several members of the royal family.

• Unofficial Royalty: Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon

The Engagement

Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, the daughter of Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, was a childhood friend of Queen Elizabeth II and lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret from the late-1940s until Margaret’s death in 2002. In 1958, Lady Elizabeth introduced Margaret to Antony Armstrong-Jones (Tony) at a dinner party. A few months later, Tony was chosen to take some photographs of Margaret. Used to being treated with deference, Margaret had never met anyone like Tony. He treated her as he did all his other photograph subjects, making her change her clothes, jewelry, poses and regaling her with stories. Margaret decided that Tony had to become part of her circle. No one paid any attention to this newcomer to Margaret’s group of people even when Tony appeared at his first luncheon at Clarence House where Margaret lived with the Queen Mother.

Margaret and Tony began to meet each other, usually in the company of friends. By the summer of 1959, they were in love. In early October 1959, Tony stayed at Balmoral for the first time, but no significance was attached to his visit. It was assumed he was there as a photographer. The Queen Mother approved of Tony unlike some other members of the royal family. By Christmas, Margaret and Tony had decided to marry, but few knew. Friends provided their homes so the couple could stay away from the eyes of the media.

Queen Elizabeth II, who was pregnant with Prince Andrew, consented to the marriage but asked that the engagement announcement be delayed until after the birth of her child. Prince Andrew was born on February 19, 1960, and a week later, on February 26, 1960, the engagement of Princess Margaret to Antony Armstrong-Jones was announced from Clarence House: “It is with the greatest pleasure that Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother announces the betrothal of her beloved daughter The Princess Margaret to Mr. Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, son of Mr. R. O. L. Armstrong-Jones, Queen’s Counsel, and the Countess of Rosse, to which union The Queen has gladly given her consent.” The announcement took the press by surprise as Margaret had successfully hidden the romance from reporters.

Margaret’s engagement ring, a ruby surrounded by a marguerite of diamonds, had been designed by Tony to resemble a rose in honor of Margaret’s middle name.

Pre-Wedding Festivities

Two days before the wedding, on May 4, 1960, a ball was held at Buckingham Palace, hosted by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, in honor of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones. Guests included Prime Minister Harold Macmillian; Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury; foreign ambassadors; young officers of the three armed services, friends of the couple, and members of the British Royal Family.

The Wedding Attendants

Best Man

• Dr. Roger Gilliat, a neurologist, husband of Antony’s good friend writer Penelope Gilliat and the son of the Queen’s gynecologist Sir William Gilliat

Bridesmaids

• Princess Anne, age 9, the bride’s niece, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh
• Marilyn Wills, age 12, daughter of Major and The Honorable Mrs. John Wills (Mrs. Wills was born The Honorable Jean Elphinstone, a maternal first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret)
• Annabel Rhodes, age 8, daughter of Mr. and The Honorable Mrs. Denys Rhodes (Mrs. Rhodes was born The Honorable Margaret Elphinstone, a maternal first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret)
• Lady Virginia Fitzroy, age 6; daughter of Hugh FitzRoy, 11th Duke of Grafton and the Countess of Grafton (The Countess was born Anne Fortune Smith and was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II between 1953-66, and Mistress of the Robes since 1967)
• Sarah Lowther, age 6, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Lowther (Mrs. Lowther, born Jennifer Jane Bevan, served as a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret)
• Catherine Vesey, age 6, the groom’s niece, daughter of John Eustace Vesey, 6th Viscount de Vesci and Viscountess de Vesci (The Viscountess was born Susan Armstrong-Jones, sister of the groom)
• Lady Rose Nevill, age 9, daughter of John Nevill, 5th Marquess of Abergavenny and the Marchioness of Abergavenny (The Marchioness was born Mary Patricia Harrison, a friend and Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II)

The Wedding Attire

Princess Margaret’s wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell, the favorite designer of the royals, and was made from silk organza. The skirt had 30 meters/33 yards of fabric. Piping ran from the neckline to the hem marking the twelve panels of the three-layered skirt. The dress had no embroidery or other embellishments. The whole design was made to accommodate Margaret’s short stature. The wedding dress now belongs to the British Royal Collection and is part of a display of royal wedding dresses at Kensington Palace in London.

A satin-bound silk tulle veil was attached to the Poltimore Tiara, a diamond tiara created by Garrards in 1870 for Lady Poltimore, the wife of Augustus Bampfylde, 2nd Baron Poltimore. It was purchased in 1959 at auction by Princess Margaret from the 4th Baron Poltimore for £5,500. After Margaret’s death, much of her estate was auctioned by Christie’s to cover the inheritance tax. The Politmore Tiara was sold for £926,400 ($1,704,576).

The bridesmaids were dressed in copies of Princess Margaret’s first evening dress, a favorite of her father King George VI. The dresses were made with the same silk organza as the wedding dress, had short puffed sleeves, a Peter Pan collar tied with a blue ribbon bow, and had panels of eyelet embroidery slotted with blue ribbons.

Antony Armstrong-Jones wore a wedding morning coat, made by Denman & Goddard of Sackville Street, the tailors who had made suits for him since he was an Eton schoolboy.

The Wedding Ceremony

Princess Margaret married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, 1960. The ceremony was the first royal wedding to be broadcast on television and was watched by 300 million people worldwide. Princess Margaret arrived on time for the 11:30 AM ceremony after making the journey from Clarence House in the Glass Coach with her brother-in-law the Duke of Edinburgh. Carrying a bouquet of white orchids, she was escorted to the altar by the Duke of Edinburgh, where the groom and his best man Dr. Roger Gilliat were waiting. The traditional Church of England service was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, in which Margaret promised to obey her husband.

The ceremony was attended by 2,068 guests including the families of the bride and groom, diplomats from all over the world, Government and Commonwealth Ministers, foreign royalty, and other special guests. Some of the foreign royalty who attended included Princess Margaret’s godmother Queen Ingrid of Denmark, King Gustaf VI Adolf and Queen Louise of Sweden (maternal aunt of the Duke of Edinburgh), Prince Karl of Hesse (nephews of the Duke of Edinburgh), Prince Ludwig of Baden and Prince Maximillian of Baden (both nephews of the Duke of Edinburgh). Despite the public enthusiasm, some foreign royal families of Europe disapproved of a king’s daughter marrying a photographer and declined their wedding invitations.

The Wedding Reception

Tony led Margaret onto the Buckingham Palace balcony shortly after 1:00 PM.  Members of the Royal Family and the wedding party joined them and the cheering of the crowd grew louder and louder.

At the wedding breakfast for 120 guests, the band of the Grenadier Guards played Princess Margaret’s favorite songs from the musical Oklahoma!.  The Duke of Edinburgh made a short speech welcoming Tony as the newest member of the royal family, to which Tony replied before he and Margaret cut the wedding cake.

Standing five feet tall and weighing 150 pounds, the cake had three massive hexagonally paneled tiers. The sides of each tier bore Margaret’s coat of arms and the couple’s new monogram.

The Honeymoon

Embed from Getty Images 

After the reception, Margaret and Tony drove in an open-topped Rolls-Royce to Battle Bridge Pier where the royal yacht Britannia was waiting. As Princess Margaret stepped on board, her personal standard was raised and five minutes later Britannia set off down the Thames. Their destination was the Caribbean for six weeks where they visited islands including Trinidad, Antigua, and Mustique.

Both Margaret and Tony were acquainted with The Honorable Colin (the future 3rd Baron Glenconner) and Lady Anne Tennant. Tony had photographed their wedding four years earlier, Lady Anne, daughter of Thomas Coke, 5th Earl of Leicester, had been one of Queen Elizabeth II’s Maids of Honor at the coronation in 1953. Colin was a close friend of Margaret’s and had been one of her escorts before his marriage. When the Tennants heard that Margaret and Tony were planning to go to the Caribbean for their honeymoon, they suggested that they make Mustique one of their stops. Colin had bought the beautiful little island in 1957 for £45,000 ($126,000).

Mustique, a small private island, is one of the Grenadines, a chain of islands in the West Indies, and is part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. When Margaret and Tony arrived in Mustique, Colin Tennant gave Margaret her wedding gift, a 10-acre (40,000 m2) plot of land on Mustique, where she built a residence called Les Jolies Eaux. In 1979, Mustique was transformed from a family estate into a private limited company with the homeowners as shareholders. Margaret kept the home on Mustique until 1996 when she gave it to her son as a wedding present. He subsequently sold the property.

Afterward

 

The couple arrived back in the United Kingdom on June 18, 1960. They moved into No. 10 Kensington Palace, a detached 18th-century house on the north side of the palace, while their apartment No. 1A was being restored. They had two children David, now 2nd Earl of Snowdon (born 1961), and Lady Sarah (born 1964). On October 6, 1961, Tony was created Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley, just before the birth of his first child David.  David used his father’s second title Viscount Linley as a courtesy title until he succeeded to the earldom.

Margaret and Tony’s marriage was anything but calm and peaceful. The two very strong personalities, often at odds, led to volatile rows and many affairs for both of them.  The couple divorced in 1978. Tony married again, but Margaret did not.

Having suffered from ill-health for many years, Princess Margaret made her last public appearance at the 100th birthday celebration for her aunt, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester in December 2001. In a wheelchair for several years, she had suffered several strokes which left her a shell of her former self. On February 9, 2002, Margaret died after having suffered another stroke.

Despite no longer being married into the royal family, Tony had a close relationship with them. At Princess Margaret’s funeral in 2002, he was among the leading mourners, alongside the couple’s children, Queen Elizabeth II, and The Queen Mother, who died six weeks later. On January 13, 2017, Tony died peacefully at his home at the age of 86. His son David succeeded him as 2nd Earl of Snowdon. Tony’s former sister-in-law Queen Elizabeth II and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh along with their sons the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex and their grandson the Duke of Cambridge attended the memorial service for Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon on April 7, 2017, at the Church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey, on the grounds of Westminster Abbey.

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