February 9th was the 22nd anniversary of Princess Margaret’s death. While The Crown got many things wrong, they got the fundamentals correct about Margaret’s relationship with her sister. QEII and Margaret were exceptionally close and QEII was devastated when she lost her sister and her mother in 2002. Let’s also be clear that Margaret was supposed to be a mess. That’s how the institution preferred it, that Margaret was an agent of chaos, a one-woman soap opera, because it made QEII look better, dutiful, steady, etc. This was what was supposed to happen with Prince William and Harry – Harry was supposed to be a boozy mess, a lifelong f–kup, while William was the mature, steady, dutiful one. Funny how it didn’t work out that way. Anyway, for the death-anniversary, the Telegraph published this bizarre piece called “Unlike Harry, Margaret never saw herself as a “spare” and certainly never pitied herself.” Y’all, they are still not okay. Some highlights:

Royal rebel: A chain-smoker with a knack for withering put downs, Princess Margaret has become synonymous with a very specific brand of royal rebellion. Her morning routine, which comprised having breakfast in bed, listening to the radio for two hours and having a bath with a vodka cocktail, is the stuff of legend.

Overindulged: As the younger sibling, Margaret was often doted on, which might have been why she followed a less traditional path as an adult – because she knew she could get away with it. “She was certainly an indulged child and there’s no doubt this resulted in her rebellious nature later in life, when it was too late, and her character was already set,” explains Russell. “The Queen Mother regretted it later, and was embarrassed by her lateness and apparent rudeness. Once, during a trip to Paris, Margaret feigned the flu so she could avoid royal duties and instead go to the Dior showroom – the Queen Mother was mortified.”

Margaret was smarter than her sister: “She was much brighter than her sister and really suffered from the fact she didn’t have an education,” says royal biographer and author of The American Duchess, Anna Pasternak. “This meant she overindulged, but you feel that came from a sense of impotence. I think it was conceived as rebellion, but she was ahead of her time and thoroughly modern in her outlook. What seemed rebellious through the prism of the period doesn’t feel so today.”

Anne has benefited from Margaret’s trailblazing: The royals that came after her have no doubt gained from Margaret’s accidental trailblazing. “I think Princess Anne has benefitted the most from the path Margaret chose,” says Russell. “She could divorce and marry again and continue to be a happy, valued member of the senior working royal family. “Margaret was also first in that she made the decision that her children shouldn’t have a public life, which many have copied. And she certainly set the trend for Princes William and Harry to marry outside of the aristocracy.”

Margaret never saw herself as the spare: Prince Harry noted in his memoir Spare that he was surprised that he and his great-aunt hadn’t got on better, considering how similar some of their life experience was, but Margaret crucially never saw herself as a “spare” and certainly never pitied herself. “I think all families have ancestral patterns that repeat themselves,” shares Pasternak. “Whether Harry is emotionally intelligent enough to realise that some of his behaviour echoes that of his great aunt, I can’t say.”

[From The Telegraph]

So, the queen’s sister was smarter, more charismatic and more fun than the queen, but she was boxed in throughout her life and miserable in her romantic life and miserable in general, to the point where she abused alcohol throughout her adult life. That’s exactly what they wanted for Harry – they never wanted him to marry, and certainly not to his soulmate and someone he prioritized ahead of the institution. They wanted him forever single or miserable and divorced. They wanted him to be a mess so that the heir would look better in comparison. I wonder if they’ll ever get tired of using Harry’s dead relatives as a cudgel to berate Harry for leaving.

Photos courtesy of Anwar Hussein / Avalon, UPPA/Photoshot / Avalon, TALKING SPORT/Photoshot / Avalon.