Why Queen Elizabeth Asked Princess Margaret To Postpone Her Engagement Announcement

Queen Elizabeth asked Princess Margaret for a favor after the latter told her that she is already engaged to Antony Armstrong-Jones.

During the holiday season, Princess Margaret and Armstrong-Jones told Her Majesty that they will soon get married, and the monarch gave them her blessing. However, she urged the couple to not make an announcement regarding their wedding plans just yet.

Since the Queen was pregnant with Prince Andrew at that time, she asked Princess Margaret to postpone the announcement. Royal etiquette seemingly dictated that the late royal should wait until after Prince Andrew’s birth to announce her engagement.

The royal courtiers didn’t want Princess Margaret’s engagement to overshadow the birth of the Queen and Prince Philip’s third child. As of late, the claim has not been confirmed by the palace.

But Prince Andrew was born in 1960, and Princess Margaret’s engagement was announced one week later.

“It is with the greatest pleasure that Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother announces the betrothal of her beloved daughter, Princess Margaret, to Mr. Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, son of Mr. R. O. L. Armstrong-Jones, Queen’s Counsel, and the Countess of Rosse, to which union the Queen has gladly given her consent,” the announcement read.

Several years later, reports claimed that Princess Eugenie also did a similar thing before she announced her engagement to Jack Brooksbank.

The couple has been dating for several years, and they have been talking about their plans to get married. However, since Prince Harry hasn’t tied the knot yet, Princess Eugenie had to wait for her cousin to announce her engagement to Meghan Markle first since his ranking in higher than her.

Shortly after Prince Harry and Markle got engaged, Princess Eugenie also announced her plans to tie the knot with Brooksbank. The royal couples both sealed the deal at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wed on May 19, 2018, and Princess Eugenie and Brooksbank tied the knot on Oct. 12.