A Royal Romance Shrouded in Complexity
The question of whether Princess Margaret loved the photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones is perhaps one of the most compelling and debated queries in modern royal history. Theirs was not a simple love story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Instead, it was a whirlwind of passion, rebellion, creative synergy, and ultimately, heartbreaking cruelty. To ask if she loved him is to oversimplify a bond that was at once magnetic and destructive. The most accurate answer, it seems, is that she loved the *idea* of him and the freedom he represented, a love that began with genuine passion but could not withstand the collision of their two vastly different worlds.
This article will delve deep into the layers of this iconic relationship, moving beyond the sensational headlines to analyze the psychological and social currents that first brought them together and later tore them apart. We will explore the context of their meeting, the nature of their initial attraction, the fractures that appeared in their marriage, and the strange, enduring connection that lasted long after their divorce.
A Princess on the Rebound: The Context for a Controversial Love
To understand why Princess Margaret was so drawn to Antony Armstrong-Jones, one must first understand the profound heartbreak that preceded him. Her ill-fated love for the divorced royal equerry, Group Captain Peter Townsend, had left her emotionally scarred and deeply disillusioned with the establishment she was born into.
The Shadow of Peter Townsend
Forced to choose between her royal status and the man she loved, Margaret ultimately yielded to pressure from the Crown, the government, and the Church of England. Her public statement in 1955, declaring her decision not to marry Townsend, was a moment of profound personal sacrifice. It left her feeling betrayed, isolated, and defiant. She had played by the rules and lost the one thing she truly wanted. This experience undoubtedly fostered in her a deep-seated resentment of the stuffy, tradition-bound world of the court and a yearning for something—or someone—radically different.
Enter Tony: A Breath of Unconventional Air
It was in this emotionally fragile state that Margaret met Antony Armstrong-Jones at a dinner party in 1958. He was everything the courtiers and aristocrats in her circle were not.
- A Commoner with Charisma: While well-connected, Tony was a “commoner” who had made his own name. He was a successful, sought-after photographer, living a bohemian life in a Rotherhithe studio that was a world away from the gilded corridors of Buckingham Palace.
- Witty and Disarming: Known for his immense charm, sharp wit, and irreverent attitude, he wasn’t intimidated by her royal status. In fact, he treated her with a refreshing lack of deference that she found intoxicating. He engaged with *Margaret*, the woman, not just “Her Royal Highness.”
- An Artistic Visionary: He saw her through his artist’s lens, capturing a vulnerability and sensuality that others missed. His famous 29th birthday portrait of her, with bare shoulders and an intimate gaze, was a testament to his ability to see beyond the royal facade.
For a princess desperate to escape her gilded cage, Tony was not just a man; he was a revolution. He represented modernity, creativity, and a thrilling escape from the suffocating expectations of her role. Their secret courtship, filled with clandestine meetings and rides on the back of his motorbike, was an act of rebellion that she relished.
Biographer Anne de Courcy notes that Armstrong-Jones’s appeal lay in his “unlikeness to anybody she had known before.” He was a portal to a vibrant, artistic London that was on the cusp of the “Swinging Sixties,” a world where she could be more herself than ever before.
Defining Their Love: Passion, Rebellion, or Something More?
In its initial stages, the relationship between Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones certainly bore all the hallmarks of a passionate love affair. The secrecy of their romance only intensified their connection. He would be smuggled into Clarence House, and they carved out a private world away from prying eyes. When Margaret announced their engagement in February 1960—pointedly, just after Peter Townsend announced his own—the world was stunned. A princess was marrying a photographer.
A Union Forged in Mutual Fascination
It seems their attraction was built on a foundation of mutual fascination and a shared disdain for convention. He was fascinated by her status and the challenge she presented, while she was captivated by his talent and his rejection of the establishment she longed to defy. This shared outsider-insider status created a powerful bond. He didn’t just offer her love; he offered her a new identity.
However, some historians and biographers suggest that Margaret’s motivations were complex. Was she truly in love, or was she rushing into a marriage to prove she could find happiness after Townsend? Was it a calculated act of defiance against her family and the system that had denied her? The truth, most likely, is a messy combination of all these things. She was undoubtedly infatuated with Tony, and in that intense infatuation, she likely believed she was deeply and truly in love. He offered her a future that seemed exhilaratingly different from the lonely one she faced.
The Cracks Appear: When a Bohemian Dream Meets Royal Reality
The fairy tale of the princess and the photographer began to unravel almost as soon as the ink was dry on their marriage certificate. Antony Armstrong-Jones was made the Earl of Snowdon, but he had no intention of becoming a passive royal consort. The very qualities that had attracted Margaret to him—his independence, his dedication to his work, and his rebellious spirit—were the same qualities that made him utterly unsuited for a life of royal duty.
A Clash of Worlds and Wills
The fundamental conflict in their marriage can be seen in their differing expectations. Margaret, while a rebel, was still a product of the monarchy. She expected her husband to be by her side, to support her in her duties, and to prioritize their life together. Lord Snowdon, however, saw his title as a convenience but his career as his identity. He hated being defined as “Princess Margaret’s husband” and frequently escaped the confines of Kensington Palace for the creative freedom of his studio or for long assignments abroad.
This clash is perfectly illustrated in the table below, showcasing their divergent lifestyles and desires.
Table: The Conflicting Worlds of Margaret and Snowdon
| Aspect of Life | Princess Margaret’s Expectation | Lord Snowdon’s Reality |
|---|---|---|
| Social Life | Formal royal engagements, aristocratic circles, and being the center of attention. | Bohemian parties with actors, writers, and artists; casual and often wild gatherings. |
| Professional Life | For her husband to be a supportive consort, with his work taking a secondary role. | To be a world-renowned photographer first and foremost; he deeply resented any suggestion that his success was due to his royal status. |
| Home Life | A traditional, impeccably staffed royal household at Apartment 1A, Kensington Palace. | A functional live-work space; he often retreated to his country house hideaway, Old House, to escape royal life. |
| Public Role | To perform royal duties together as a glamorous, modern couple representing the Crown. | To use his platform for his own projects, often focusing on social issues like disability, which he did with great passion. |
From Passion to Poison: The Weaponization of Cruelty
As their worlds failed to merge, the passion that had once defined their relationship curdled into a unique and horrifying form of psychological warfare. They knew each other’s deepest insecurities and used that knowledge with surgical precision. This period is what most defines the public memory of their marriage.
Lord Snowdon’s cruelty was often subtle and insidious. He would leave vicious notes for his wife, including one infamous list titled “Things I Hate About You,” which he reportedly hid in her books or glove compartment. At dinner parties, he would ask guests, “Have you met my wife?” and then, as she turned to greet them, he would mouth the word “fat” or “common” behind her back. His verbal barbs were designed to publicly humiliate her and undermine her royal confidence.
Princess Margaret, in turn, was no passive victim. She could be equally cutting, using her razor-sharp wit and royal hauteur to put him down. Their fights became legendary among their social circle, explosive rows filled with vitriol that would be followed by periods of icy silence. This toxic dynamic suggests that while romantic love may have died, it was replaced by a powerful, destructive codependency. They were locked in a battle of wills, each refusing to cede ground, their shared history fueling their mutual resentment.
The Lingering Connection: Did a Form of Love Endure?
Despite the public acrimony and frequent infidelities on both sides—Snowdon’s affairs were numerous, and Margaret famously began a relationship with the younger Roddy Llewellyn—the bond between them was curiously resilient. They were the parents of two children, David and Sarah, and their shared love for them often provided moments of truce and unity. Accounts from their children suggest that behind closed doors, they could still function as a family unit, a stark contrast to their public battles.
A Bond That Outlasted Marriage
Their divorce in 1978 was the first for a senior royal in over 400 years, a scandal that rocked the monarchy. Yet, remarkably, it did not sever their connection. In the years that followed, a strange, almost sibling-like friendship emerged. Lord Snowdon remained the official photographer for the Royal Family, frequently taking portraits of the Queen and other members. He and Margaret would speak on the phone, and he sometimes joined her for Sunday lunch with the children.
This enduring, albeit unconventional, relationship poses a fascinating question. Why did Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon stay connected? Perhaps it was because, for nearly two decades, they had been the most significant person in each other’s lives. They had shared a revolutionary moment in history, created a family, and understood each other’s complexities—and flaws—in a way no one else ever could. Theirs was a love that had transformed into something else entirely: a tangled, unbreakable, and deeply familiar bond that transcended both marriage and divorce.
Conclusion: A Love Story of Passion, Impossibility, and Lifelong Entanglement
So, did Princess Margaret love the photographer? The answer is a resounding, and complicated, yes and no. She was certainly in love at the beginning—in love with his charm, his talent, his world, and the idea of a life lived on her own terms. Their initial romance was a heady cocktail of genuine passion and defiant rebellion, and for a time, it made her radiantly happy.
However, the love she felt could not survive the fundamental incompatibility of their natures. She was a princess who, despite her rebellious streak, ultimately needed the structure and deference of royalty. He was a restless artist who would never be content as a mere consort. Their love story is a tragic testament to the fact that passion alone is not enough to sustain a marriage. The collision of the bohemian and the blue-blooded proved too great, and their affection twisted into resentment and cruelty.
Yet, the story doesn’t end there. The fact that they maintained a connection until her death in 2002 suggests that what they shared was more than a failed marriage. It was a life-defining entanglement, a bond forged in the fires of a unique and tumultuous period. She loved him, then she hated him, and in the end, she was simply, and irrevocably, connected to him. Theirs remains one of the most fascinating and human stories in the annals of the British monarchy—a cautionary tale about what happens when a fairy-tale romance meets the harsh light of reality.