Princess Margaret: A Life Unravelled

by Tim Heald

Elegant and sophisticated biography of Princess Margaret, the controversial sister of Queen Elizabeth II, the Princess Diana of her day

'A fascinating insight into the life of the party girl who became an icon in postwar Britain' DAILY EXPRESS

'She was a witty, intelligent, stimulating companion - happily Tim Heald captures all these qualities in his admirably well-balanced biography' LITERARY REVIEW

The almost universal conception is that the life of Princess Margaret (1930-2002) was a tragic failure, a history of unfulfilment.

Tim Heald's vivid and elegant biography portrays a woman who was beautiful and sexually alluring - even more so than Princess Diana, years later - and whose reputation for naughtiness co-existed with the glamour. The mythology is that Margaret's life was 'ruined' by her not being allowed to marry the one true love of her life - Group Captain Peter Townsend - and that therefore her marriage to Lord Snowdon and her well-attested relationships with Roddy Llewellyn and others were mere consolation prizes. Margaret's often exotic personal life in places like Mustique is a key part of her story.

The author has had extraordinary help from those closest to Princess Margaret, including her family (Lord Snowdon and her son, Lord Linley), as well as three of her private secretaries and many of her ladies in waiting. These individuals have not talked to any previous biographer. He has also had the Queen's permission to use the royal archives.

Heald asks why one of the most famous and loved little girls in the world, who became a juvenile wartime sweetheart, ended her life a sad wheelchair-bound figure, publicly reviled and ignored. This is a story of a life in which the private and the public seemed permanently in conflict. The biography is packed with good stories. Princess Margaret was never ignored; what she said and did has been remembered and recounted to Tim Heald.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Royalty, History, British Literature, Biography Memoir

326 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 5, 2007

About the author

Tim Heald (b. 1944) is a journalist and author of mysteries. Born in Dorchester, England, he studied modern history at Oxford before becoming a reporter and columnist for the Sunday Times. He began writing novels in the early 1970s, starting with Unbecoming Habits (1973), which introduced Simon Bognor, a defiantly lazy investigator for the British Board of Trade. Heald followed Bognor through nine more novels, including Murder at Moose Jaw (1981) and Business Unusual (1989) before taking a two-decade break from the series, which returned in 2011 with Death in the Opening Chapter.

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative but at times a bit too drawn out. Could definitely have done without half the footnotes and towards the end I stopped looking at them. Still an interesting read but not one I'd revisit.

[Lise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I'm watching (and loving!) The Crown so I picked up the audio version of this biography of PM from the library. The narrator has the most deliciously plummy voice (she says AWK shun for auction and ETT for ate and rhymes book with kook). Her voice is clear and melodious and she reads beautifully, without overwhelming the story. Margaret started out groovy and glamourous and ended sad, lonely and frumpy. There's probably nothing new here but the author did have access to people who knew PM well (her former husband, some people who worked with her and he met her a couple of times). In a nutshell, he concludes she was short, petulant, loyal, loved to drink and smoke, enjoyed sex, Peter Townsend maybe wasn't the big deal he was made out to be, her husband was a bit of a dick, but he never spilled the beans on their unhappy marriage.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment for me, primarily I think because the subject matter should have provided a rich and interesting tale. I leaned a lot about Princess Margaret's schedule and her trips and not a lot about HER. In fact, I found virtually nothing here that was new or fresh.

[Graceann]

I got as far as seeing that the author thought that Margaret's uncle was the king when she was born, read some other reviews, and determined that this wasn't the book for me.

[Kman999 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strong 3 ...
Didn't really work as the biography of a person - where much of the criticism and rounded character elements had to be put in the mouths of others and then effectively questionned ...
but gave an interesting view (whether intentional or not) of a weird world - tale end of empire without appearing to fully realise it.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book provides a large mount of information about notes and comments from other people about the princesses activities but not much insight into her life. I found this book boring and slow to read. Not sure I can finish it.

[Katie Priest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too PC. wanted more of the juicy gossip !!

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Princess Margaret – A Life Unravelled by Tim Heald as reviewed by Gail M. Murray

“Her Royal Highness the Princess Margaret Rose was the daughter of a king and the sister of a queen. She never forgot this and she never let anyone else forget it.”(p311) This formed the central focus of her life.
Born at Glamis Castle August 21, 1930 ( a Leo), Margaret was raised believing she was a major royal and enjoyed the privilege that came with it. This probably cost her love of her life.
Biographer Tim Heald, a journalist with the Sunday Times, has published several novels and books of non-fiction including a biography on Prince Philip. Here he attempts to give a balanced portrait of this complicated lady who rarely left people feeling neutral about her. Those closest to her acknowledge that she could be contrary and contradictory yet she inspired loyalty and devotion becoming close friends with many of her ladies in waiting. Even former lovers held her in high regard. Having access to papers in the Royal Archives in Windsor he spends a good deal of the book outlining her many public appearances and this can become rather tedious. He has interviewed her private secretaries and close friends so we glean something of the person behind the glamorous, cigarette smoking femme fatale. He deals with her life by decades and attempts to fit his findings into social and historical context.
After reading Robert Lacey’s The Crown – The Official Companion Vol. 1 I admit to being spoiled as Lacey’s account though rich in detail is a page turner. Heald ‘s book can be repetitive at times and requires wading through superfluous detail to get to the meat of the story. Margaret socialized with aristocrats and people in the arts. She was an avid reader especially of crime novels.He supplies full footnotes on all the many writers, artists and members’ of the peerage mentioned.
At 18 she was “beautiful, sexy, self-assured, a drop dead gorgeous personification of everything a princess was supposed to be.”(p.45) She came into her own on the Royal Family African Tour of 1947. Margaret proved a useful emissary continuing to dazzle into her sixties. Although diminutive in size her regal hauteur and blue eyes could charm or put you in your place. The “party princess” developed early on. In a family photo at Balmoral, she is already smoking at 15. Mind you her Grandmother Queen Mary and her father were chain smokers…still. At 19, she danced in West End night clubs till 5 A.M. At the American Ambassador’s ball a young Margaret and her lady friends danced a cancan exuding star quality. The Royal Ballet was a great passion of hers and Rudolph Nuryev was invited to Kensington Palace for dinners. She even made a visit to Canada to promote the Royal Ballet.
For me the most interesting chapters dealt with her love affair with handsome gentlemanly Captain Peter Townsend. Heald dedicates pages 264 through 267 to their romance. He suggests how different things would have been had King George VI lived a few years longer, that his premature death hastened their romance as they took solace in each other.
A religious woman, Margaret spent many mornings at prayer after losing her beloved Papa. He reminds us that in 1952, the monarchy was solemn and holy. Lascelles, Churchill, and the Queen met and agreed to send Peter abroad giving him the choice of Singapore, South Africa or Brussels. With two sons Giles (11) and Hugo (8) he chose to be close to England.
There was no consideration for either Peter or Margaret’s feelings it was all about maintaining the monarchy. In the end Theo Aronson surmised it was “a choice not between love and duty but between life as a princess and life as Mrs. Peter Townsend.”(p. 105). I have often wondered if she had chosen Townsend would he have kept her in check. Could she have lived a quiet yet artistic life? Could love conquer all or was it too much to ask? They naively made a pact never to marry anyone else. After they parted she lost her innocence.
I am encouraged after reading this book to search out Peter Townsend’s memoir Time and Chance published in 1978 in which he writes about their romance with tenderness. He had made a happy life in Belgium with a home La Mare aux Oiseaux just outside of Paris and became fluent in french. His wife Marie-Luce seemed a softer version of the brunette princess.
When Peter and Margaret met again one final time just before he died at 81,it was dinner with Penn Prue and friends .The two spoke quietly and intimately while the other guests pretended not to notice their private conversation. Later Margaret remarked he was how she remembered him only his hair had turned grey. Rather poignant.

[Jeaninne Escallier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I have read biographies of every other royal, from Queen Victoria to Princess Diana, and everyone in between, it was time to give Princess Margaret my undivided attention. I must admit, this one was a bit slow in the uptake, but once I became familiar with Tim Heald's perfectly pedantic, British upper-crust prose, I rather enjoyed the ride.

Basically, I came away from this read feeling like HRH Maragaret, sister to the Queen, was born too soon. If she had come up during William and Harry's time then maybe her life wouldn't have been as unfulfilled as the title suggests. It saddens me, as a reader, to learn that she wasn't allowed to marry her first love, Group Captain Peter Townsend, because of his divorce. Who knows? Maybe she wouldn't have succumbed to filling that void with alcohol and cigarettes, the demise of her fairly short life.

On the other hand, Princess Margaret was a complicated woman prone to fits and raves of hedonism and petulance, coupled with intelligence, wit and a wide-array of fabulous friends. I can't help but think that if she were raised in a more modern monarchy, she might have outshined Diana. Then there is the reality that all of us are living our destinies at the time they are meant to be. And, even though Margaret had a lot of strife and sadness in her life, I am comforted to know that she was adored by her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth I, her devoted sister, Queen Elizabeth II, and her greatest blessings, her children, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah. I mean, in the end, isn't that enough?

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 2007, before the current debacles surrounding Prince Harry and Prince Andrew, "A Life Unravelled" seems innocent and frothy. Margaret, too, was the "spare", and when she became usurped by her sister's progeny, there was nothing left for her to do, really. Heald documents the royal duties she undertook, the dalliances and social escapades she had, and how she dealt with her greatest disappointments. Full of gossipy name-dropping and society who's who, it's great fun to read. The aristocratic world is as foreign to me as an Asimov galaxy, and I enjoyed immersing myself in castle dinners, island hide-outs, and too-many-to-count ribbon cuttings. If you are fascinated by the quotidian lives of royals, this account provides an interesting comparison to the treatment currently being meted out to Harry and Andrew. Princess Margaret was a perfect "spare", dutiful, accepting, long-suffering, and supporting. Heald's research and detail are provided in colourful and delightful anecdotes.

[Whimsical · Rating 1 out of 5]

So very disappointed with the book. Although the author seemed to have
had access to good sources he did not convert the information gleaned into a readable book. It was frustrating having to wade through all the minutiae. Instead of analysis one got a critique of the culture back in day vs the culture of the time the book was written in 2007 . Furthermore one did not get a feel for his subject matter, the Princess, but a list of her engagements and way too much details behind planning of her engagements.

[Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like he focused on her professional “career”, and I have to say a Royal’s life isn’t half as interesting as you’d think. It really dragged at times. I did enjoy the small funny anecdotes in between, that illustrated what kind of person she was. A decent biography, but I guess the author can’t help it that her life wasn’t as exciting as I had hoped.
But it also wasn’t as bad as it sounds now... decent. Three stars. More than half. That’s it. Let’s just say, Margaret wouldn’t have been impressed by it. But it was good enough that I know what Margaret would think about it.

[Jordi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book when you want to have a superficial understanding of HRH’s life. It’s not really a coherent or clear picture we get from the princess, however. It sometimes felt as if I were reading a collection of tabloid and magazine articles put together in one chapter, instead of an analysis of the character as a whole.

I did enjoy the book in the end and it did give me some sympathy for Princess Margaret.

[Becky Galambos · Rating 2 out of 5]

A great choice if you need a source for an academic paper or an article, but very dry, over-footnoted, and with too many unnecessary large words for a biography. Very much "what she did, when she did it, and who she did (or didn't) do it with rather than any kinds of stories - I didn't learn much new about her of interest. I probably won't revisit this one to read, but I'll keep it on my shelf as a reference book.

[Jayne Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meticulously researched and fully referenced. Occasionally the book gave a real flavour of Princess Margaret; her passions and pastimes, constraints and privilege. But for the main, I felt as though I was ploughing through a text book and didn’t fully glean an understanding of her…but it seems those who were close to her didn’t either, or are guarding her privacy?

[Luna Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always found the royal family, this royal family in particular, to be interesting. Probably only because of all the drama and scandals, and whatnot. This drags out a little and the writing feels very sloppy. Not quite sure if I’ll reread this. Probably will since it’s royal family stuff.

[Arwen Bicknell · Rating 2 out of 5]

TONS of name-dropping and lots of fluff. Some amusing anecdotes, but not much about her actual work as a member of the family. Perhaps that’s because she didn’t do much, but I think it could have been more substantive than it was.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

#61 of 120 books pledged to read during 2020

[Caroline Bews · Rating 3 out of 5]

So keen to read this after watching the crown. Found it quite dull with very little insight. It was very much ‘he said, she said’.

[Linda Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt like I was reading a school report. Honestly this writing was not for me. I love when I read a biography and walk away feeling like I have a better understanding of the person but that was not the case with this one.

[Seth Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books is a fair treatment of Princess Margaret's life (from the perspective of an American who 'came of age' after her death), quite unlike the biography by Christopher Warwick. Unlike Warwick's biography, which reads like PR for the Princess, Heald neither tries to cover up her egregious character flaws nor does he perpetuate the rumors about her sordid personal life. "Princess Margaret: A Life Unraveled" certainly could have construed a narrative of her life rather than re-state facts about her life. The tedium would have likely caused me to put the down the book if I was not so interested about her later years.

Of all things missing in this book is a decent post-script about her legacy and the socio-historical context of Princess Margaret's life. The book was written 6 years after her death, so certainly some media pundit/social critic had had time to reflect on her life. This author could have distinguished the biography from other biographies of HRH by focusing on the apparent contrasts of Margaret's life. She was a genuinely religious person with debacherous habits, a saucy antidote to her staid sister Elizabeth, a person who insisted on being treated like royalty despite her own lack of royal decorum, and a person who disliked the status of minor royalty while her public role took a backseat to Prince Charles and his children.

In regards to the socio-historical context of HRH Margaret's life, the book occasionally highlights the intersections of historical time and place and Margaret's personal life. Heald could have done a better job of connecting the dots for the reader. While it is fair characterization of Margaret's many tragedies as 'a life unraveled', HRH Margaret's tragedies are compounded by the fact that her life is also a story a family unraveled, the conception of the monarchy unraveled, and even an empire unraveled.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ordered this book after binge watching The Crown on Netflix, because I was eager to learn more about Princess Margaret. I had never really learned anything about her, though I have several books on Queen Elizabeth II. I think Margaret had a really difficult time. She seemed far less diplomatic than her sister, but she seemed exuberant, and like she could really command the room. I was very interested in her relationships, because of the show, and I felt terrible for her after reading about her struggles there. I also felt terrible for her living in the shadow of her sister. I can't imagine what it would be like to be a royal, and also be the sibling of a monarch. I was very pleased with this book.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A interesting book that made me more informed on the life of HRH. She certainly lived a interesting life and while not gossipy, not very salacious either.
I would be curious to know how Margaret would have faired in the modern paparazzi world where there seems to be lesd of the regard for the monarchy as there was when she was in her young prime.
Sad to think as someone pointed out, "she who once was in the spotlight, ended life in the wings"
Vale HRH PM.

[Piper Winchester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Princess Margaret was a fascinating person.
I liked that each chapter was a decade.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit tabloidy sensational, but there don't seem to be any other rivals in this area.