Princess Margaret's FORBIDDEN LOVER

Why was Princess Margaret's love for a dashing war hero doomed?

- CATHERINE CURZON

Once upon a time, there lived a princess who had almost everything a girl could dream of. Beautiful, privileged and the envy of everyone, all that was missing was a real-life Prince Charming. And who better than a hero of the Royal Air Force - a man with a chestful of medals and the trust of the king himself? For the princess and her Spitfire ace, this should have been a fairytale, yet the tangled, tragic love life of the late Princess Margaret never truly found its happy ending.

Princess Margaret Rose was born in 1930 to Albert and Elizabeth. Margaret's elder sister was Elizabeth, better known today as Queen Elizabeth II. To their parents, however, Margaret and Elizabeth were simply Margot and Lilibet, the daughters they adored. Then King Edward VIII abdicated and in December 1936, Margaret's father was enthroned as King George VI. Now she was second in line to the throne, and the quiet life she enjoyed was over.

While young Elizabeth was prepared for the role that awaited her, Margaret began to indulge her love of glamour. Slender, graceful and beautiful, she had a passion for fashion, and whether she was sparkling on the red carpet or indulging in her beloved philanthropic events, she was soon at the heart of society.

When Princess Margaret was 17, she accompanied her parents on an official visit to South Africa; it was to be a fateful trip. For the duration of the visit, Margaret was chaperoned by Group Captain Peter Townsend, a 33-year-old former RAF officer who was one of the king's most trusted equerries. Townsend was a bona fide war hero.

He flew in the Battle of Britain, even surviving a ditch into the ocean. His career was glittering. Handsome, assured and urbane, he had won the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1940 for his courageous deeds.