When Townsend returned from Belgium in October, Margaret said that if she were to marry him, she would have to renounce her right to succession, her annual £6,000 Civil List income, her HRH title, and status as a member of the Royal Family. Public opinion was split over what she should do, while some royals also felt conflicted. Craig Brown’s biography of Princess Margaret, Ma’am Darling, notes how when the Queen Mother fretted about where a future Mrs Townsend might live, Prince Philip, “with heavy sarcasm”, replied that it was “still possible, even nowadays, to buy a house”.
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Townsend recalled in 1978 how he found himself in a media whirlwind. He said: “During 19 really rigorous, painful days in a London flat which was very kindly lent to me, I was besieged by 50 or 100 reporters who came from worldwide. And it was in these conditions, with the world’s press discussing this situation and with us being discussed in every capital of the world, we had to come to this decision.”
On 31 October, BBC newsreader John Snagge interrupted normal programming to read a brief statement from the princess. In it she said: “I have been aware that, subject to my renouncing my rights of succession, it might have been possible for me to contract a civil marriage. But, mindful of the Church’s teaching that Christian marriage is indissoluble, and conscious of my duty to the Commonwealth, I have resolved to put these considerations before any others.”
The letter could suggest that Margaret’s determination to marry him was not as strong as had been believed
