What was Princess Margaret’s cause of death and why was she cremated?

QUEEN Elizabeth II’s younger sister is the only senior royal to be cremated.

The late Queen and Princess Margaret were very close throughout their lives until Margaret died in 2002.

Not known, clear with picture desk Lord Swindon and Princess Margaret pictured departing Montego Bay in Jamaica in 1962[/caption]

Who was Princess Margaret?

Princess Margaret Rose was born on August 21, 1930, at Glamis Castle, Scotland.

She is the second daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York.

Following the abdication of Edward VIII to marry American Wallis Simpson, her parents were crowned King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937.

She was educated at Buckingham Palace but moved to Windsor Castle upon the outbreak of World War II.

Following the war, Margaret appeared in the public eye more frequently.

The glamorous young beauty developed a reputation as an independent spirit who enjoyed socializing late into the night.

But despite her party reputation, Princess Margaret was involved with more than 80 charities and organizations.

Margaret was extremely fond of her older sister Queen Elizabeth II.

As they grew up, they remained close with Margaret even taking on the job of bridesmaid at the royal wedding of Queen Elizabeth II to the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip in 1947.

When did Princess Margaret die?

Princess Margaret died on February 9, 2002, aged 71.

Tragically, just seven weeks after her daughter’s death, the Queen Mother died in her sleep at the age of 101.

Princess Margaret’s later years of life were stricken by illness and disability.

She had started smoking cigarettes in her late teens and continued to smoke heavily for a long time after.

In the 1970s, the princess had a nervous breakdown and was treated for depression. She also suffered from migraines, laryngitis and bronchitis.

On January 5, 1985, she had part of her left lung removed, a similar procedure her father endured over 30 years prior.

In 1991 she quit smoking, however, continued to be a heavy drinker.

In January 1993, Margaret spent some time in the hospital being treated for pneumonia. She then suffered a mild stroke in February 1998 while away at her holiday home.

The stroke affected her mobility and her ability to swallow, as a result, she needed mobility aids to support her while mobilising.

The princess was hospitalised once more on January 10, 2001, after a further stroke.

By March 2001, the strokes had left her with loss of vision and paralysis on her left side.

Who did Princess Margaret marry?

Margaret grew close to Captain Peter Townsend, a war hero and royal equerry.

Their secret relationship was revealed at the coronation of her sister, Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

However, as he was an older man and a recent divorcé, the relationship was said to be frowned upon by the Church and Parliament.

The Queen and Prime Minister Anthony Eden eventually reached an agreement in which Margaret could marry Townsend in exchange for forfeiting her rights to succession.

However, Margaret chose not to follow through with the arrangement, and she announced her split from Townsend in October 1955.

Although she was heartbroken, she went on to marry Anthony Armstrong Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon in 1960.

However, that marriage did not last and ended in 1978.