H.R.H. The Princess Margaret Souvenir Album; In Italy; Comes of Age; At Eighteen years

Periodicals

Plot

Just a year ago, in a lovely off the shoulder white gown, full skirted and scintillating with a discreet pattern of iridescent pink, blue and green butterflies, Princess Margaret posed for a nineteenth birthday photograph by Cecil Beaton. She made a bewitching picture, epitomising all the charms of youth, yet plus an illusive "something" that seems to have been her birthright. The Princess is not actually smiling - but she is ready to. And that, perhaps, is the key to the personality of the younger daughter of the King and Queen.

The butterflies that embellished Princess Margaret's Norman Hartnell frock were certainly not symbolic of her existence. The temporary absence of her elder sister, Princess Elizabeth, through the birth of Prince Charles and then the King's illness gave her increased opportunities for travel and scope to meet a wider circle of the community. But, on the other hand, her personal freedom was curtailed at least twelve months earlier than it would have been in the normal course of her upbringing. At nineteen it might have been more fun to be a butterfly, to flit away on the wings of inclination from the discipline of an organised daily programme.