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Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The one thing Princess Margaret got right - and the advice she gave the late Queen after three of her children got divorced
She was once described as an 'anti-Queen' with a string of royal scandals surrounding her chaotic personal life and affairs. But she also proved herself to be a fiercely loyal sister and an excellent mother, advising the late Queen when her children went through their own marriage struggles. Royal expert Ingrid Seward wrote in her book, My Mother and I, that the late Queen's younger sister, Princess Margaret, was 'wilful, contrary and an impossible mixture of tenderness, arrogance and self-entitlement'. Margaret, or Margo as she was known to family, was four years younger than the late Queen and was known to the media for her rebellious nature, glamorous lifestyle and passionate love life. The girls' father King George VI once said: 'Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy.' He was also known to spoil his youngest daughter. As Craig Brown puts it in his biography, Ma'am Darling, 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, it was as if the cigarette smoking, scandal-hit younger sister was 'determined to be a sort of anti-Queen'. Despite their contrasting personalities, Elizabeth was a protective older sister to 'Margo,' while Margaret affectionately called the Queen 'Lilibet'. Seward wrote: 'As a young woman she had always felt that the Queen was so good and perfect while she was very much the opposite, doomed to an unhappy marriage and a succession of unsuitable romances.' A patron of the arts, ballet in particular, Margaret was also known for staying out late, singing and dancing. Her whirlwind love life included an affair and secret engagement to Group Captain Peter Townsend, a marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones (later Lord Snowdon), and an affair with Roddy Llewellyn. Her marriage to Lord Snowdon, whom she had two children with, David and Sarah, ended with the first royal divorce since Henry VIII. Margaret once said: 'My children are not royal; they just happen to have the Queen for their aunt.' She attempted to shield them from the spotlight and wanted to give them as much of a normal life as she could. Margaret was a hands-on parent and was determined to be present in her children's lives. Seward wrote: 'Princess Margaret prided herself on being a good mother and it made her feel that at least she had managed to get something right. 'Unlike her sister, who put her husband before the children, Princess Margaret put her children first. The princess attempted to shield them from the spotlight and wanted to give them as much of a normal life as she could. Margaret is photographed with her two children 'For all her personal problems and temperamental behaviour, she was a natural mother. 'Even though she had a wonderful nanny, Nanny Sumner, if one of the children cried in the night it was Margaret who climbed out of bed to comfort them. 'She breastfed both babies and even changed their nappies between official engagements.' Even when the children had grown up, the royal expert claimed that Margaret became an 'indulgent mother' but 'gracefully let them both go from her life, which was quite a sacrifice'. Seward added: 'She was often lonely but did not cling to them, and as a result they always took the trouble to drop in and see her because they wanted to, not because they felt obliged.' In contrast, the late Queen had a much more traditional and formal approach to being a mother. She had a strong sense of duty and formality from her own upbringing and her children, as is customary in royal households, were largely raised by their nannies. According to historian Robert Lacey, who also served as an advisor for the Netflix series The Crown, the Queen believed it was better to leave the children in the care of nannies, rather than drag them around the world. The late Queen with Anne and Charles as they passed through the crowds at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney during the Royal Tour of Australasia 'She had been brought up in that style herself, after all, with her parents leaving her at home and entrusting her entire schooling to a governess and home tutors,' he said. In his controversial 1994 authorized biography of Prince Charles, Jonathan Dimbleby quotes the Prince of Wales saying it was 'inevitably the nursery staff' who taught him to play, witnessed his first steps, and punished and rewarded him. Despite this, Princess Anne, the only daughter of the late monarch, publicly denied these claims. In a 2002 interview with the BBC she said: 'I simply don't believe there is any evidence what so ever to suggest that she wasn't caring. It just beggars belief.' Historian Lacey also said that Lord Mountbatten, Prince Philip's uncle, once said that the Queen's favourite night of the week was the nanny's night off. 'When nanny Mabel was off duty, Elizabeth could kneel beside the bath, bathe her babies, read to them and put them to bed herself.' But as her children grew up and struggled in their separate marriages, it was Margaret who advised the late Queen. This relationship was depicted in season three of the Netflix series The Crown. The season depicted Margaret's personal struggles (played by Helena Bonham Carter) and how they impacted her relationship with the Queen (played by Olivia Colman). Margaret is pictured with Princess Diana in October 1990 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London Seward wrote: 'Later she found a new kind of confidence and, for the first time in her life, she felt able to give the Queen advice, rather than the other way around. 'The ironic poignancy of this reversal was not lost on the Queen or Prince Philip. 'This is not how anyone could ever have seen things turning out, with Margaret at ease with herself and her children happily settled, while the Queen and Philip were faced with three out of their four children getting divorced.' Three of the Queen's children got divorced within four years of each other. Princess Anne divorced her first husband in 1992 and Prince Andrew and Prince Charles both divorced their partners in 1996. According to author Robert Hardman's book, Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen found the divorces 'deeply upsetting'. He quoted former staffers as saying that the divorces 'distressed her much more than she let on'. The Queen is pictured talking to Charles in November 1990 The staffer said they attempted to comfort the Queen and reassure her that divorce was 'almost common practice'. But he quoted the Queen as replying: 'Three out of four!' with 'sheer sadness and exasperation'. Margaret reportedly said to the Queen of Charles's troubled relationship with Diana: 'Let her do what she likes and leave her alone'. This advice mirrored Margaret's own philosophy when it came to her relationship with her children. At one desperate low point in her life, Margaret turned wistfully to her sister and said: 'I may not have achieved very much - but I at least feel my life has not been wasted, because I have produced two happy and well-adjusted children.' The truth of that statement was borne out by the presence of her son, Viscount Linley, and her daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto, at her bedside when she died on February 9, 2002. While Margaret may be remembered as the 'troubled' royal - she proved that she was also a devoted mother and one of the Queen's closest confidantes when the two were alive.
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Prince Harry 'will extend olive branch to King Charles and Prince William by inviting them to the next Invictus Games' - but finale is set to clash with Queen's 80th birthday
The Duke of Sussex is to extend an olive branch to the Royal Family by inviting them to the 2027 Invictus Games, the Mail on Sunday can reveal. In the strongest indication yet that Prince Harry is keen for a reconciliation with the King and other senior Royals, it is understood that an emailed invitation will be sent out later this month, followed by a formal invitation. Sources said the timing of the invitation was designed to give the family the best possible chance of attending, given that Charles is known to draw up his schedule up to three years in advance. But the extraordinary move, which could see Harry pictured with the Royal Family for the first time since the late Queen's funeral, has raised eyebrows among some commentators. Ingrid Seward said: 'The King might attend to show support for the Armed Forces and congratulate Harry on the most significant success in his life. 'The only reason the King is wary of associating with his son is that he no longer trusts him not to repeat their private conversations as he has done in the past. This goes for all the working members of the family.' Fellow royal commentator Katie Nicholl added: 'The King absolutely wants a relationship with his youngest son and with his grandchildren. He has an incredible capacity for forgiveness and he wants to be magnanimous in all of this and therefore there's certainly a possibility that the King might consider attending Invictus.' Despite the Royals' previously strong support for Invictus, the invitation – should anyone choose to accept it – is likely to cause some headaches for Royal aides as it involves a major scheduling conflict. The Games are set to open at Birmingham's NEC on July 12, 2027, and will conclude on July 17 – the day Queen Camilla turns 80 – for which there are likely to already be some celebrations planned. It also remains to be seen whether the Duke would risk bringing Meghan and their children Archie, six, and four-year-old Lilibet, to the UK for the event, having previously insisted he could not do so unless the family were offered 'full police protection'. 'Harry has agreed that Invictus should extend an invitation to his family,' a source told The Mail on Sunday. 'Invictus hopes the Royal Family will come along to support the wounded veterans taking part. Harry is hopeful his father will set aside their differences to attend the Invictus Games and support veterans. 'The Royals have always been hugely supportive of Invictus and proud of what Harry has achieved in that arena. This is one olive branch from him which might be reciprocated.' Harry, 40, made it clear in a BBC interview last month that he would welcome a rapprochement with his father and with the wider family, despite acknowledging the hurt caused by his brutally honest memoir, Spare. 'There's no point in continuing to fight any more,' he said. 'Life is precious.' And he added: 'Forgiveness is 100 per cent a possibility because I would like to get my father and brother back.' The Invictus invitations are thought to represent the first time Harry has publicly reached out in a bid to gather his family together. The invitees and the wording of the invitations are said to have been approved by Harry, with the emails being sent to private secretaries at the Palace. The Games are expected to bring significant economic and social benefit to Birmingham. A spokesman for Invictus said: 'No formal invitations have been issued as preparations are in the early stages.'
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First Post
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Harry & Meghan latest update: Duchess of Sussex accused of hypocrisy over ‘money-making' personal social media clips
Meghan Markle is always in news for all wrong reasons. According to reports published in EXPRESS, Royal commentator Ingrid Seward has accused Meghan Markle of hypocrisy over a Father's Day video featuring Prince Harry and their children. In an interview shared on YouTube, the Editor of Majesty magazine said: 'They begged for privacy and now suddenly Meghan is flooding the marketplace with photographs of their children.' Royal commentator Ingrid Seward even mentioned, 'Everything they do online is aimed at them being able to make more money—otherwise why on earth would they do it?' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meghan being a public figure, all the display of personal life on social media has been described as Duchess of Sussex trying too hard for visibility. (With inputs from agencies)
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Queen was the 'master of the understatement', according to royal expert INGRID SEWARD
Throughout her 70-year reign the Queen was known for her dedication to duty and service - both in times of crisis and celebration. But in private the late monarch was known for her dry sense of humour and well-timed delivery, keeping her cards close to her chest and choosing her words wisely. Ingrid Seward, one of the most respected royal biographers, wrote about the Queen's sense of humour in her book My Mother And I. She said: 'The Queen was a master of the understatement delivered in her best deadpan voice as one of her closest friends, Lady Elizabeth Anson explained to me.' Lady Elizabeth, or Liza as she was known to her friends, was the Queen's cousin and a close confidante. Seward spoke to her about the times the Queen had confided in her, including comments on Meghan Markle 's wedding dress. The Majesty Magazine editor wrote: '"Too white", referring to Meghan's wedding dress meant it was not appropriate for a divorcee getting married in church to look quite so flamboyantly virginal. '"Too grand for us" was a remark she made to Lord Mountbatten as he was relaying the virtues of Marie-Christine's noble lineage before she married Prince Michael of Kent. '"Too in love" was her response to Prince Harry under his future wife's spell and "too presidential" described the former Labour prime minister with whom she never gelled, Tony Blair.' In her Christmas speech in 1991 the Queen said: 'Let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly of wisdom.' As Harry wrote in Spare, the Queen was sometimes hard to read and her quick remarks could be misinterpreted. When the Duke approached the Queen during a shooting party at Sandringham to ask if he could marry Meghan, she gave a cryptic reply. Harry wrote that he awkwardly asked: 'I've been told that I have to ask your permission before I can propose'. He alleged the late Queen then replied: 'You have to?' to which Harry replied that is what he had been told. There was apparently a moment of silence before the Queen replied: 'Well then, I suppose I have to say yes.' Harry wrote: 'I didn't get it. Was she being sarcastic? Ironic? Deliberately cryptic? Was she indulging in a bit of wordplay? 'I'd never known Granny to do any wordplay and this would be a surpassingly bizarre moment (not to mention widely inconvenient) for her to start, but maybe she just saw the chance to play off my unfortunate use of the word "have" and couldn't resist.' Throughout her reign the late Queen showed her quick sense of humour. In 2018 during a BBC documentary called Coronation, royal commentator Alastair Bruce focused on a moment when two bishops symbolically lifted the Queen on to a raised platform. 'I can see the Bishop of Bath and Wells is very attentive Ma'am. The role of the two bishops is to take the weight of the crown, but they never have to do that,' he said. 'Really?' she replied. 'I thought they were just there to hold one's clothes and stop one falling over them.' She could also be incredibly self deprecating, once watching a video of herself and calling out to her husband: 'Oh Philip, do look! I've got my Miss Piggy face on.' Gyles Brandreth first met the Queen in 1968, when he was 20. Over the next 50 years he met her many times, both at public and at private events He wrote in Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait that this instinctive and self‑deprecating wit was as important a part of the Queen's personality as the clothes she wore and the smile that lit up her face. And perhaps nothing was more central to that than her ability not just to make a joke, but to take a joke, too. The Daily Mail's Richard Kay wrote that for years, the Queen's ability to say nothing, while speaking volumes, was undoubtedly one of her greatest strengths. When a government minister's mobile phone rang, in contravention of the rules, as she took a meeting of the Privy Council, she said: 'I hope that wasn't someone important.' And on one occasion, exasperated by the behaviour of Prince Andrew, she sighed to her then daughter-in-law, Sarah Ferguson: 'I am so glad you have taken Andrew off our hands, but why on earth did you do it?' Andrew, as reported by Brandreth, had explained the sorry saga of his long relationship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which led to him being stripped of his public roles. 'Intriguing,' was her one word reply. This is another example of the late Queen being the master of the understatement, never saying more than was absolutely necessary. As Richard Kay wrote, this sense of humour was undoubtedly inherited from the Queen Mother. Aged 95, Elizabeth learned that a masked intruder wielding a crossbow was intercepted in the grounds of Windsor Castle, announcing he had come to kill her. And the Queen's quip could have come from her waggish mother: 'Well, that would have put a dampener on Christmas, wouldn't it?' Head coachman Colin Henderson recalls being with the Queen at the Windsor Horse Show when one of her grandchildren came up to her in the Royal Box. The Queen said: 'Did you have a good lunch?' and the child replied: 'Yes, Granny.' To which the Queen said: 'I thought so - you've got it all down your front.' Seward even went as far to suggest that the Queen's sense of humour was the secret to her and Philip's long and happy marriage. 'I think the secret is they laugh together. I think the Queen is the comedian,' she said. Following his antics at many royal events, including the recent VE Day celebration, it seems Prince Louis may be following in his comedian great-grandmother's shoes. At the Buckingham Palace event earlier this year the young royal, aged seven, was seen talking to Prince George. While the pair sat next to each other, Louis was spotted catching a glimpse of his brother gently brushing hair from his face. Seconds later, his younger brother cheekily copied him, swishing his hair to the side while pulling an over-exaggerated facial expression. It is likely the late Queen - who herself loved to imitate others - would have flashed a quick smirk at young Louis's impression of his brother.
The Sun
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Meg is plastering Harry's most intimate moments with kids online – he won't be happy… but she won't care, expert slams
PRINCE Harry would be "uncomfortable" with Meghan posting personal videos of him and their children for Father's Day, an expert has claimed. The heartwarming footage of Archie and Lilibet was posted on Instagram with Jason Mraz's hit 'Have It All' playing in the background. 6 6 6 "The best," she captioned her post. "Happy Father's Day to our favorite guy." The compilation showed photos and videos of Harry laughing, dancing and spending quality time with his children through the years. The Duchess has been more open with posting her children this year, amid her new business ventures. Royal expert Ingrid Seward told The Sun that although the videos are "charming", sharing them on social media is "hypocritical" of the couple who claimed to want privacy. She said: "I think the problem with the video that Megan's put out, which is actually charming, is it's really very hypocritical, because they begged for privacy. They refused to let their children's faces be seen. "In fact, at the beginning, there was just like one or two photographs of their children. "And now suddenly Meghan is flooding the market with photographs of their children, and this goes absolutely against everything they wanted. "Meghan is doing all these things in her anxiety to get publicity for herself, so that she can improve her money-making powers. "I think their whole lives online is a publicity stunt. Everything that they do online is aimed at them being able to make more money. "Otherwise why on earth would they do it? Because, remember, they've spoken about social media and how damaging it can be, especially for young kids, and how worried they are about it. "And then the next thing you know is Megan is posting quite personal, very charming pictures of her husband and the children all over everywhere, through her Instagram account. So it just doesn't make sense." Ingrid added: "I would love to know what Harry thought, but I suspect he might be a little uncomfortable, because Harry isn't really a great self promoter. Unlike his wife, who is." She suggested that the protection of Harry's "royal persona" before he left the Firm suited him because he could "hide behind" it. "I think he would prefer to be a little more circumspect about who saw photographs of him and his family, but I can't imagine that Meghan would have done it without without his knowledge." It comes after Prince William's children wished him a Happy Father's Day in a heartwarming post on social media. The sweet message was posted on the official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales on behalf of young royals George, Charlotte and Louis. One is a portrait shot showing Wills standing with his arms around Prince George, 11,and Princess Charlotte, 10, while seven-year-old Prince Louis stands in front of him. Another black and white picture shared showed the four lying on the grass laughing in an embrace. The post was captioned: "Happy Father's Day, Papa (before and after!). We love you! G, C & L," accompanied by a love heart. The heartwarming photographs were taken by Josh Shinner earlier this year in Norfolk. Ingrid explained the difference between the two heartwarming posts: "The the Waleses are the future of the monarchy, and they're very aware of that, and I think everything that they do is very carefully thought through. "Because they're deeply concerned about their children and how they bring them up, and I think that these gorgeous photographs, which look very informal, are actually quite staged in a very, very nice way. "It's 'We'll give the public a bit of our children, because they need to see the future of the monarchy. They need to see it, but we're not going to give them too much'." 6 6 6
