

She expected her husband to be with her more, but one of Tony's strongest motivations was work. He had parents who split, while her parents' and sister's marriage were very happy.

They weren't revenge affairs, she just wanted to feel desired." The author also said, "Margaret's template of marriage was quite different from Tony's. "She had some too, but never as long as his. "The flings used to upset her a lot," de Courcy told Town & Country. The couple arriving at Fishmonger’s hall in 1966. In a way he introduced me to a new world." Margaret had canceled her wedding to Townsend in 1955 amidst disapproval from her family and the prospect of relinquishing her rights to succession. Why did I? Because he asked me! Really, though, he was such a nice person in those days. According to the BBC, Margaret later told parliament member Jonathan Aitken, "I received a letter from Peter in the morning and that evening I decided to marry Tony." She added, "I didn't really want to marry at all. The BBC reports that the Armstrong-Jones had actually proposed to Margaret in October 1959-the same day her former fiancé, Captain Peter Townsend, informed the princess he was getting remarried. According to de Courcy, " was Tony's first real love." Armstrong-Jones was also dating model Gina Ward when his engagement was announced, BBC History Extra reports.ġ960: After a quiet courtship, Armstrong-Jones and Margaret announced their engagement in February 1960, six days after the birth of Prince Andrew, in order to not upstage the Queen, per the Express. He had multiple dalliances while still courting Margaret, most notably with Jacqueline Chan (played by Alice Hewkin on The Crown ).

They didn't think of Tony who was often in the background."Īrmstrong-Jones was reportedly unfaithful even before their marriage. The press focused more on the ones who were seen to be eligible. Getty Imagesĭe Courcy told Town & Country, "Nobody knew about their relationship, there wasn't a whisper about it," adding, "She would see him in secret at his studio and yes, he would join her at parties, but no one could pinpoint which man she was interested in. Margaret and Armstrong-Jones at the London Opera House in 1960.
