Claim: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon is a member of a royal family.

Princess Margaret , Countess of Snowdon , -LRB- Margaret Rose ; 21 August 1930 -- 9 February 2002 -RRB- was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom and the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II .   Margaret spent much of her childhood in the company of her older sister and parents . Her life changed dramatically in 1936 , when her paternal uncle , King Edward VIII , abdicated to marry a divorcée , Wallis Simpson . Margaret 's father became King , and her older sister became heir presumptive , with Margaret second in line to the throne . During World War II , the two sisters stayed at Windsor Castle , despite suggestions to evacuate them to Canada . During the war years , Margaret was considered too young to perform any official duties and instead continued her education .   After the war , Margaret fell in love with Group Captain Peter Townsend . In 1952 , Margaret 's father died , her sister became Queen , and Townsend divorced his first wife . Early the following year , he proposed to Margaret . Many in the government believed he would be an unsuitable husband for the Queen 's 22-year-old sister , and the Church of England refused to countenance a marriage to a divorced man . Margaret eventually abandoned her plans with him and in 1960 , she accepted the proposal of the photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones , who was created Earl of Snowdon by the Queen . The couple had two children . They divorced in 1978 .   Margaret was often viewed as a controversial member of the British royal family . Her divorce earned her negative publicity , and she was romantically associated with several men . Her health gradually deteriorated in the final two decades of her life . A heavy smoker for most of her adult life , she had a lung operation in 1985 , a bout of pneumonia in 1993 , and at least three strokes between 1998 and 2001 . She died at King Edward VII Hospital on 9 February 2002 .