Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, was a member of the House of Windsor, the current ruling royal family, and reigned for over seventy years. She was born to King George VI and Queen Mary in 1926. She had only had one other sibling throughout her life, Princess Margaret the Countess of Snowdon. The pair grew up together and were closed during and before the queen's reign.
Margaret was an active socialite in the royal household, known for being the rebel of the family. She famously decided to not marry Captain Peter Townsend, who was previously divorced, in the 1950s because the Church of England refused to endorse the marriage. She chose her duty to her family over the engagement plans and married a photographer a few years later.
She is portrayed by actresses Vanessa Kirby and Helena Bonham Carter in the critically acclaimed Netflix show "The Crown."
Years after the fallout of her wedding plans with Townsend, Princess Margaret married British photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960. The queen herself named her new husband the Earl of Snowdon. The pair famously traveled to the United States together representing the crown on a visit to the White House to meet President Lyndon B. Johnson and the first lady Claudia Johnson. Their wedding took place at Westminster Abbey and was attended by over 2,000 guests with millions watching on television across the world.
They were both young when they married and were considered a photogenic couple, however, their 18 years of marriage were marred by infertility. Armstrong-Jones, while working as a professional photographer for The Sunday Times, had multiple extramarital affairs and the couple had begun living separately by the late 1970s.
Moreover, Margaret was involved in her own affair by 1973 with landscaper Roddy Llewellyn. In February 1976, tabloid magazines photographed them swimming on a beach together in Mustique. Following the scandal, Buckingham Palace announced the separation of the princess and Early of Snowdon with the pair officially divorcing in 1978.
Princess Margaret only had two children through her marriage to Armstrong-Jones, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon and Lady Sarah Chatto.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II REMEMBERED AS KING CHARLES III ASCENDS THE BRITISH THRONE
Her only son, David, was involved with the queen's funeral on Monday, joining the funeral procession along with other royal members, including King Charles III, Prince William, and Prince Harry.
Margaret was a heavy smoker and had routine health issues during the last two years of her life. She died on February 2002 at the age of 71 after suffering a stroke. She was given a private ceremony at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle attended by close friends and family.
However, unlike her sister Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret was cremated before her remains were placed in the Royal Vault next to her parents.
