Page 38 - Peter Townsend News Today

Always does in a crisis. bury her head in the sand. she tries not to get involved, to leave it to her advisors. >> her advisors and the british government are still opposed to margaret marrying peter townsend. >> and even the prime minister said if you marry townsend you have got to abandon your royal status. >> people of the city were thrilled -- >> margaret will become playing mrs. peter townsend, somebody br brought up like she has, this is not a very alluring prospect. for three weeks they a...

Townsend, getting him out of the way. >> my father was asked to leave the country. the country he served as a fighter pilot in the second wo world war. >> prince margaret finds this incredibly hurtful. two years when you are 23, two years is a long time. the queen hopes she has diffused the scandal. but two years later townsend returns. >> excitement bubbles like champagne in london as group captain peter townsend returns from diplomatic duties in belgium to call on prince margaret. a climb am i...

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England. >> the church of england at this time does not recognize divorce. it means that the queen very conflicted. >> the royal court reacts very badly to the news of a romance between margaret and townsend. but a lot of ordinary people vessel sympathized with margaret and townsend and i do think that the senior courtiers were really rather out of step with the mood of the nation. >> so when the press does start talking about it, there is a great divide between those who think divorce is unacce...

This is an act of such intimacy that there is something going on between prince margaret and a royal servant, peter townsend. >> its a scandal. peter townsend is not only a royal servant, he is 16 years older than the princess and divorced with with two young children. >> there is a horror in the royal family. they regard divorce with a sort of almost superstitious dread. >> 17 years earlier, the queens uncle, edward viii abdicate today a marry an american divorcee. elizabeths father reluctantly...

Best to balance duty and family responsibilities and there were times when that was quite difficult. >> that delicate balance came to a head when her sister, princess margaret informed the queen of her intention to marry war hero peter townsend. >> princess margarets wish was controversial because he was divorced and given that church of england didnt in those days recognize remarriage of divorced people, that was a huge issue, really. >> as a royal in the line of succession under the age of 25,...

The royal family started to behave badly, then it could cut at the root of the peoples loyalty to the crown. >> so once that image of perfect family life becomes tarnished, can we justify all that taxpayers money? >> margarets fate lies in her sisters hands. the queen decided to asay im not saying no, that you cant marry him, but id like you to wait. >> on the advice of her courtiers, the queen agrees to banish the man her sister loves. >> the british embassy in brussels attracted a number of ca...

>> royal duty and consideration for her sisters position comes into her feelings very strongly. she wouldnt knowingly do anything that would damage the queen or damage the idea of the monarchy. >> prince margaret wavered, i think, one moment she thought, the next she thought she couldnt, you know? >> finally, on october the 31st, 1955, prince margaret issues a statement. >> we are interrupting programs for a special announcement. i would like it to be known that i have decided not to marry group...

Queen Elizabeth was head of state for more than 70 years, but behind the scenes she was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. 

They grew up as a unit, but sisters Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margarets destinies were to prove wildly different writes CRAIG BROWN.