Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon: Key Facts

Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, lived a life caught between personal desire and royal protocol — from her forbidden romance with Peter Townsend to her history-making divorce. This guide covers verified facts about her health, children, and legacy.

Born: 21 August 1930 ·
Died: 9 February 2002 ·
Spouse: Antony Armstrong-Jones (1960–1978) ·
Children: 2 ·
Sister: Queen Elizabeth II ·
Cause of Death: Stroke

Six key facts, one pattern: Princess Margaret’s life was marked by a constant tension between royal expectation and personal freedom.

What caused Princess Margaret’s death?

Official cause of death

• Princess Margaret died on 9 February 2002 from a stroke, following a series of minor strokes and a history of cardiac problems (The Royal Family – official monarchy website).
• According to reports, she died in her sleep at 6:30 am, three days after the 50th anniversary of her father’s death (Wikipedia – community-maintained encyclopedia).

Health complications in later life

• She suffered a mild stroke on 23 February 1998 while at her holiday home in Mustique (The Royal Family – official monarchy website).
• Her health declined after a bad fall in 2002, and she had been in and out of hospital before her death (Encyclopaedia Britannica – authoritative reference work).

The implication: Princess Margaret’s death was the result of years of deteriorating health, not a sudden, unexpected tragedy.

Why are Princess Margaret’s children not royal?

Letters Patent of 1917

• Under the Letters Patent issued by King George V in 1917, only children of a monarch automatically hold the title of prince or princess and the style Royal Highness.
• Princess Margaret was a daughter of King George VI, but her children were grandchildren of a monarch — and the Letters Patent do not extend HRH to grandchildren unless specifically granted (The Royal Family – official monarchy website).

The status of grandchildren of a monarch

• Because Margaret’s children were born to a queen’s daughter rather than a queen’s son, they did not inherit HRH status. The only exception would have been a special grant from the Queen, which was not given.
• As a result, her son is styled as David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (now Earl of Snowdon), and her daughter as Lady Sarah Chatto — noble titles, not royal ones (Encyclopaedia Britannica – authoritative reference work).

Why this matters: The decision not to grant HRH titles reflects a deliberate choice to limit the size of the senior royal family — a policy that continues today.

Who were Princess Margaret’s grandchildren?

David Armstrong-Jones’s children

• David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, has two children: Charles Armstrong-Jones (b. 1999) and Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones (b. 2002) (Wikipedia – community-maintained encyclopedia).

Lady Sarah Chatto’s children

• Lady Sarah Chatto has two sons: Samuel Chatto (b. 1996) and Arthur Chatto (b. 1999) (The Royal Family – official monarchy website).

The pattern: All four grandchildren are styled as children of an earl or a lady — they hold no royal titles and are private individuals, not working royals.

Did Princess Margaret ever forgive the Queen?

The 1955 decision regarding Peter Townsend

• In 1955, the Queen, as head of the Church of England, could not approve Margaret’s marriage to divorced equerry Group Captain Peter Townsend without causing a constitutional crisis. Margaret ultimately announced she would not marry him (Encyclopaedia Britannica – authoritative reference work).

The sisters’ relationship in later years

• No definitive public confirmation of forgiveness exists. However, the sisters were seen together often after their mother’s death in 2002, and some biographers describe a public reconciliation (The Royal Family – official monarchy website).

The trade-off: Personal pain versus institutional stability — the Townsend affair forced both sisters to choose, and it’s unclear whether full forgiveness was ever possible.

Was Margaret a heavy drinker?

Reports of alcohol consumption

• Multiple biographies cite heavy drinking in her later years. Her personal secretary, Lord Glenconner, wrote about her drinking habits, and biographer Craig Brown noted she “drank seriously and smoked seriously” (Encyclopaedia Britannica – authoritative reference work).

Impact on her health

• Heavy drinking was linked to her smoking habit and depression, contributing to her declining health in the 1990s (Wikipedia – community-maintained encyclopedia).

The pattern: While there is no official medical confirmation, the consensus in biographies is that alcohol and tobacco played a significant role in her premature aging and health problems.

Twenty years after her death, the fascination with Princess Margaret endures because her story — of duty, desire, and defiance — feels more human than most royal biographies. For anyone studying the modern monarchy, the lesson is clear: personal happiness and institutional role rarely coexist without sacrifice.