In his book Spare, Prince Harry discussed his relationship with Meghan Markle as well as those of other royal family members.
The Duke of Sussex acknowledged that he asked his father King Charles not to wed Queen Consort Camilla because he believed it was “unnecessary” and spoke about the anticipation surrounding Prince William and the Princess of Wales’s public nuptials, but he described the relationship between his great aunt Princess Margaret as “doomed.”
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Countess of Snowdon, sister of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones wed on May 6, 1960, just over two months after the pair revealed their unexpected engagement.
Harry wrote: “One hasty marriage, which looked doomed at the outset and ended up being worse than expected” in reference to her marriage, which ended in divorce in 1978. Her husband would leave her with lists of her faults and poisonous notes all over the house. There are 24 reasons why I despise you.
Margaret’s personal assistant In a previous interview, Lady Anne Glenconner also said Margaret went through “terrible times” after her divorce. She was opposed to divorce and fought it for a very long time, but I watched as Tony put her in a precarious situation, humiliated her, and prodded her into making the divorce inevitable.
“The Princess simply focused on getting through all kinds of distressing situations, knowing that they wouldn’t seem as upsetting later. In her memoir, which was serialized in the Mail, she wrote, “This resolution struck me as a form of true courage.
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Before getting married to the photographer, with whom she had children named David Armstrong-Jones and Lady Sarah Chatto, Margaret dated the Queen’s equerry, Royal Air Force officer Peter Townsend. Peter and Margaret had intended to get married after he divorced his wife Rosemary Pawle, but difficulties arose because divorcees were not permitted to remarry in the Church of England.
Later, Margaret issued a statement stating that she had called off the wedding. I was aware that, provided I gave up my succession rights, it might have been possible for me to enter into a civil union. But because Christian marriage is indissoluble according to Church teachings, and because I have a duty to the Commonwealth, I have decided to put these considerations before others.
I came to this decision entirely on my own, but Group Captain Townsend’s unwavering support and devotion to me helped me do so.
Meghan Markle, who was wed to Trevor Engelson from 2011 to 2014, revealed that Harry’s revelation that she struggled to marry a divorcee caused her to worry that he would not be able to propose to her.
He wrote about a conversation he had with Ed Lane Fox, also known as Elf, his personal secretary: “A fairly recent relative had been…strongly discouraged…from marrying the love of their life.
“Who?”
“Aunt Margaret of yours.”
“Really?”
“Yes. She had intended to wed a divorced man because, well.”
“Divorcé?”
“Elf gave a nod.”
I thought, “Oh, [expletive]. This may not be a sure thing.”
