Rachel Evans
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. She was considered a controversial member of the British royal family, with her divorce and private life being the subject of media speculation for many years. Princess Margaret was a close friend of Derek Jennings, a senior civil servant who converted to Catholicism and later became a priest. According to Noel Botham's book, *Margaret: The Last Real Princess*, Jennings believed that Princess Margaret wanted to become a Catholic, but she did not convert out of loyalty to her sister, who is the head of the Church of England. Princess Margaret's relationship with Jennings was also depicted in season 4 of the TV series *The Crown*.
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What You'll Learn
Princess Margaret's close friendship with Derek Jennings, a Catholic priest
Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, was a close friend of Derek Jennings, a senior civil servant in the British Government's Department of the Environment. Jennings had converted to Catholicism and later became a priest.
Margaret was a High Church Anglican and a member of the most pro-Catholic faction of the Church of England. She was also extremely attracted to the Catholic religion. According to Noel Botham, the author of Margaret: The Last Real Princess, Jennings believed that Margaret wanted to convert to Catholicism. A church colleague of Jennings's told Botham:
> Derek believed that at some point, Princess Margaret would ask to be received into the Catholic Church.
In his book, Botham also described a dinner party in 1988 where Jennings brokered a meeting between Margaret and the Catholic Cardinal George Basil Hume. Per the Catholic Leader, Jennings said Margaret described the evening as "one of the most rewarding, fascinating and satisfying nights of her life".
Margaret's close friendship with Jennings is depicted in season 4 of The Crown. In the show, Margaret develops feelings for Jennings, and their relationship comes to a dramatic close when he tries to convince her to convert to Catholicism, and she refuses out of loyalty to her family. There's no evidence that Margaret and Jennings ever had such a falling out in real life. In fact, she was one of the last people to see him before he died in 1995.
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Margaret's consideration to convert to Catholicism
Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, was a controversial member of the British royal family. She was a heavy smoker and her health deteriorated in the last two decades of her life. She died in 2002, aged 71, after suffering her fourth stroke.
Princess Margaret was a High Church Anglican and a member of the most pro-Catholic faction of the Church of England. She was also a close friend of Derek Jennings, a senior civil servant in the British Government’s Department of the Environment who had converted to Catholicism from the Church of England and later became a priest. Jennings was convinced that Princess Margaret wanted to become a Catholic. Jennings was a good friend of Cardinal Basil Hume of Westminster and in 1988, he arranged a dinner party at his home in Chelsea, London, where Cardinal Hume and Princess Margaret met.
Margaret first became attracted to Catholicism when she began to tire of the high society party scene. In the 1960s, when she realized that her marriage was a mistake and her pride and confidence had been affected, the princess relied on the power of prayer to bring her safely through the darkest days. She became the focus of press attention for her high-profile love affairs, chiefly with Roddy Llewellyn, who was 17 years her junior.
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Her loyalty to her sister, Queen Elizabeth II, the head of the Church of England
Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, was known for her unique style and sense of fashion, which earned her the nickname "The Margaret Look". She was also a controversial member of the British royal family, with her divorce and private life attracting much negative publicity and media speculation.
Princess Margaret seriously considered converting to Catholicism, according to several sources, including the book "Margaret: The Last Real Princess" by Noel Botham. In the book, Botham claims that Princess Margaret did not convert out of a sense of loyalty to her sister, the Queen, who is the head of the Church of England. This loyalty to her sister and the potential consequences of a conversion are also depicted in the Netflix series "The Crown".
Princess Margaret's close friendship with Derek Jennings, a senior civil servant who later became a Catholic priest, is thought to have played a significant role in her attraction to Catholicism. Jennings himself believed that Margaret wanted to convert, and he was a good friend of Cardinal Basil Hume, with whom Margaret also had a connection.
Despite her interest in Catholicism, Princess Margaret remained a High Church Anglican and a member of the most pro-Catholic faction within the Church of England. This loyalty to the Church of England, and by extension to her sister, the Queen, may have been influenced by the scandal that rocked the royal family in 1936 when King Edward VIII abdicated so he could marry Wallis Simpson, an American woman with two ex-husbands, which was not accepted by the Church of England.
Princess Margaret's loyalty to her sister, Queen Elizabeth II, was evident in her decision to remain within the Church of England, even as she explored other faiths. This decision avoided any potential conflict or perceived snub to the Queen's position as the head of the Church.
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Margaret's divorce and high-profile love affairs
Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, was a controversial member of the British royal family. She was considered a "royal rebel" in terms of her fashion choices and lifestyle decisions. Her divorce from Antony Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon, and her high-profile love affairs, particularly with Roddy Llewellyn, were the subject of intense media scrutiny and public criticism.
Princess Margaret's marriage to Lord Snowdon became strained, with both parties engaging in extramarital affairs. In February 1976, the News of the World published a photograph of Margaret and Roddy Llewellyn in swimsuits on holiday in Mustique. The press portrayed Margaret as a predatory older woman and Llewellyn, who was 17 years her junior, as her toyboy lover. This scandalous image, along with their secret romance, is said to have contributed to the breakdown of her marriage.
In March 1976, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon publicly acknowledged their separation, and their divorce was finalised in July 1978. It was the first divorce of a senior member of the British royal family in several decades. The royal family had traditionally looked down on divorce, and Margaret's decision to end her marriage was met with negative publicity and political backlash. Some politicians suggested removing her from the civil list, and Labour MPs denounced her as "a royal parasite" and a "floosie".
Princess Margaret's divorce and subsequent relationship with Roddy Llewellyn continued to attract media attention and public scorn. Llewellyn's brother even sold photos of the couple together to pay off his debts. Eventually, their affair ended, and Llewellyn married another woman. Margaret did not remarry after her divorce from Lord Snowdon, and her private life remained the subject of speculation for many years.
Prior to her marriage to Lord Snowdon, Princess Margaret had been in a relationship with Group Captain Peter Townsend, a divorced war hero. She ended the relationship due to the royal family's taboo on marriage after divorce and her position as a member of the Church of England, which did not recognise the marriage of a divorced person with a living ex-husband as valid. Despite foreign media speculation, the British press did not initially report on their relationship, but it eventually became a scandal that threatened to tarnish the royal family's image.
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Her role as a fashion icon
Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, was a fashion icon. Her fashion choices earned her the nickname "The Margaret Look". She styled herself in contrast to her sister's prim and timeless style, instead adopting trendy mod accessories, such as brightly coloured headscarves and glamorous sunglasses. She was known for wearing floral-print dresses, bold-hued ballgowns, and luxurious fabrics, accessorizing with diamonds, pearls, and fur stoles.
Margaret had a close relationship with Christian Dior, wearing his designs throughout her life and becoming one of his most prominent customers. In 1950, Dior designed a cream gown for her 21st birthday, which has been cited as an iconic part of fashion history. British Vogue wrote that Margaret's style "hit her stride" in the mid-60s, where she was photographed alongside celebrities like The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, and Sophia Loren.
Margaret's fashion choices were often bold and glamorous. She was known for wearing a variety of hats, from a feathered blue hat during her royal tour of East Africa in 1956 to a bright yellow hat and dress during her 1955 tour of the Caribbean. She also had a penchant for fur, wearing a leopard fur coat at the Badminton Horse Trials in 1957 and a fur-trimmed coat while visiting Bristol in 1949.
Princess Margaret's wedding to Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960 was also a notable fashion moment. She wore a stunning dress designed by Christian Dior, and the couple's wedding was known as the "wedding of the century". Margaret's style continued to evolve throughout her life, and she remains an iconic figure in the world of fashion.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Princess Margaret did not convert to Catholicism.
Princess Margaret is said to have not converted out of a sense of loyalty to her sister, Queen Elizabeth II, who is the head of the Church of England.
Princess Margaret's close friend, Derek ''Dazzle' Jennings, a senior civil servant-turned-Catholic priest, tried to convert her. Jennings was convinced that Margaret wanted to become a Catholic.
Yes, Princess Margaret is said to have seriously considered converting to Catholicism.
