3 days ago
'Comrade Princess': Which 'appallingly behaved' Royal won over a Communist dictator with her drunken antics?
On the latest episode of the Mail's Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things podcast, hosts Robert Hardman and Kate Williams reveal their picks for the worst Royal houseguests of all time.
From Tudor Royals who bankrupted entire counties with their extravagant appetites to a light-fingered Queen coveting her hosts' antiques, British monarchs throughout history have darkened the door of many an obliging host.
In the episode, Royal biographer Hardman singles out one princess for her 'appallingly bad' behaviour on state visits.
You can listen to the latest Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things by clicking the player below or here.
Many dignitaries, ambassadors and fellow Royals have shared anecdotes in their memoirs about the legendary drunken escapades of Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II.
While Margaret's dry wit and well documented love of alcohol could prove too much for some hosts, she also possessed a remarkable ability to charm the most powerful figures of her era.
Was Princess Margaret really the worst Royal houseguest?
Famously barred from America by British diplomats in the 1970s due to her lavish spending and party lifestyle, Princess Margaret had a reputation for being a loose cannon.
Hardman told co-host Kate Williams of one occasion where the princess behaved 'phenomenally rudely', which epitomises how her rebellious spirit could scupper important diplomatic events.
The Royal biographer said: 'I was going through the diaries of Cynthia Jeb, who was the wife of the former ambassador to Paris in the 1950s.
'She recounted a dinner where Princess Margaret behaved appallingly.
'Margaret turned up very hungover. She was on a sort of tour of Europe, and this grand lunch at a chateau had been laid on for her.
'All the bright, young things of the time had been invited, and it was set to be a very special occasion. They were all said to be very excited to meet the princess.
'The morning of, she says: I can't go – I have got a cold. There were reports that she kept doing a sort of fake cough, which convinced no one.
'The Queen mother went to the lunch, but Margaret stayed behind. No sooner had everybody gone, did the princess call round a hairdresser called Alexandra.
'Alexandra was the hairdresser of the day in Paris. Basically, she just wanted to have her hair done.'
Historian Williams shared another anecdote of Margaret's often erratic and displeasing behaviour, again involving alcohol.
'If you invite Margaret to a dinner, she'll be rude to you. She'll turn up late. But she'll enjoy a sing along', Williams began.
'One night, at a ball given by the legendary hostess Lady Rothermere, the princess grabbed the microphone from the leader of the band and demanded the music of Cole Porter.
Robert Hardman: 'President Tito was so charmed by her, that he addressed her as comrade princess.' Listen here
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Hosted by Royal Historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams, Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things looks at the Royal Family - the secrets, the palace intrigues, and the Crown's bloodiest moments.
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'Everyone stopped dancing, and the princess suddenly starts manically singing. From the back of the ballroom, there were loud boos. People fell silent.
'It turned out that the man who was booing was the painter Francis Bacon, who was also drunk and was telling people her singing was awful and she needed to be stopped.
'So, you do need to be careful with Princess Margaret when she comes round – because she could say anything, or sing anything.'
However, her unorthodox behaviour could prove surprisingly charming to some of the most difficult-to-please guests to enter the Royal household.
In the early 1970s, Yugoslavia's Communist dictator President Tito was due to meet Queen Elizabeth II in Britain, to lay the ground for closer commercial and political ties.
Cold War tensions had left relations between Yugoslavia and Britain decidedly frosty. Worse still, Tito was a staunch communist whose ideology was fundamentally at odds with the monarchy.
Enter Princess Margaret, who proved the monarchy's surprise card up its sleeve.
'Margaret was able to wow one of the most terrifying monsters of her day', said Hardman.
'The princess was sent to Yugoslavia before the state visit. She was the first Royal to ever visit the nation.
'President Tito was so charmed by her, that he addressed her as comrade princess.
'She's still fondly remembered by that title in what used to be called Yugoslavia.'
To listen to full episode, documenting history's worst Royal houseguests, search for Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things now, wherever you get your podcasts.
