Princess Margaret, often portrayed as distant and demanding, was in fact a loyal and imaginative friend, according to a new memoir. The late princess, who died in 2002, is remembered for her kindness and practical support during a friend's difficult pregnancy.
The author, a journalist and writer, recalls being confined to bed for five months on doctor's orders to prevent a miscarriage. Her husband, Quentin Crewe, was in a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy, and the couple had no help in their London flat. Princess Margaret, herself pregnant with her daughter Sarah at the time, showed great sympathy.
One Saturday evening, the princess and her husband, Lord Snowdon, arrived with a film projector and set it up in the bedroom. For the next month, a van from Kensington Palace delivered a cold supper every Saturday, complete with silver, china, and wine. The four would dine together before watching a film.
After the author was allowed up, the roles reversed. Princess Margaret, now confined to bed awaiting Sarah's birth, invited the couple for picnic suppers in her bedroom. The friendship, which began at a party hosted by Jocelyn Stevens of Queen magazine, lasted until the princess's death.
The author describes Princess Margaret as 'kind, imaginative, wise' with a 'marvellous sense of humour', and notes that the standard press portraits bear little resemblance to the reality she knew.
