Her sister may have gotten the crown, but she got the public's adoration
This rebel princess lived life on her own terms, so did she go out the same way
Princess Margaret's death on February 9, 2002, was announced by Queen Elizabeth II's press secretary
in a statement that noted she died at 6.30am and went peacefully in her sleep
She was 71 years old. Margaret was hospitalised at the King Edward VII Hospital at the time of her death
having been brought there a few hours earlier due to a stroke she had the previous day
The stroke then led to heart problems, the statement explained. The presence of Margaret's children, Lord Linley and Lady Sarah Chateau, at the time of her death
suggests that the family was aware of the seriousness of Margaret's health complications
While Queen Elizabeth was not present at the time of her sister's death, the statement revealed
The Queen was kept fully informed throughout the night. Princess Margaret had been in poor health for years leading up to her death
She'd had pneumonia in 1993, and a stroke in 1998 led to a slight speech impediment
The following year, she sustained severe burns on her feet in what the royal family's official website described as a bathroom accident
The incident left her severely injured and made walking difficult. She made a few public appearances after that, and, when she did, she was seen in a wheelchair
Margaret also reportedly experienced depression in the 1970s, with The Guardian saying that she sought psychiatric treatment for it
While there were reports that she had another bout with depression at the turn of the millennium
this was denied by official royal sources. According to royal biographer Andrew Morton, Margaret was offered little support for her mental health
He wrote in Elizabeth and Margaret, the intimate world of the Windsor sisters
Let's face it, Margaret had depression, and in the royal family, you are not allowed to be depressed
They lived in a world where illness was dealt with by going for a long walk, and mental illness was ignored
Four years before her death, while on vacation in Mustique, Margaret had a mild stroke
The Independent reported at the time that she was flown to Barbados for treatment
The outlet speculated that Margaret's chain-smoking, at one point in her life
she smoked as many as 60 cigarettes a day, could have contributed to the health scare
While the princess had given up smoking by the time of her first stroke she reportedly began smoking at the tender age of 15 She was also a heavy drinker for much of her life another risk factor for stroke
According to the official website of the royal family, Princess Margaret suffered two additional
strokes before her death, one in 2000 and another in 2001. While the death of a beloved member of
royal family is often marked by a large state funeral, Princess Margaret did not want such
fanfare when she was laid to rest. Instead, she requested to have a private funeral
which was only attended by her relatives and people who'd been close to her
An official period of royal mourning was declared on September 9th, the day of her death
and lasted until her funeral on September 15th, per the royal family's website
While Princess Margaret had a private funeral, a public memorial service was held for everyone else who wanted to mourn her death
Her friend, Lady Anne Glenconnor, told the Scotsman ahead of the service
I think she wanted her family and her friends at her funeral. Obviously, later on there will be a memorial service when her charities will be represented
but for her actual funeral, she wanted it to be as private as possible
And although the funeral was private, it was quite a large affair
There were nearly 500 people present at the service at Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel
a crowd that included family, friends, and members of Margaret's staff. In a strange twist of fate, Princess Margaret's funeral was held on the 50th anniversary of her
father, King George VI's own burial. The memorial service was held at noon on April 19, 2002
at Westminster Abbey. The programme for the event reveals that Princess Margaret had a hand in
planning it. The program, which also reveals that she handpicked the choirs that sang at the service
reads, The service is set around the Requiem by Gabrielle Foray, in accordance with the wishes
of Her Royal Highness the Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. Among the select list of
mourners invited to attend Princess Margaret's private funeral were her ex-husband, Anthony
Armstrong Jones, Earl of Snowdon, and even her ex-boyfriend, Roddy Llewellyn. Llewellyn was a
subject of fascination to the press during his relationship with the princess, much to the
consternation of the royal family. According to the BBC, the two met in 1973 while she was still
married to the Earl Once the news of her affair broke a scandal erupted and her marriage ended Is your relationship with Princess Margaret finished or is it intact I never talk about my private life to compare it to strangers only to my best friends
Princess Margaret became the first member of the royal family to divorce in hundreds of years
the last royal to do so being King Henry VIII, who infamously created the Church of England in
the 16th century in order to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, to marry Anne Boleyn
Adding to the scandal was the fact that Llewellyn was in his 20s when the couple became involved
17 years younger than Margaret herself. The relationship lasted eight years, until Llewellyn broke up with the princess to marry someone else. Margaret remained on good
terms with Llewellyn and his bride. Margaret's friend, Lady Anne Glenconnor, said in the
documentary Elizabeth, Our Queen, that Queen Elizabeth approached her after Margaret's funeral
to thank her for introducing the couple. She recalled the Queen saying
I'd just like to say, Anne, it was rather difficult at moments, but he made her really happy
The British royal family is known for keeping a stiff upper lip, no matter how tough things get
Princess Margaret and her sister were quite close, though, and her death devastated the monarch
She expressed her heartbreak stoically in the public announcement of Margaret's death
which mentioned her great sadness. But her actions at the private funeral held for Princess Margaret
showed just how distraught she really was over losing her sister. Princess Margaret's friend
Princess Josephine Lowenstein, said in Elizabeth, Our Queen, that Margaret told her she'd only seen
Elizabeth cry once in their entire lives. Tears were rare for the Queen, but she lost her composure
at Margaret's funeral, crying in front of everyone. Ronaldo Heria, a friend of the royal family, wrote in Vanity Fair
I think it was the only time anyone ever saw the Queen show her emotions in public
Never explaining anything to the world, what she feels, or why she does what she does
is part of her greatness. But for a few minutes that day, as she stood by the steps of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle
watching her sister's coughing being borne away, her eyes betrayed her. In another break with royal tradition, Princess Margaret asked to be cremated rather than buried
While there is no official ban on royal cremation, the Scotsman reported at the time
that it was believed no member of the royal family had been cremated in decades since Queen Victoria daughter Princess Louise Duchess of Argyle died in 1939 Lady Anne Glenconner said that Margaret did not
want to be buried at the royal burial ground at Frogmore, explaining that she found Frogmore
very gloomy. Instead, Margaret's ashes were laid to rest at the royal crypt at St George's Chapel
the final resting place of her father, King George VI. Glen Connor explained
I think she'd like to be with the late king, which she will now be. Because she wanted to be buried between her parents
There was only room, really, for ashes. Princess Margaret championed many causes throughout her life
with the royal family's website citing her involvement in more than 80 organisations
Some of her favorites were highlighted after her death via a memorial website
with the family asking mourners wishing to honor the princess to make donations on her behalf
Mourners wanting to offer their condolences were also asked to email them in
Those wishing to pay their respects in person were invited to write in the condolence books set up at St. James's Palace
One mourner signed the condolence book and told the press, Princess Margaret was symbolic of correctness, strength of character, and she had a mind of her own, but great respect for Her Majesty the Queen and the royal institution. She was a trooper
Princess Margaret's death was already a huge blow to the royal family
but her death was soon followed by another loss for the royals
Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth II's mother, also named Elizabeth, died the following month on March 30, 2002
Buckingham Palace said in a statement, The Queen, with the greatest sadness, has asked for the following announcement to be made immediately
Her beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth, died peacefully in her sleep this afternoon at Royal Lodge, Windsor
Members of the royal family have been informed. She was 101 years old and had been ill for some time, having had a chest infection in December
but was still adamant about attending Princess Margaret's funeral. The Queen Mother was a wheelchair and when the coffin went by, she tried to stand up
be standing when Princess Margaret's coffin went. The back-to-back tragedies marked a difficult time for the royal family
especially as Princess Margaret's memorial service was held just 10 days after her mother was laid to rest