Yahoo News The Crown season 3 shows the breakdown of Princess Margaret's marriage
Note: this article contains spoilers for The Crown season three. It also contains discussion of themes including suicide that some readers may find upsetting.
The Crown season three's final episode saw Princess Margaret and her turbulent relationship with Antony Armstrong-Jones come to a disturbing head.
After discovering that her husband had embarked on a relationship with another woman –referred to as "The Thing" by the princess on The Crown – a heartbroken Margaret decided to cast her own eyes around for a distraction.
While spending time away with friends, she was intrigued by a fellow party guest – Roddy Llewellyn, a passionate gardener.
The pair grew closer, but things soon came crashing down for the couple when photos of them holidaying together in Mustique (an Island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) made it onto the front pages of the tabloids.
Margaret and Roddy ended up being in a relationship for eight years, and this is said to have played a role in the breakdown of her marriage to Tony, also known as the first Earl of Snowdon.
According to Snowdon: the Biography, written by Anne de Courcy and published in 2009 (via Telegraph), the marriage between Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones started to fall apart only two years after it had begun.
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There were claims that he was repeatedly unfaithful, as well as each of them enjoying the party scene. Another of Princess Margaret's affairs was also mentioned in the article, and it was said that her relationship with Robin Douglas-Home left her husband furious (despite his own infidelities).
The article mentions Tony's notes to Margaret, a list of "things I hate about you" that he would leave around for her to find. This was also depicted in The Crown as another sign of the destructive nature of the pair's relationship.
The Crown depicts a moment where Princess Margaret, whether intentionally or not, almost took her own life with an overdose of sedatives. This followed a particularly nasty encounter with Tony after he confronted her about Roddy.
This is portrayed as not only the turning point in her decision to seek a separation from her husband, but also in finding an understanding and level of peace with her older sister the Queen.
This version of events has never officially been confirmed.
An article in the Irish Times, dated 1996, said that extracts from a biography of the Queen were cited in the Times newspaper, claiming that friends of Princess Margaret were "alarmed" at her behaviour. It also claimed that the breakdown of the marriage had contributed to Margaret's feelings of suicide, and it was also alleged that the princess had suffered a brief breakdown in 1974.
Buckingham Palace, according to this historical news report, declined to comment at the time.
Apparently Princess Margaret later said that she was "so exhausted because of everything" and that all she "wanted to do was sleep."
Of course, all of this needs to be looked at through the eyes of the time in which it was written. We now have a much more empathetic understanding of mental health.
Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon did publicly announce that their marriage was over, and their divorce was finalised in 1978. While Princess Margaret never remarried, the Earl of Snowdon did later that year.
The Crown is available on Netflix.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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