[citation needed], When news of the relationship appeared in the press, the government posted Townsend to a position as air attaché at the British Embassy in Brussels. It was his divorced status which eventually made it impossible for Margaret to marry him, as both the Church of England and parliament suggested they were firmly against the match. The romance began … 43 Squadron RAF. But there was another story to be told alongside the history of the monarch's reign. Lord Snowdon, in 1958, meeting with then-president Lyndon B. Johnson, Llewellyn and the Princess were allegedly together. The younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret became known for an independent streak, her reputation bolstered by a controversial relationship with royal equerry Peter Townsend. ...displayed outstanding powers of leadership and organisation, combined with great determination and skill in air combat. Because Townsend was divorced, Queen Elizabeth had to give her permission to make the union official, a move that would have put the Royals at odds with Winston Churchill and the Church of England. [4] On graduation, he joined No. Town & Country participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Princess Margaret, who died at the age of 71, was the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, and was once engaged to Peter Townsend. Townsend was born in Rangoon, Burma, to Lieutenant Colonel Edward Copleston Townsend[1] and his wife, Gladys (née Hatt-Cook). Pawle married, secondly, John de László (son of the painter Philip de László), and thirdly, in 1978, the 5th Marquess Camden. By May 1940, Townsend was one of the most capable squadron leaders of the Battle of Britain, serving throughout the battle as commanding officer of No. She decided to give him up, issuing a famous statement: “Mindful of the Church’s teaching that Christian marriage is indissoluble, and conscious of my duty to the Commonwealth, I have resolved to put these considerations before any others.”, After she died in 2002, TIME remarked that she “rebounded smartly” from the ordeal, going on to collect “a circle of posh friends — including the actor Peter Sellers, with whom she spent long evenings around the piano with a cigarette holder and cocktail shaker — and made a second home on the Caribbean island of Mustique. Townsend… For starters, his previous marriage put a He was commissioned a pilot officer on 27 July 1935. [3], Townsend joined the Royal Air Force in 1933 and trained at RAF Cranwell. With The couple’s marriage hit a rough patch after Townsend caught his wife having an affair. 6th October 1947: At Hillborough Castle, front row, from left to right: the Marchioness of Hamilton, His Excellency the Earl of Granville, (the Governor), Princess Margaret Rose (1930 - 2002), Her Excellency the Countess of Granville, and the Marquis of Hamilton. chose to end the engagement. The pair tied the knot two years later in a gorgeous ceremony inside Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth’s relationship changed dramatically. A Lesson From 1918, ‘You Bet Your Ass I've Got Regrets.’ As Election Day Nears, More of Trump’s Former Officials Are Speaking Out Against Him, Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know now on politics, health and more, © 2020 TIME USA, LLC.