Princess Margaret, who died at the age of 70, was famously forbidden from marrying her lover Peter Townsend in the Fifties.
The doomed romance between Margaret and Peter was fictionalised in Netflix’s The Crown series 2.
Last month, Vanessa Kirby, who plays Princess Margaret in the series, suggested Margaret set the precedent for Prince Harry to marry Meghan Markle.
Meghan is a divorcee, having divorced her first husband Trevor Engelson in 2011.
Asked by Marie Claire if Princess Margaret paved the way for Meghan and Harry, Vanessa said: “It’s interesting, isn’t it. I can’t help but think that she did.
“Margaret knew when she got involved with Peter Townsend that her family wouldn’t approve, and yet she wasn’t going to give up.
“I think she was trying to modernise the royal family from the inside and make it better for people later on.”
So how did Margaret meet Peter Townsend? He served as Equerry to Princess Margaret’s father, King George VI. He later served as Equerry to Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret’s sister.
Peter proposed to Margaret in 1953. He was a divorcee, after splitting from his first wife, Rosemary Pawle, in 1952.
However, their marriage was not to be. Margaret was originally told by Queen Elizabeth II she had to wait a year to marry Peter.
However, after a year had passed, Margaret was ultimately forbidden from marrying Peter by the Church of England, unless she gave up her right to the throne.
In 1955, Margaret issued a statement to say she would not be marrying Peter.
It read: “I would like it to be known that I have decided not to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend. I have been aware that, subject to my renouncing my rights of succession, it might have been possible for me to contract a civil marriage.
“But mindful of the Church’s teachings that Christian marriage is indissoluble, and conscious of my duty to the Commonwealth, I have resolved to put these considerations before others.
“I have reached this decision entirely alone, and in doing so I have been strengthened by the unfailing support and devotion of Group Captain Townsend.”
So why did Queen agree to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding but NOT Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend? The answer is that an important rule change happened in the mean time, which revised the Church of England’s stance on divorce.
As the head of the Church of England, the Queen must follow its teachings. This is believed to be why she did not allow Princess Margaret to marry in 1953, a time when the Church forbid divorce.
Princess Margaret called off her engagement two years later in 1955, stating “the Church’s teachings that Christian marriage is indissoluble” as her reasoning. But, in 2002, this all changed. The rule change came as part of the General Synod of 2002, which modernised the Church laws.
It stated: “The Church of England teaches that marriage is for life. It also recognises that some marriages sadly do fail and, if this should happen, it seeks to be available for all involved.
“The Church accepts that, in exceptional circumstances, a divorced person may marry again in church during the lifetime of a former spouse.”