Stargazing

The Crown vs. Reality: What Princess Margaret’s U.S. Tour Really Looked Like

It’s no spoiler to say that season 3 of The Crown, which sees Olivia Colman take over for Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, begins with the monarch reflecting upon her age. But her jealousy of Princess Margaret in episode 2, Margaretology, is about much more than the fact that her younger sister, played by a no-holds-barred Helena Bonham Carter, isn’t pushing 40 just yet; even Prince Phillip can’t help but comment that some Windsors are “dull,” and some are “dazzling,” when Margaret converts a number of Americans into so-called “Margaretologists” during her apparently glamorous 1964 royal tour of the U.S.—no matter that the Queen is well aware that the status of Margaret’s relationship with her husband, Lord Snowdon, is less than ideal. Not that you’d know it from The Crown, but the royals’ tour of America that year was less than ideal, too: Princess Margaret didn’t so much charm President Lyndon Johnson into rescuing the British economy as effectively pave the way for getting banned from returning to the U.S. for taking her visits too lightly, whether palling around with (and reportedly offending) A-listers like Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly or bringing along 75 pieces of luggage that weighed over a ton to do so. But were the tabloids actually more reliable than a fictional Netflix adaptation? That’s debatable, but there’s still a bit to learn from the photographs that were actually taken during the pair’s real-life trip. Join them from the White House to a ranch in Arizona, here.

by Stephanie Eckardt
November 17, 2019 6:55 pm
Royals In Washington

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Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret at the Lincoln memorial in Washington D.C. during their royal tour of America in November 1965.

Margaret Rose [RF: England RF]

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Princess Margaret at the Hilton Hotel for a charity luncheon and fashion show in San Francisco during her and Lord Snowdon’s royal tour of America in November 1965.

Margaret Rose [RF: England RF];Alfred Hitchcock

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Princess Margaret with Alfred Hitchcock on a set visit of his film Torn Curtain at Universal City Studios in California, during their royal tour of America in November 1965.

Guests At White House For State Dinner

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Guests chatting during a state dinner for Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon at the White House in Washington, D.C. during their royal tour of America in November 1965.

Harry Belafonte arrives with his wife for Princess Margaret'

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Julie Robinson and Harry Belafonte arriving to a party for Princess Margaret at the Four Seasons restaurant in New York during her royal tour of America in November 1965.

Royals On The Ranch

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Lord Snowdon sitting on a fence next to Princess Margaret on a visit to a ranch in Arizona during their royal tour of America in November 1965.

Royals In America

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Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon in San Francisco during their royal tour of America in November 1965.

Frank Sinatra Holding Arm of Mia Farrow

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Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow arriving to a black-tie party for Princess Margaret at the Bistro Restaurant in Hollywood during her royal tour of America in November 1965.

President Johnson Dances With Princess Margaret

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President Lyndon Johnson dancing with Princess Margaret, while Lady Bird Johnson sits with Lord Snowdon at a state dinner for the royals during their visit to America in November 1965.

Royals In America

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Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon in San Francisco during their royal visit to America in November 1965.

Margaret Rose [RF: England RF];Bob Hope

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Princess Margaret and Bob Hope at a ball for the World Adoption International Fund in Hollywood during their royal tour of America in November 1965.

Claudia Alta Johnson and Margaret Pose

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Lady Bird Johnson and Princess Margaret pose for photographers inn the Queen’s room at the White House in Washington, D.C. during the royal tour of America in 1965.

Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon

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Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret walking through Boac terminal in New York upon their arrival to the United States for their royal tour of America in November 1965.

Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon with Horse

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Lord Snowdon on a horse with Princess Margaret at a ranch owned by Lewis Douglas, former U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, during their royal tour of America in November 1965.

Royal Caltech Visit

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Lord Snowdon, Princess Margaret, and Caltech president Lee Alvin DuBridge touring the California Institute of Technology campus in Pasadena, California during the royal tour of America in November 1965.

Lord Snowdon, Mrs. Johnson, Princess Margaret and President Johnson, 1965

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Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret with Lady Bird Johnson and President Lyndon Johnson at a state dinner for the royals at the White House in Washington, D.C. during their tour of America in November 1965.

Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon

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Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret riding a tram in San Francisco during their royal tour of America in 1965.