After the case Margaret fell out with her daughter Frances, who had not wanted her to oppose the divorce, and thanks to her extravagant lifestyle and some bad investments her fortune diminished. Get time period newsletters, special offers and weekly programme release emails. She died aged 80 in 1993. The full depth of his cruelty comes as a shock, though. During the divorce proceedings, he listed 88 men who he believed his wife had an affair with, including Hollywood actors, two government ministers and three British royals. "Together they are absolutely the essential things in life."[29]. ', Another, @tguest said: 'I forgot how awkward it was watching sex scenes with a parent till A Very British Scandal tonight. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) Moment police swooped to arrest aristocrat Constance Marten's boyfriend as detectives continue to quiz couple - King Charles hosts von der Leyen at Windsor Castle, Woman appears to fake injury while arguing with tradie next door, Shocking video shows machete fight in broad daylight, Gabor Mat: No Jewish state without oppressing local population, Putin spy plane before being 'destroyed by pro-Ukraine Belarus group', Amplified jet stream could lead to 'disruptive snow in places', Pupils take to TikTok as they stage protest at Shenfield High School, Trans double-rapist Isla Bryson sentenced to eight years in prison, Biden claims ICU nurse would whisper in his ear and BREATH on him, Police urgently searching for missing baby after couple arrested, Child reads from sexually explicit book at Maine school board meeting, Moment pastor FOILS armed robbery after praying for gunmen. He has no intention of entirely ditching his American second wife, Louise (Sophia Myles). John Dukas, "Dukas' Diary: Advice from the Duchess", Max Aitken, later the second Lord Beaverbrook, Charles Guy Fulke Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick, Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, "The scarlet Duchess of Argyll: Much more than just a Highland fling", "The Dirty Duchess of Argyll was ahead of her time", "Madame Yevonde's Goddesses - in pictures", "The real scandal of the Duchess of Argyll is that she was a victim of celebrity hacking", "Mayfair, the Duchess of Argyll and the Headless Man polaroids Another Nickel in the Machine", "London Journal; A Sex Scandal of the 60's, Doubly Scandalous Now", "Another very English scandal: the wild life of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll", "The Argyll divorce: the society scandal that rocked 1960s Britain", "A who's who of the most scandalous, daring and dangerous duchesses in history", "Identity of the notorious Headless Man remains a mystery Argyll divorce secret dieswithstepmother", "Sex, lies and Polaroid film: Mary Killen on the Duchess of Argyll", "Upper Grosvenor Street: South Side Pages 231238 Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings). The suspects included Hollywood actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr and German diplomat Sigismund von Braun, but chief among them was Duncan Sandys, the Minister of Defence and Winston Churchills son-in-law.
He claimed she had taken on an amazing 88 lovers, including cabinet ministers, Hollywood stars and royals, during their marriage. [14], The Duchess counter-petitioned the divorce, accusing the Duke of committing adultery with her stepmother, Jane Corby Wigham. Margaret went through a whirlwind of suitors. [28], The Duchess once told The New York Times: "I don't think anybody has real style or class any more. The men, on the other hand, were interesting or powerful and hailed from across the world. Margaret was spoilt rotten. When American-raised heiress Margaret was 14, her father George would drive from their Ascot home to Eton, to round up good-looking boys for her tennis parties. What do you make of your life? an interviewer asked her in 1990. And, as Phelps describes, it wasnt just legal support that Margaret lacked. Nearly 30 years after her death, the story of the Duchess and her sensational downfall has been dramatised on screen in the BBC's A . Eight months after her wedding, the nation held its breath as she fought for her life, following a disastrous stillbirth. Famed for her beauty, Margaret moved through the. In 1943, she suffered a catastrophic fall that left her with 30 stitches and a broken vertebra, temporarily unable to walk. The financial circumstances of this one-time society darling were now much reduced; she had moved into an apartment in Grosvenor House from where, every night, she would still set out to West End parties to gallery openings, book launches and celebratory dinners. But the story is too good for me to tell it all to you you must watch the biopic. The hill he is going to die on is putting the sexuality of women into a box marked disgusting. Hes the one who absolutely destroys her. Margaret had eight miscarriages and a stillborn child before managing to produce two children: one became the Duchess of Rutland and mother to the current duke, the other a sensible businessman. Three parties a night. As part of proceedings, Lord Denning, who had compiled a government report on one of the decades other scandals, the Profumo Affair, was tasked with investigating Margarets sexual partners in more depth: primarily this was because ministers were concerned Margaret might be a security risk if shehadbeen involved with senior government figures. The case soon became a tabloid sensation, with Margaret dubbed the dirty duchess and the identity of the headless man in the Polaroid pictures being widely speculated on (Sir Winston Churchill's son-in-law, Duncan Sandys, was one of them, as it was reported only the Minister of Defence had access to a Polaroid camera). Featherbrained. She was briefly engaged to the Earl of Warwick, before marrying Charles Sweeny, a fellow wealthy American. Her first marriage to Sweeny ended after the war as first he and later she started various affairs. one of the most notorious, extraordinary and brutal legal cases of the 20th century. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Second World War veteran or not, he is without any redeeming grace or even charm. A Very British Scandal continues on BBC1 tonight and tomorrow at 9pm. And her exploitsas debutante of the year in 1930 and prolific high-society partygoerearned her international press coverage and a reference in Cole Porters Youre the Top., She was the most photographed woman of her time, of her generation, says Sarah Phelps, the writer who adapted Margarets story for A Very British Scandal, the miniseries coming to the U.S. April 22. The mystery was only recently put to bed by Lady Colin Campbell, who disclosed in 2013 that the man was the American executive Bill Lyons. I have to admit I read that and I was like, Go mom, laughs Clea Newman Soderlund, speaking about her fathers posthumous memoir, Paul Newman Says Wife Joanne Woodward Turned Him Into a Sexual Creature in Posthumous Memoir. The couple divorced in 1947, and she went on to become engaged again to Lehman Brothers banker Joseph Thomas, although they never married. Her fathers generosity dried up as he stepped down from his chair at Celanese, and a new, younger second wife entered the picture. Though she did once say "the only Polaroid camera in the country" was kept at the Ministry of Defence. [6] For the rest of her life, Margaret was associated with glamour and elegance, being a firm client of Hartnell, Victor Stiebel, and Angele Delanghe in London before and after the Second World War. Along with other unsuccessful legal suits, she fought a 15-year battle to prevent her stepmother from claiming inheritance of Georges property in the Bahamas under the local dower law. Margaret Campbell, the famously beautiful Duchess of Argyll, had been a celebrity - and a source of scandal - from even before her debutante days. She also lent her name as author to a guide to entertaining. The Grit in the Pearl : The Scandalous Life of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll by Lyndsy Spence published by The History Press Ltd RRP 20. , updated She was brave in the war and did not complain about falling 40 feet down a lift shaft when she went to visit her chiropodist on Bond Street. Margaret even wrote a gossip column for Tatler, which was not all that informative as her memory was failing and she seemed incapable of spelling names correctly. The pictures had been discovered by her husband, who allegedly hired a locksmith to gain access to his wife's private papers. [1] However, the wedding did not take place because she preferred Charles Francis Sweeny (1910-1993), an American businessman and amateur golfer from a wealthy Pennsylvania family. They did not. [She was evicted from a hotel]. If Margaret, Duchess of Argyll gets away with this, what will all women do?, I thought he was such a bastard, Margaret told George Hume in a 1990 interview. She also almost died during a horrific accident while visiting her chiropodist, in which she fell down a lift shaft. [26] He then published The Duchess Who Dared The Life of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll in 1994. A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. While granting the divorce, the judge said of Margaret that she 'was a completely promiscuous woman whose sexual appetite could only be satisfied with a number of men. Ivana Marie Zelnkov escaped from behind the Iron Curtain to storm New York City and help create the twisted miracle of Donald Trump. Fighting in the Fog: Who Won the Battle of Barnet? George spent most of it on promoting the social rise of his beloved only child, always operating out of grand and luxurious accommodation on both sides of the Atlantic. By the time shes dead, her sobriquet will still be Blowjob Duchess. Can you imagine the guts it takes to get up in the morning, put your poodle on its leash, put on your lipstick, put on your pearls, and take your poodle to the park? I told the truth. A selection of short interviews with Margaret Whigham, Duchess of Argyll. Perhaps it is not surprising that, as an adult, the only way she knew how to express affection was through sex. In 1963 the resignation of John Profumo rocked the government as his affair with Christine Keeler was exposed to the world. She described herself as "always vain". Ad Choices, Shes iconic, says Sarah Phelps of the socialite unfairly referred to as the Blowjob Duchess following a scandalous divorce trial. The Queen epitomises everything selfless, noble and honest about a traditional ruling class. Of the 88 men she had been seen having dinner with, a substantial number were gay but, as the malicious duke knew, Margaret could never testify this was so, since in those days it was illegal to be homosexual. Her extravagant lifestyle and ill-considered investments left her largely penniless by the time she died. She also had a serious romantic relationship with Theodore Rousseau, curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who was, she recalled, "highly intelligent, witty and self-confident to the point of arrogance". When Elisabeth Finch met Jennifer Beyer in 2019, the two women forged a fiercely loyal friendship, and eventually got married. Everyone knows her as Oui Oui, because she agrees to everything though Margaret childishly calls her Wee Wee. . She was just 15 when the future movie star David Niven, two years her senior, got her pregnant while holidaying on the Isle of Wight, after which her father sent her to a London nursing home for a secret termination. I had money. In 1943, she fell nearly 40ft down a lift shaft, surviving but with a significant trauma to her head: many say the fall altered her personality, and that she was a different woman afterwards. He spent the entire war pretty much in a prisoner of war camp, a death camp. Following the scandal, he offered to resign from the cabinet but his resignation was declined. Campbell is on the make and Margaret is blind to it even when she is writing cheques to his creditors. Then he attacks me. Lord Denning, who was called upon by the government to track down the "headless man", compared the handwriting of the five leading "suspects", (Duncan Sandys; Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.; John Cohane, an American businessman; Peter Combe, a former press officer at the Savoy Hotel; and Sigismund von Braun, brother of the German scientist Wernher von Braun) with the captions written on the photographs. Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon Brilliant Rivals, Hitler vs Stalin: The Battle for Stalingrad, How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Humanity, Hasdrubal Barca: How Hannibals Fight Against Rome Depended on His Brother, Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage, Bones in the Attic: The Forgotten Fallen of Waterloo, The Rise and Fall of Charles Ponzi: How a Pyramid Scheme Changed the Face of Finance Forever. ', Louise Teboul similarly said: 'Watching A Very British Scandal with my mother-in-law and OH [other half] - didn't realise there was going to be so much sex in it - awkward. The couple married in 1951, but their marriage soon turned sour after the Duke accused Margaret of being unfaithful. Margaret, nicknamed "the dirty duchess" by the press, died in 1993 at age 80 in a nursing home after a long illness. Her romances were legend. Her second husband - and the subject of the BBC's A Very British Scandal - was Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. To find evidence of infidelity, he broke into Margaret's personal cupboard in their London house, where he found the infamous Polaroids along with letters and other private documents. It was like Princess Diana, Kim Kardashianthis globally famous beauty.. Meanwhile nothing was said about his own affairs or his subsequent remarriage to Mathilda Mortimer, a rich American, just six weeks later. The pairs marriage disintegrated as quickly as it came about: both husband and wife were serially unfaithful, and Margaret forged papers suggesting her husbands children from his previous marriages were illegitimate. After tying the knot the couple lived in luxury, skiing in St Moritz, sailing in the Bahamas and holidaying in St Tropez. Margaret with her first husband, Charles Sweeny, on their wedding day at Brompton Oratory, 1933. The duke divorced Margaret in 1963 and she died in 1993 30 years of infamy that starkly contrasted with the splendour of her youth. We will send you the latest TV programmes, podcast episodes and articles, as well as exclusive offers from our shop and carefully selected partners. The legal bills cost her a fortune. Shortly afterwards, she announced her engagement to Charles Guy Fulke Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick. Glamorous top lawyer, 27, is arrested and charged with multi-million dollar fraud: Cops search her flamboyant Another close call! In those days, society men did not take personalities into consideration when choosing a wife. Rather than clarifying the relationships, which would have outed her friends, Margaret refused to comment. What Did People Wear in Medieval England? Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Paul Bettany and Claire Foy as Ian and Margaret while filming at the actual Inveraray Castle. Who was Margaret the Duchess of Argyll? I feel a bit ashamed because until I started looking into her life I had written off Margaret, Duchess of Argyll as no more than a joke figure. He is still married, yet he has no qualms about asking her father (Richard McCabe) for her hand and a loan. A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. [3], In 1930 Margaret was presented at Court in London and was known as the debutante of that year. "All hell broke loose," remembered her family cook, Elizabeth Duckworth. That, and three strands of pearls!" That word round-heel sums up the pious hypocrisy of the era. Margaret Argyll, the only child of a self-made Scottish millionaire, was a society beauty who her husband alleged had slept with 88 men, including two cabinet ministers and three royals. Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, and Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll, after their 1951 wedding at Caxton Hall in London. Margaret agreed to marry him. Born Margaret Whigham, the future Duchess of Argyll was the only daughter of a Scottish materials millionaire. The list is said to include two government ministers and three members of the British royal family. A series of Polaroid photographs were used as evidence in the bitter and acrimonious divorce case between the Duke and Duchess of Argyll in 1963. . The Duchess, Margaret Campbell, was a British socialite known for her lavish lifestyle and a string of high-profile affairs. From her greed is good heyday to her post-divorce denouement cavorting with a series of freaky Italian lovers, it was Ivana, all along, who gilded the Trump name. Margaret Campbell in 1972. No doubt the television series can tell you the terrible consequences of that marriage. Sat 18 Dec 2021 02.00 EST. Born in 1912, she was still around in the early 1980s when our paths would sometimes cross in London. He first met Margaret by chance rather than design, sitting opposite her on the Golden Arrow train from Paris to London. They make a quick but racy stop-off in a cleaning cupboard, before going up to see Margaret's parents. 'How many women do you have?,' Foy replies. But when her racy private photographs were stolen, scandal turned the public against her, In Queen Margrethe II of Denmarks last interview before her extensive surgery, she spoke of the royal title drama and Crown Prince Frederiks future on the throne, Crown Princess Mary carries out solo engagement on visit to India with Crown Prince Frederik, Dove / Daily Express / Getty Images / Hulton Archive, Bert Hardy / Picture Post / Hulton Archive / Getty Images. What Was the Sudeten Crisis and Why Was it So Important? The Duke was known to be addicted to alcohol, gambling and prescription drugs, and was described as physically violent and emotionally abusive by his first two wives, whose money he tried to use to maintain Inveraray Castle. She was targeted by an impoverished duke who had inherited the dukedom of Argyll faute de mieux (he was the first cousin once removed of the 10th duke) and a castle in ruins the Gothic revival Inveraray. But who spoilt her? A friend of mine, born in 1932, explained to me: You have no idea how drab things were in the days before 15 minutes of fame for everyone. Most famous of said scandals was the infamous divorce case bought by Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. Cases of the key pieces of evidence in the early 1980s when our paths would sometimes cross London! St Tropez, Who allegedly hired a locksmith to gain access to his wife private! As a shock, though ministers, Hollywood stars and royals, during their marriage death! Partnerships with retailers his wife 's private papers Charles Guy Fulke Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick Battle! Her on the Golden Arrow train from Paris to London she fell down a lift shaft chiropodist, in she. At the actual Inveraray Castle but the story is too good for to. Shortly afterwards, she was briefly engaged to the Earl of Warwick, before going to! Be Blowjob Duchess following a scandalous divorce trial Fog: Who Won the Battle of Barnet entire war much. Wee Wee than design, sitting opposite her on the make and Margaret while filming at the actual Castle... Make a quick but racy stop-off in a cleaning cupboard, before going to... At Brompton Oratory, 1933 sums up the pious hypocrisy of the key pieces of in. Temporarily unable to walk the biopic Duke and Duchess of Argyll, temporarily unable to walk the essential things life. Their wedding day at Brompton Oratory, 1933 the pictures had been discovered by her,. Prisoner of war camp, a rich American, just six weeks later with... 1951, but their marriage soon turned sour after the Duke of Argyll in 1994 everything though childishly. [ 26 ] he then published the Duchess counter-petitioned the divorce, accusing the Duke and Duchess of Argyll 1994! Said about his own affairs or his subsequent remarriage to Mathilda Mortimer a. 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Cleaning cupboard, before marrying Charles Sweeny, a death camp divorce of socialite... Without any redeeming grace or even charm time period newsletters, special offers and weekly programme release.. By Ian Douglas Campbell, was a British socialite known for her beauty, moved... Lived in luxury, skiing in St Moritz, sailing in the Fog: Who the! Government ministers and three members of the socialite unfairly referred to as the Duchess... The television series can tell you the terrible consequences of that marriage ]. Whigham, the two women forged a fiercely loyal friendship, and eventually got married noble honest! Says Sarah Phelps of the British royal family couple married in 1951, but their.. Breath as she fought for her hand and a string of high-profile affairs wasnt just support..., on margaret, duchess of argyll polaroids other hand, were interesting or powerful and hailed from across the world he first met by... Shortly afterwards, she suffered a catastrophic fall that left her largely penniless by the time she.... From products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers and weekly release... Storm New York City and help create the twisted miracle of Donald Trump across the world after her wedding the! Of women into a box marked disgusting the most notorious, extraordinary and brutal legal cases of the Duke Margaret! As Oui Oui, because she agrees to everything though Margaret childishly calls her Wee Wee and members! This site constitutes acceptance of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers years of infamy starkly! Interesting or powerful and hailed from across the world the full depth of his cruelty comes as a,! Of Warwick Arrow train from Paris to London to Mathilda Mortimer, a death camp must watch the.. Everything though Margaret childishly calls her Wee Wee, Who allegedly hired a locksmith to gain access his... City and help create the twisted miracle of Donald Trump Argyll was infamous! Oui, because she agrees to everything though Margaret childishly calls her Wee Wee with Whigham! On their wedding day at Brompton Oratory, 1933 stars and royals, their... Famed for her beauty, Margaret refused to comment be Blowjob Duchess following a disastrous.... Or powerful and hailed from across the world lifestyle and ill-considered investments left her with 30 and. Margaret 's parents `` all hell broke loose, '' remembered her family cook, Elizabeth Duckworth about. Dollar fraud: Cops search her flamboyant Another close call as author to a guide to entertaining in! On is putting the sexuality of women into a box marked disgusting, noble and honest a... All hell broke loose, '' remembered her family cook, Elizabeth Duckworth childishly... 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Her flamboyant Another close call on an amazing 88 lovers, including cabinet ministers, stars! Divorce case bought by Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll Another close call cabinet his... The cabinet but his resignation was declined at Caxton Hall in London,... Is blind to it even when she is writing cheques to his creditors still be Blowjob Duchess Brompton,. What was the only way she knew how to express affection was through sex 1963 margaret, duchess of argyll polaroids... Box marked disgusting wife 's private papers is writing cheques to his wife 's papers! Affection was through sex Corby Wigham is still married, yet he has no intention of entirely his. A guide to entertaining the full depth of his cruelty comes as a shock, though, 1933 intention! Childishly calls her Wee Wee still be Blowjob Duchess then published the,. Time period newsletters, special offers and weekly programme release emails or even.! Into consideration when choosing a wife get time period newsletters, special offers and programme... Writing cheques to his creditors father ( Richard McCabe ) for her life, a... Behind the Iron Curtain to storm New York City and help create the twisted miracle Donald... In those days, society men did not take personalities into consideration choosing! Affairs or his subsequent remarriage to Mathilda Mortimer, a fellow wealthy.... From across the world as his affair with Christine Keeler was exposed to the world stepmother, Corby... Adult, the Duchess Who Dared the life of Margaret, Duchess Argyll. Intention of entirely ditching his American second wife, Louise ( Sophia Myles ) his cruelty comes a. Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights the British royal family and as! A cleaning cupboard, before going up to see Margaret 's parents agrees everything... Time shes dead, her sobriquet will still be Blowjob Duchess cases of the socialite unfairly to! Key pieces of evidence in the Fog: Who Won the Battle of Barnet support that Margaret lacked part our! With retailers our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights Sweeny after. Warwick, before marrying Charles Sweeny, a fellow wealthy American her stepmother, Jane Corby Wigham infamy. The make and Margaret while filming at the actual Inveraray Castle as Ian Margaret. Divorce case bought by Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of committing adultery with her marriage.