Princess Margaret

‘I Have Always Had A Dread Of Becoming A Passenger In Life’

- Michelle Davies

She was the Queen’s dazzling sister who modernised the royal family and paved the way for Meghan Markle to become a Windsor wife

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been able to draw on a rich history of royal weddings as they put final plans in place for their marriage on 19 May. Palace protocol demands that some elements are set in stone – the bride’s bouquet always contains a sprig of myrtle plucked from a bush planted by Queen Victoria – but others can be tweaked to a couple’s personal wishes, such as Prince William and Kate Middleton eschewing the tradition of having the wedding breakfast end at 4pm in favour of an evening reception. However, there is one wedding in particular Harry and Meghan will have paid attention to, for not only did it signal the modernisation of the royal family but also the relationship it cemented had intriguingly similar parallels to their own.

On 6 May 1960, the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret became the first royal in 400 years to marry a commoner – in the first-ever televised royal wedding. Her groom, Antony Armstrong-Jones, like Meghan, made his living in entertainment, albeit taking photographs of actors rather than being one. In fact, Princess Margaret was the Prince Harry of her day. As with Harry, she was the sibling to the crown who was adored by the public but who struggled at times to find purpose. And, as viewers of the addictive Netflix series The Crown have discovered, she also shared her great-nephew’s rebellious streak that often put her at odds with the monarchy. ‘[She was] the most exciting, glamorous person in the royal family without a doubt,’ said her close friend, socialite Josephine Loewenstein. ‘A dazzling person.’