The Crown’s final season dedicates an entire episode to the end of Princess Margaret’s life. Queen Elizabeth II’s sister, Princess Margaret, died on February 9, 2002, at King Edward VII Hospital. She was 71 years old, and at the time of her death, she was 11th in line to the British throne.
To announce Margaret’s passing, Buckingham Palace issued the following statement: “The Queen, with great sadness, has asked for the following announcement to be made immediately. Her beloved sister, Princess Margaret, died peacefully in her sleep this morning at 6.30am, in The King Edward VII Hospital. Her children, Lord Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto, were at her side.”
The Palace added, “Princess Margaret suffered a further stroke yesterday afternoon. She developed cardiac problems during the night and was taken from Kensington Palace to The King Edward VII Hospital at 2.30am. Lord Linley and Lady Sarah were with her, and The Queen was kept fully informed throughout the night.”
The Queen Mother’s official residence, Clarence House, said in a statement, “The Queen Mother has been told of the sad news of the death of Princess Margaret and she is deeply saddened.” Just 49 days later, the Queen Mother died at age 101. The two deaths were devastating for Queen Elizabeth, and losing her sister and her mother in such quick succession had a deep impact on her.
As the show depicts, Princess Margaret suffered a series of strokes before her death, beginning in 1998. In 1999, while vacationing on her beloved Mustique, she burned her feet badly in a bath, greatly impacted her mobility. In December 2000, she was thought to have another stroke while at Sandringham for Christmas. According to CNN, before her death she suffered at least two strokes, and she was confined to a wheelchair in the final years of her life.
Her last public appearance was at Princess Alice’s 100th birthday party in December 2001:
Princess Margaret’s funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, and it was attended by all the members of the royal family, including her sister and her children.
In a break from tradition, Princess Margaret was cremated. “Princess Margaret was cremated, one of the first members of the royal family, because she wanted to be buried between her parents and there was only room, really, for ashes,” Lady Glenconner, a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, explained in the documentary Elizabeth: Our Queen. Her final resting place is Windsor Castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel, along with her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and as of last year, her sister, Queen Elizabeth.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
