Princess Margaret And The War Hero
Witness History
BBC
4.5 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 31 October 2018
⏱️ 10 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In October 1955, Britain was gripped by a romance between the young Princess Margaret and a glamorous, but divorced, ex-fighter pilot called Captain Peter Townsend. The couple had been in love for years, but after opposition from Buckingham Palace courtiers, the princess eventually announced that she would not go ahead with a marriage. Simon Watts talks to Lady Jane Rayne, a former lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret and one of the first to spot the chemistry between the pair.
PHOTO: Captain Townsend with Princess Margaret in the 1940s (Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. |
| 0:04.7 | My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds. |
| 0:08.5 | As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices. |
| 0:18.0 | What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars, |
| 0:24.6 | poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples. |
| 0:29.7 | If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds. |
| 0:36.0 | Hello and thank you for downloading the podcast of the BBC World Service History Program Witness |
| 0:42.0 | with me Simon Watts. |
| 0:44.0 | Today we're going back to the 1950s and the story of a royal romance which fascinated Britain |
| 0:50.6 | and made headlines around the world. |
| 0:55.0 | Princess Margaret and group Captain Peter Townsend are two important weekend guests at Allen Bay Park near Windsor. |
| 1:01.0 | Press men and sightseers throng the lanes undeterred by the official statement that no announcement |
| 1:05.9 | is contemplated at present about the princess's future. |
| 1:09.2 | In October 1955, a nation held its breath. |
| 1:13.8 | Would Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth, marry a dashing but divorced war |
| 1:20.2 | hero. |
| 1:21.2 | The Knightsbridge House where he is staying is almost in a state of |
| 1:23.5 | siege. A trying time for him and for the princess. The young princess Margaret |
| 1:29.3 | had been at the center of press attention all her life, Often seen at glitzy parties in |
| 1:34.9 | London or fashion shows in Paris, she was a popular figure in a Britain still |
| 1:40.1 | emerging from post-war gloom. |
| 1:42.8 | She was a real live wire. |
... |
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