Roddy Llewellyn and Princess Margaret.Photo: Anwar Hussein/Getty
On the twentieth anniversary ofPrincess Margaret’s death, one of her most famous romantic partners visited her final resting place.
Queen Elizabethgranted permission for Roderic “Roddy” Llewellyn to visit her sister’s burial site on Wednesday, which marked two decades since Princess Margaret died at age 71, according to Richard Eden of theDaily Mail.Llewellyn, 74, reportedly paid his respects at the King George VI Memorial Chapel within St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Princess Margaret’s ashes were interred at the King George VI Memorial Chapel alongside her parents, King George VI, who died in 1952, and the Queen Mother, who died only months after Margaret. It’s also expected to be the burial site ofPrince Philip, the Queen’s husband who died in April at age 99, and the Queen herself someday.
Llewellyn now lives in the South of France, but was in London this week for the funeral of John Rendall, who was once the owner of viral sensation Christian the Lion.
“After two years of having absolutely nothing in my diary, I had two crucial dates — to go to St. George’s and to be at John’s funeral,” Llewellyn reportedly said.
Roddy Llewellyn and Princess Margaret.Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty
Princess Margaret started her romantic entanglement with Llewellyn, a gardener and aspiring pop star 17 years her junior, during her marriage to photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. (At the time, Snowdon was having his own affair with Lucy Lindsay-Hogg, a divorced television researcher whom he would later marry.)
In February 1974, Margaret invited Llewellyn to Les Jolies Eaux, her villa on the Caribbean island of Mustique. When a photograph of Margaret and Llewellyn sharing a private moment later landed on the front page of theNews of the World, the royal family was at last forced to issue a statement acknowledging the end of the Margaret’s marriage to Snowdon. The divorce, which became finalized in 1978, was the first official split in the immediate family of a reigning monarch since King Henry’s VIII’s annulment.
Llewellyn and Margaret’s relationship continued after her separation from her husband in what became in an eight-year romance.
Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
In the documentaryElizabeth: Our Queen, Lady Anne Glenconner, who was one of the Queen’s maids during her coronation, revealed that themonarch was in favor of Margaret’s extramarital relationshipwith Llewellyn.
“It was difficult for the Queen, and I felt rather guilty always — having introduced Roddy to Princess Margaret,” Lady Anne said in the documentary. “But after Princess Margaret’s funeral, the Queen, she said, ‘I’d just like to say, Anne, it was rather difficult at moments, but I thank you so much introducing Princess Margaret to Roddy ‘cause he made her really happy.’ "
Princess Margaret.Les Lee/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty
Helena Bonham Carter, who played Princess Margaret in seasons 3 and 4 ofThe Crown,told theSunday Timesin 2019 that she met with the real-life Llewellyn: “He came to tea with me and Harry [Treadaway], who plays Roddy. He was so fun and warm — that’s what she needed. He’s very musical. He started singing a song in my kitchen.”
source: people.com
