Princess Margaret’s poignant love story with Group Captain Peter Townsend captivated the world, not least because it was ultimately a love that could not lead to marriage due to societal and royal constraints. The dashing war hero, Townsend, found himself at the heart of a royal romance that was intensely scrutinized and eventually curtailed. While Princess Margaret’s subsequent marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones is well-documented, the question of who Peter Townsend married after their highly publicized separation often arises. This article delves into Peter Townsend’s life beyond Princess Margaret and reveals who he ultimately found marital happiness with.
Before his celebrated, albeit ill-fated, romance with Princess Margaret, Peter Townsend was married to Rosemary Pratt. Their marriage, which produced two sons, Giles and Hugo, ended in divorce in 1952. This divorce became a significant impediment to Townsend’s relationship with Princess Margaret. In the 1950s, marrying a divorcé, particularly for a member of the royal family, was considered unacceptable by the Church of England and British society at large. This societal and religious disapproval formed a formidable barrier to Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend’s desire to marry.
The widely publicized romance between Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend blossomed in the early 1950s. Townsend, who served as an equerry to King George VI and later to Queen Elizabeth II, was a divorced man when he and Princess Margaret fell in love. Their relationship became public knowledge when Princess Margaret was observed affectionately removing lint from Townsend’s jacket during Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. Despite their evident affection and reported engagement in April 1953, the prospect of their marriage ignited a national debate. The immense pressure from the government, the Church, and public opinion, largely due to Townsend’s divorced status, ultimately led Princess Margaret to choose duty over her personal desires. In 1955, she publicly announced the end of their engagement, citing her commitment to the Church’s teachings on marriage and her responsibilities to the Commonwealth.
Following the end of his engagement with Princess Margaret and after a period of intense public scrutiny, Peter Townsend eventually remarried. In 1959, Peter Townsend married Marie-Luce Jamagne, a Belgian national. Unlike Rosemary Pratt, Marie-Luce Jamagne was not from the British aristocracy; she was a young woman who reportedly bore a striking resemblance to a younger Princess Margaret. Their marriage marked a new chapter in Townsend’s life, away from the glare of royal spotlight and the constraints of British societal expectations. Peter Townsend and Marie-Luce Jamagne had two daughters, Isabelle and Marie-France. Their marriage appeared to be a happy and enduring one, lasting until Townsend’s death in 1995.
While Princess Margaret’s personal life continued to be a subject of public interest, particularly her marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960 and subsequent divorce in 1978, Peter Townsend lived a more private life with Marie-Luce Jamagne and their family. His marriage to Marie-Luce allowed him to rebuild his life and find personal contentment after the tumultuous years surrounding his relationship with Princess Margaret. In conclusion, after his widely publicized and ultimately thwarted engagement to Princess Margaret, Peter Townsend married Marie-Luce Jamagne in 1959, with whom he built a family and a life away from the royal spotlight. Marie-Luce Jamagne became Peter Townsend’s wife and partner for over three decades, until his passing, marking a significant and happier chapter in his life’s story.
