MovieChat Forums > The Crown (2016) Discussion > so what's the real reason Margaret did n...

so what's the real reason Margaret did not marry Peter Townsend?


She could have had she just given up her rights to the thrown, correct? Was it the allowance? And all the perks? Because she claimed to Elizabeth that that didn't matter to her. That she could make do with life as an ordinary woman if she could just marry Peter.

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based on all that, I would submit that maybe it did all matter to her.

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I agree and have read that while not shown in this, Anthony Eden, who was himself a divorcee and therefore sympathetic to her situation,had arranged Cabinet Approval, an Allowance and that she could keep her title. She did however, have to give up her place in the line of Succession and apparently that was the bit she refused to accept.

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She chose the thrown over the man she loved and that ultimately makes her a weak woman!

''What's up suicidal slut?''

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Indeed.It's sad because she probably wouldn't have been happy if she chose to marry Peter, either. It was a fork in the road where both paths were seemingly so at variance and the future of each so foreseeable. I mean it wasn't like trying to choose between Harvard and Stanford, was it?

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Why do you think she wouldn't have been happy with Peter?

''What's up suicidal slut?''

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At first probably, but I think she would have gotten bored with the lifestyle and with him sooner rather than later. I don't think she would have remained faithful. They came from such different backgrounds, it would have caused unavoidable tensions in the marriage.

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I agree. This was kind of evident when she kept on dancing and he went to bed. If they could have stayed on the sly in her cloistered world that might have been some excitement but I don't think that is good roots of a long term relationship.

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[deleted]

The real Peter is quoted as saying he knew Margaret wouldn't choose him, that he didn't have enough "weight" in her eyes that would counterbalance everything Margaret stood to lose if she married him. Sounds like Margaret made the decision on her own, probably without as much pressure from Elizabeth as they portrayed in the series.

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She'd rather be a baller, sippin' cristal, and livin' the high life than give it all up for the man she loved more than anything else.


They've got cars big as bars, they've got rivers of gold

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Please please PLEASE get your facts from a reputable biography rather than this dramatization.

It's pretty clear the screenwriters didn't spend much time doing any reading before they started writing.

In Real Life, Margaret seems to have been dissuaded from marrying Townsend not only because she would lose her royal position and status, but also because of her genuine religious faith. In the statement she gave explaining her decision, she specifically mentioned that "the Church's teaching that Christian marriage is indissoluble".

By the way, this choice is faced by every Japanese princess, even today. When a princess of Japan (by birth) marries, she automatically ceases to be a member of the Royal Family, and is more or less cast out. It's a pretty cold system.

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Then it was the only time she chose religious faith over her own desires. More like a convenient excuse.

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Christian marriage indissoluble??? The reason Margaret forfeited her happiness with Peter Townsend?? Please!!! How can one believe such a reason when Margaret had no problems with her faith sleeping with Townsend!! It's called fornication which in the Christian faith is mortally wrong too!! If this was a true fact, her beliefs were hypocritical and pure nonsense!! IMO she just didn't want to give up those fabulous perks that come with being a royal!!Think about it, would you????......And WHY this is not rated a perfect 10 is beyond belief!

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She went on to get divorced and cheated on her husband.

Most people thought I was a hero for killing Lydia's parrot.

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In Real Life, Margaret seems to have been dissuaded from marrying Townsend not only because she would lose her royal position and status, but also because of her genuine religious faith. In the statement she gave explaining her decision, she specifically mentioned that "the Church's teaching that Christian marriage is indissoluble".

That was in a speech made to the public. She had to say that. She couldn't very well say that she would marry if not for the Church's insistence that marriage is indissoluble, because by saying that she would place herself at odds with the Church which would be about as big a scandal as if she had eloped. Publicly, she could not lay the blame on either the royal family or the Church - she had to refer to her conscience, whether true or not.

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In real life, all she had to give up was her right to succession. She was allowed to keep her allowance and status as princess if she married him.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-38032464

I think she was a youngish girl, the two had been physically separated for some time, and she frankly lost interest.



Most people thought I was a hero for killing Lydia's parrot.

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Ok, I wondered, because I thought Elizabeth said something along the lines of she couldn't be part of the family again. I wondered if that were true, or it was just for the drama of the show. So it seems it was not really a choice between family and Peter, but she just did not love him enough to give up all of the glamour and perks.

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In real life, all she had to give up was her right to succession. She was allowed to keep her allowance and status as princess if she married him.


What you describe is the exact same deal her Uncle got, and how did that work out? The family could have let her keep all her status in theory and on paper, but if she didn't have the support of the family in practice she wouldn't really be "part of the family" anymore. They could cut her out of all Royal events and social functions just like they did the Duke of Windsor.

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Was the Duke of Windsor under the impression that he would still be involved with Royal events and social functions when he made his choice? Did he think he would still be welcomed into the inner circle and invited to the Royal residences for family gatherings?

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