What Princess Margaret’s Lover Lost After Queen Elizabeth’s Decision Forced Their Separation

Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend didn’t have a happy ending due to Queen Elizabeth II.

Princess Margaret and Townsend wanted to get married, but the monarch opposed the idea. Her Majesty warned her sister that if she chooses to marry Townsend, she would lose the privilege of being a royal. She would no longer be a princess, reside at Kensington Palace and receive money from the civil list.

Princess Margaret was forced to choose her duty to the Commonwealth over her heart. Anne Edwards claimed in her book, “Royal Sisters: Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret,” that Townsend lost so much after their separation.

Princess Margaret’s lover was exiled and was told that he could not return to Great Britain or meet the Queen’s sister. It was difficult for Townsend who had been serving the country for years.

“The worse crime I was guilty of was to fall in love, and have my love returned. We sacrificed ourselves. Neither of us got a medal for that,” Townsend told Edwards.

“I did find happiness and I grabbed it - perhaps like I fought for my life and for the lives of others during the war,” he continued. “Margaret lost a true love. I lost not only that - but my great love for my country as well.”

According to Channel 5’s documentary “Scandals at the Palace,” Princess Margaret’s scandalous affair with the Group Captain aghast the palace because he had been divorced and the Queen could not give her consent to them to get married.

Princess Margaret and Townsend’s romance was leaked when the former made a public slip that led to a crisis. Royal historian and commentator Richard Fitzwilliams described Princess Margaret’s gesture as “unwise” PDA.

Princess Margaret ended up marrying Anthony Armstrong-Jones. However, their marriage didn’t work. Princess Margaret was the first royal to go through a divorce after 400 years since Henry VIII.