Princess Margaret & Capt. Townsend

All

Some years ago I was told that the late Princess and the Captain used to meet up in the single building which currently stands to the east of The Angel pub in Rotherhithe. The same story suggested that the Captain was there as the Princess sailed off with AA-J on her honeymoon.

Has anyone else heard this story and/or any other versions?

Niall

I thought the one she cooked for at Rotherhithe was the chippes dad...snowdon..?.

It was Tony Armstrong-Jones (later m'Lord Snowdon) who had a rented studio in Rotherhithe.

"In 1958, he met Princess Margaret and, in order to muffle the relationship as much as possible, rented an apartment [sic] in darkest Rotherhithe, where they ate fish and chips straight from the wrapper."


From a quick Google, it seems that a picture by their daughter was up for sale at a midland auction house last month...

SARAH ARMSTRONG - JONES,
'Rotherhithe Studios', signed with initials, charcoals, 12" x 14".
Estimate £ 30 - 50

Jan & Rabbie

A A-J did have a Rotherhithe studio but it was the location of PM's meetings with Capt. Townsend that interested me. Down of the river by The Angel seemed such an odd location to pick but I've seen it referred to more than once. Who did they know who introduced them to Rotherhithe?

Niall

Last night I was told that A A-J's place was in the terrace adjacent to the single existing building next to the Angel. So I doubt Captain Townsend would have visited that address. This leaves the question - where did PM and CaptT spend time together?

Niall

Niall...how nice that you CARE! I am of the generation that knew A A-J (we used to refer to him as Stongarm Jones) when he knocked around the Markham pub in the Kings Road with a pretty chinese model called Jackie Chan and all he was was a photographer and short.

Jackie

He may be short but a quick look at his snaps suggests that he knows more than the average short person does about lighting, although I'm no expert on short people and wouldn't wish to stereotype them in any way. As to the 'strong-arm' epithet, I obviously didn't move in the rarefied circles of the Kings Road in the 1960s so couldn't comment and don't care.

Regards

Niall

That's a bit short, Niall! Frankly, I also was surprised to see that you care but from your last post I understand that you admire him as a photographer?

Thanks, Mauritz, I was surprised that Niall decided to take my remarks so personally....rather silly, but there you go. Yes. Strongarm Jones was always a super photographer, and a nice chap, and I never had a thing against him...not then and not now. But his romance with PM is a matter of supreme indifference to me - he is and was then just another one of the boys we knew.

Maurits/Jackie

I'm rather less interested in AAJ/PM than I am in the history of buildings in the borough, hence my original question which was regarding Princess Margaret and Captain Townsend. If you can add anything to that enquiry, I would be very pleased.

Regards and best wishes

Niall