Princess Margaret, the high-spirited and unconventional sister of Queen Elizabeth II, died yesterday after a life that echoed with regret and thwarted love. She was 71.
The princess died peacefully in her sleep at King Edward VII Hospital at 6:30am, a statement from Buckingham Palace said.
Margaret suffered a stroke Friday afternoon and developed cardiac problems during the night. She was taken from Kensington Palace to the hospital at 2:30am, the statement said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Her children, Lord Linley, 40, and Lady Sarah Chatto, 37, were with her, the statement added.
A heavy smoker for many years, Margaret had suffered repeated respiratory illnesses and had part of a lung removed in January 1985.
She had a mild stroke in February 1998 and another in March last year.
"I know the whole country will be deeply saddened by Princess Margaret's death. She will be remembered with a lot of affection," Prime Minister Tony Blair said as he arrived in Sierra Leone yesterday.
The death will cast a shadow over this year's Golden Jubilee celebrations. Margaret died three days after the 50th anniversary of her father's death, and her sister's accession to the throne.
In the 1950s, Margaret's ill-starred romance with Peter Townsend made headlines around the world because he was divorced. In 1978, she became a divorcee herself -- the first in the queen's immediate family -- when her marriage to Lord Snowdon was dissolved.
Margaret never remarried.
Despite the upheavals, the publicity and their different personalities, the princess and her dignified sister remained close.
Margaret was musical, liked to perform and had a gift for mimicry.
Unlike most of the other royals, who prefer tweedy, outdoor pursuits, she supported the arts and loved opera, theater and dance.
She was often seen at restaurants and nightclubs with groups of friends and smoked her ever-present cigarettes in a long, distinctive holder.
Jazz musician Louis Armstrong, following a conversation with Margaret about music, told the press, "Your Princess Margaret is one hip chick."
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