You’ve seen the Crown. You’ve read the tabloids. But honestly, if you really want to understand the original "Rebel Royal," you have to look at the pictures of Princess Margaret. They tell a story that the history books often sanitize. While Queen Elizabeth II was the embodiment of duty—stiff upper lip, sensible pearls, and that unwavering gaze—Margaret was the high-octane contrast. She was the Technicolor sister in a black-and-white world.
Take a look at any shot of her from the 1950s. She wasn't just posing; she was performing. Margaret knew the power of the lens. She understood that a single photograph could communicate more defiance than a thousand-word speech. Whether she was holding a long-stemmed cigarette holder like a Hollywood starlet or staring down a photographer from the back of a Rolls-Royce, she was the first royal to treat her image as a personal brand.
The 21st Birthday Portrait that Changed Everything
The most famous of all pictures of Princess Margaret is arguably the Cecil Beaton portrait for her 21st birthday. She’s wearing a Dior gown—not a British designer, mind you, which was a subtle snub to the "Buy British" post-war sentiment. It’s frothy, tulle-heavy, and utterly decadent. Beaton, who was basically the patron saint of royal photography, captured her not as a sovereign’s sister, but as a romantic heroine.
There's a specific tension in her eyes in that photo. It’s not the serene look of a girl who knows her place. It’s the look of someone who knows she’s the most interesting person in the room. This was the era of "New Look" fashion, and Margaret was its unofficial ambassador. While the Queen wore clothes that signaled stability, Margaret wore clothes that signaled desire.
Interestingly, Margaret's relationship with the camera was deeply collaborative. She didn't just stand there. She curated. She knew which angles worked for her 5'1" frame. She was tiny, but in these photos, she looks towering. That’s the trick of the trade she mastered early on.
The Paparazzi and the Mustique Era
Fast forward to the 1970s, and the pictures of Princess Margaret took a sharp, almost scandalous turn. This is where the "Princess of Hearts" narrative starts to look very different from the "Princess of Party" reality. The grainy, long-lens shots of Margaret on the island of Mustique changed the monarchy forever.
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Before Margaret, the private lives of royals were mostly a closed book. Sure, there were rumors, but the visual evidence was thin. Then came the photos of her with Roddy Llewellyn. They were sitting by the water, looking relaxed, looking... human. The British public went into a tailspin. These weren't curated portraits; they were "gotcha" moments.
They showed a woman trying to escape the rigid expectations of the palace. If you look closely at the Mustique photos, you see a version of Margaret that’s stripped of the tiaras and the heavy makeup. She looks older, sure, but she looks free. This was the first time a royal's private vacation became a global news event through a single shutter click. It set the stage for everything we saw later with Diana and later, Harry and Meghan.
The Antony Armstrong-Jones Influence
We can't talk about her image without talking about Lord Snowdon. When she married a photographer, the pictures of Princess Margaret became even more avant-garde. Tony didn't want her to look like a statue. He wanted her to look like a modern woman.
There’s that one incredibly famous shot—you know the one—where she’s in a bathtub wearing the Poltimore tiara. It’s cheeky. It’s intimate. It’s totally scandalous for the time. It breaks every rule in the royal handbook. It tells us that Margaret wasn't just a victim of the system; she was a co-conspirator in her own legend. She liked the edge. She liked the fact that people were talking.
Tony captured her in high-contrast black and white. No soft filters. No royal glow. Just sharp lines, deep shadows, and that piercing gaze. These photos shifted her from a fairy-tale princess to a sophisticated icon of the swinging sixties. She was hanging out with the Beatles and Mick Jagger, and the photography reflected that crossover.
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Why These Images Still Rankle the Palace
Even today, certain pictures of Princess Margaret make the old guard at the Palace a bit nervous. Why? Because they represent a loss of control. The monarchy thrives on a very specific type of visual communication: the balcony wave, the christening photo, the funeral procession. These are rituals.
Margaret’s photos were often the opposite of ritual. They were spontaneous—or at least they felt that way. When she was snapped at a jazz club at 3:00 AM, it wasn't a "royal engagement." It was a life lived out loud.
- The 1953 Coronation: If you look at the footage and photos, there’s a moment she brushes dust off Peter Townsend’s jacket. It was a tiny gesture, but the cameras caught it. That one "picture" (or frame of film) basically outed their romance to the world.
- The Dior Fashion Shows: She was often the only royal present, looking like she belonged on the runway rather than in the front row.
- The Later Years: Even when her health declined, Margaret never lost her sense of theater. The dark sunglasses, the silk scarves—she remained a visual enigma until the end.
The Technical Side of the Lens
Technically speaking, the cameras of the 1950s and 60s favored Margaret’s features. The Rolleiflex cameras used by many of her photographers captured a depth of field that highlighted her "Cornflower Blue" eyes. Even in black and white, people commented on how her eyes seemed to pop.
And let’s be real: she was incredibly photogenic. Some people just have a face that the camera loves, and Margaret had it in spades. She had the bone structure of a film star. If she hadn't been born a Princess, she likely would have ended up on the silver screen. She had that "it" factor that can't be taught.
Actionable Insights for Royal History Buffs
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the visual history of the House of Windsor, don't just stick to the official portraits. The real story is in the margins.
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First, look for the "unposed" shots in the Getty Archives or the Hulton Archive. These often show Margaret's true personality—the wit, the boredom, and the occasional flash of temper. Second, compare her portraits to those of her sister. You’ll notice that while Elizabeth is almost always centered and symmetrical, Margaret is often slightly off-center, leaning, or looking away. It’s a masterclass in non-verbal rebellion.
Finally, check out the work of Norman Parkinson. He photographed her in the late 60s and 70s and managed to capture a softer, more reflective side of the Princess. These images are a stark contrast to the sharp, aggressive style of Snowdon.
Understanding the pictures of Princess Margaret requires looking past the jewelry. It’s about seeing the woman who was trapped between two worlds: the Victorian expectations of her father’s era and the radical freedom of the modern age. She never quite found her balance between the two, and that's exactly why her photographs remain so hauntingly beautiful.
To truly appreciate the evolution of royal branding, compare Margaret’s 1960s press photos with modern Instagram-era royal shots. You'll see that Margaret did fifty years ago what the younger generation is trying to do now—humanize an ancient institution through the power of a single, well-placed image.
Start your research by visiting the National Portrait Gallery’s online collection. They hold several of the Beaton and Snowdon originals. Look at the lighting. Look at the hands. Margaret always had expressive hands. Often, she’d be holding a drink or a cigarette, a small but pointed reminder that she wasn't interested in being your "perfect" princess. She was just Margaret. And in the world of the British Monarchy, being yourself was the most radical thing she could have done.