Hours after the death his aunt Princess Margaret, a visibly affected Prince of Wales thanked members of the public for their condolences on behalf of his mother and grandmother in a televised broadcast. In the heartfelt commentary, which aired late on Saturday afternoon, Charles shared fond memories of his “darling aunt”, saying sadly: “We shall all miss her dreadfully.”
Speaking from Sandringham, the Prince made a candid and apparently unscripted speech which honoured the memory of the Princess and revealed the family’s sorrow over its loss.
“This is a terribly sad day for all my family,” he said, “but particularly of course for my Mama the Queen, my grandmother, the Queen Mother and also for Princess Margaret's children, David and Sarah, and also my aunt's wonderful friends who will, like all of us, miss her deeply.”
Recounting tales of happier times in the life of his mother’s sister, the Prince smiled as he spoke of Margaret’s "incredible" skill at music and crossword puzzles, and his memories of her sitting at the piano with an elegant cigarette holder in her mouth. Calling her “a woman of great beauty”, he said: “My aunt was one of those remarkable people who, apart from being so incredibly vital… also had such incredible talents.”
Paying tribute to Margaret’s famous joie de vivre, he described her as a person who lived life and loved it to the full, adding “and for that we will always remember her.”
He went on to acknowledge the ill health that had plagued the 71-year-old in her later years, saying the last few years were hard for both the Princess and the entire royal family. “As dreadfully sad as death is at times like this,” he said, “I think, in a way, for her it must have been a merciful release, as many people will understand, for somebody who was such a vital and free spirit.”
Only a BBC crew and a Press Association reporter were allowed to be present at the recording of the videotaping.
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