Elizabeth II’s sister, Princess Margaret, proved herself to be something of a wild child early on. Even though she was the daughter of George VI and the sister of the queen, she didn’t always behave like the buttoned-up royals around her. She wasn’t afraid to spend money like it was going out of style, drank and smoked profusely, and was notorious for a sharp and often biting wit. Margaret also reportedly attracted the attention of famous would-be lovers, from Mick Jagger to Picasso, though little of her romantic goings-on have been proven.
There is also one especially salacious rumor regarding Margaret’s children. No, not her children with ex-husband Antony Armstrong-Jones, David Armstrong-Jones and Lady Sarah Chatto. Robert Brown claims that he is actually the oldest child of Princess Margaret, conceived with RAF officer and Margaret’s former paramour, Group Captain Peter Townsend. Supposedly, his divorced status was what kept them from marrying (the 16-year age difference between him and the young princess probably didn’t help, either).
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Brown has made the case that he was born to the pair in 1955 but, seeing as his existence would have proven supremely controversial even for the rebellious princess, he claims that he was raised by Cynthia and Douglas Brown instead. Brown has brought his case before Britain’s courts, claiming that the information proving his true familial relations is in the sealed royal wills. However, though he won some legal recognition, no smoking gun has come to light as of this writing.
