Daily Mail - 19.08.2019

Daily Mail, Monday, August 19, 2019 Page 23
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seen ­hugging ­and ­kissing ­in ­New ­York ­

on ­a ­romantic ­getaway ­to ­celebrate ­ ­

her ­birthday.

PEERLESS FAMILY

CONNECTIONS

Margaret ­was ­the ­younger ­daughter ­

of ­george ­VI ­and ­Queen ­elizabeth ­the ­

Queen ­Mother. ­When ­george’s ­elder ­

brother ­King ­edward ­VIII ­abdicated ­in ­

1936 ­to ­marry ­Wallis ­Simpson, ­her ­father ­

became ­King.

Helena ­comes ­from ­a ­prominent ­

political ­family ­and ­her ­great-grand-

father ­was ­Herbert ­asquith, ­the ­Liberal ­

prime ­minister ­from ­1908 ­to ­1916. ­

Her ­uncle, ­Mark, ­was ­a ­publisher, ­

Liberal ­politician ­and, ­via ­his ­position ­

as ­the ­governor ­of ­the ­royal ­Ballet, ­a ­

friend ­of ­Princess ­Margaret’s. ­Helena ­

said: ­‘My ­uncle ­was ­actually ­very ­close ­

to ­her. ­She ­was ­pretty ­scary. ­at ­one ­

point, ­she ­met ­me ­at ­Windsor ­Castle ­

and ­she ­said: ­“You ­are ­getting ­better, ­[at ­

acting] ­aren’t ­you?’ ­”

Helena’s ­father, ­raymond, ­was ­a ­mer-

chant ­banker ­and ­represented ­the ­Bank ­of ­

england ­at ­the ­IMF. ­Her ­mother ­is ­Span-

ish, ­the ­daughter ­of ­diplomats, ­and ­a ­

psychotherapist. ­Helena ­is ­friends ­with ­

David ­and ­Samantha ­Cameron, ­having ­

got ­to ­know ­the ­former ­prime ­minister ­

when ­he ­was ­working ­at ­Carlton ­tV.

She ­is ­also ­a ­distant ­cousin ­of ­the ­

Duchess ­of ­Cambridge. ­She ­said ­in ­an ­

interview: ­‘I’m ­posh, ­but ­not ­that ­posh!’ ­

She ­added: ­‘I’m ­not ­sure ­which ­I’m ­

more ­terrified ­about ­— ­doing ­justice ­to ­the ­

real ­Princess ­Margaret ­or ­following ­in ­the ­

shoes ­of ­Vanessa ­Kirby’s ­Princess ­Margaret.’

SEMI-DETACHED

MARRIAGES

HeLeNa ­and ­tim ­Burton ­never ­married, ­

but ­were ­together ­for ­13 ­years, ­six ­films, ­and ­

two ­children, ­Billy ­and ­Nell. ­Famously ­they ­

lived ­in ­two ­adjoining ­houses ­in ­North ­

­London, ­with ­Helena ­explaining ­that ­this ­

was ­the ­ideal ­solution ­because ­he ­snored ­and ­

she ­talked ­in ­her ­sleep. ­Her ­house ­apparently ­

looked ­like ­something ­out ­of ­Beatrix ­Potter, ­

while ­his ­was ­decorated ­with ­‘aliens ­lights’ ­

and ­‘skeletons’. ­a ­corridor ­linked ­the ­two.

She ­said: ­‘the ­mark ­of ­a ­successful ­rela-

tionship ­shouldn’t ­be ­whether ­you’re ­there ­

forever ­after. ­Sometimes ­you’re ­not ­meant ­to ­

be ­forever ­together. ­Sometimes ­you ­have ­to ­

come ­to ­terms ­with ­the ­fact ­— ­that ­was ­it. ­

But ­that ­was ­a ­massive ­gift. ­We ­gave ­each ­

other ­children ­and ­a ­lot ­more.’

Margaret ­was ­married ­to ­photographer ­

Lord ­(tony) ­Snowdon ­from ­1960 ­to ­1978 ­and ­

they ­had ­children ­David ­and ­Sarah. ­the ­mar-

riage ­disintegrated ­in ­the ­mid-Sixties, ­and ­

some ­blamed ­Snowdon’s ­commitment ­to ­

work. ­Biographer ­anne ­de ­Courcy ­said: ­

­‘Margaret’s ­template ­of ­marriage ­was ­quite ­

different ­from ­tony’s. ­He ­had ­parents ­who ­

split, ­while ­her ­parents’ ­and ­sister’s ­marriage ­

were ­very ­happy. ­He ­had ­a ­workshop ­in ­the ­

basement ­of ­Kensington ­Palace, ­and ­while ­

she ­was ­understanding ­of ­his ­work ­commit-

ments, ­Margaret ­didn’t ­realise ­it ­would ­take ­

him ­away ­from ­her ­so ­much.’

Snowdon ­started ­to ­have ­casual ­flings ­while ­

away ­on ­assignment ­and ­in ­1969 ­had ­an ­affair ­

with ­Lady ­Jacqueline ­rufus-Isaacs, ­which ­

upset ­Margaret ­greatly. ­

Ben ­Daniels, ­who ­plays ­Snowdon ­in ­the ­

Crown, ­said: ­‘they’re ­such ­extraordinary ­

people, ­completely ­addicted ­to ­each ­other. ­

right ­up ­until ­the ­minute ­they ­were ­getting ­

divorced, ­they ­still ­had ­a ­strong ­physical ­

relationship. ­People ­often ­said ­it ­was ­like ­

foreplay ­for ­them, ­having ­a ­row. ­they’d ­have ­

these ­huge ­rows ­and ­then ­amazing ­sex.’

THEIR SUPERSTAR

SHOWBIZ FRIENDS

BotH ­women ­are ­at ­home ­with ­superstars ­

— ­Johnny ­Depp ­is ­godfather ­to ­both ­of ­

­Helena’s ­children. ­Margaret ­famously ­moved ­

in ­circles ­which ­included ­actors ­Peter ­Sellers ­

and ­David ­Niven ­and ­Mick ­Jagger ­— ­and ­is ­

said ­to ­have ­had ­romances ­with ­Sellers, ­

Niven ­and ­even ­Warren ­Beatty.

A ROYAL TASTE FOR CIGS AND SWIGS

THERE’S a shared love

of gloves, big hair and

diamond chandelier

earrings — as well as

favouring the same

style of dark glasses,

the colour green

and small hats

with a veil.

DIAMONDS A

BEST FRIEND

Pictures: REX SHUTTERSTOCK / ALPHA GLOBE PHOTOS / MEG PRODS KOBAL / GETTY / STARTRAKS /

BETTMANN ARCHIVE / DENNIS VAN TINE / REGINALD DAVIS / UNIVERSAL PRESS / SPLASHNEWS.COM

True blues: Princess

Margaret, aged 61

in 1991, and actress

Helena Bonham Carter

THE Princess loved to drink and smoke. Six

years before she died, Gordon Ramsay

complained that on a visit to his award-

winning restaurant: ‘She started with Scotch

and went on drinking for three hours. The

ashtray had to be changed every three

minutes. I find it hard to believe she could

have tasted the pudding.’

Bonham Carter says she enjoys a drink but

her real vice is caffeine.

Margaret had a lung operation in 1985, a

bout of pneumonia in 1993 and several

strokes. She died in February 2002.

Helena Bonham Carter was a smoker in her

20s but is now thought to have kicked the

habit. In the 1999 film Fight Club she played a

character who smoked continuously. Helena

said that director David Fincher ‘got

obsessed with the smoke. It had to float in a

particular way. So I was just always sitting

there in a cemetery of cigarette butts’.

During filming she contracted bronchitis

and her farewell gift to Fincher was an X-ray

of her lungs.