Who was Peter Townsend and what was his cause of death?
He was described as Princess Margaret's biggest love but they never made it down the aisle
PETER Townsend began a relationship with Queen Elizabeth II’s younger sister Princess Margaret in the 1950s.
However, despite being described as “inseparable”, fate would dictate that the star-crossed lovers were never meant to be.
Who was Peter Townsend?
Peter Townsend was born on November 22, 1914, in Rangoon, Burma.
His father Lieutenant Colonel Edward Townsend was a senior representative of the Crown in a part of the British Empire.
As one of seven children, he was just a few months old when his mother Gladys brought him back to the family home in Devon.
From 1928 to 1932, Peter was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College, then an all-boys private school.
In 1930, he joined the Royal Air Force, before later being commissioned as a pilot officer five years later.
The next four years, he went on to fight for his country in World War Two and took part in the Battle of Britain.
He was made equerry to King George VI in 1944 – where he would eventually meet Princess Margaret.
The appointment was made permanent that same year, and he served until 1953 when he became Extra Equerry – an honorary office he held until his passing.
Who was Peter Townsend’s first wife and why did he divorce her?
When Peter returned to Britain from having served in the Indian Civil Service, and married Cecil Rosemary Pawle – known as Rosemary – in 1941.
However, their marriage soon ended after Peter found out his wife had an affair in 1952.
She remarried in 1953 to John de László, but that ended in 1977.
The following year she married John Pratt, 5th Marquess Camden, and they remained together until his death in 1983.
Rosemary died on February 27, 2004, aged 82.
Why did Peter Townsend and Princess Margaret never marry?
According to multiple reports, Peter first met Princess Margaret when she was 14 years old at Buckingham Palace.
He later recalled that she was “as unremarkable as one would expect of a 14 year old girl”.
However, their romance didn’t begin until eight years later when Margaret was 22.
Their relationship was kept a secret until the public picked up on their relationship during her sister, Queen Elizabeth II‘s Coronation Day in 1953.
Margaret was seen to flick a piece of fluff from his uniform while she was waiting outside Westminster Abbey.
That small gesture set rumours that their romance was true.
When Margaret was 25, the Queen had to consent to her sister’s marriage to a divorced man, but her role as Head of the Church of England made this difficult.
He was unable to marry Princess Margaret as he was previously divorced, as both the Church of England and Parliament suggested they were firmly against.
The government then decided that if the princess insisted on marrying Townsend, she would be stripped of all her royal privileges as well as her income.
Although it was an incredibly hard decision for her, on October 31, 1955, she made her final decision.
“I would like it to be known that I have decided not to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend,” she said.
“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 teaching that Christian marriage is indissoluble, and conscious of my duty to the Commonwealth, I have decided to put these considerations before any others.”
It was later revealed why the relationship with Margaret ultimately failed in Townsend’s memoir Time And Chance: “I simply hadn’t the weight, I knew it, to counterbalance all she would have lost.”
Who was Peter Townsend’s second wife?
Peter went on to marry another woman – 20-year-old Marie-Luce Jamagne in 1959.
It’s widely believed that the two crossed paths in Belgium after his separation from Princess Margaret.
Throughout their life together, the couple maintained a relatively low profile, choosing to stay away from the limelight.
They remained together until his death in 1995.
Did Princess Margaret ever see Peter Townsend again?
notes that the older ex-lovers did meet for one last time in 1992.
It said: “They met, for the first and last time since that momentous decision to put duty above love, for lunch at her apartment in Kensington Palace.
“Then aged 77, he looked, to the Princess, ‘exactly the same, except he had grey hair’.”
Who plays Peter Townsend in The Crown?
Peter was first played by Ben Miles in seasons one and two of the show.
Former James Bond star Timothy Dalton portrayed him in season five.
Who are Peter Townsend’s children?
Peter had two sons with his first wife Rosemary – Giles, who was born in 1942 and died in2015, and Hugo, born in 1945.
He went on to have two daughters and one son with his second wife Marie-Luce.
When did Peter Townsend die and what was his cause of death?
Peter died of stomach cancer on June 19, 1995, at the age of 80.
According to multiple sources, Queen Elizabeth II is said to have sent a message of condolence, but Margaret did not attend his funeral.