As a pre-war royal whose world was hugely circumscribed by the strictures of another age, Princess Margaret was admired as well as vilified for most of her adult life. She helped usher the monarchy into the modern world—which sometimes led to conflict and misunderstanding in both her private and public life. Christopher Warwick’s superbly researched biography redresses the balance. It gives the full, insider story of the Princess’s many love affairs, but also looks at her tireless work for charity and willingness to break taboos—it was she, not Diana, who first championed HIV and AIDS awareness. Princess Margaret reminds us that its subject was one of the most remarkable, if complex and contradictory, modern royal personalities.
Princess Margaret remains one of the most interesting figures from the more recent years. Thrust into the spotlight when her father became King upon their uncle’s abdication in 1936, Princess Margaret was suddenly second in line to the throne. Her love life became of interest to the media and her romance with Group Captain Peter Towsend came to a screeching halt. Christopher Warwick’s book actually dates from 2000 and this copy is the updated version for 2018.
I thoroughly enjoyed Christopher Warwick’s writing style and pace. I did see one or two things that could have also been updated in this 2018 version. Nevertheless, I was glad to be able to read a full-length biography on the Princess, rather than that strange book that was released last year.
Princess Margaret: A Life of Contrasts by Christopher Warwick is available now in both the UK and the US.
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