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princess margaret and queen

Princess Margaret's special sister bond with the Queen

They remained close over the years

Lily Waddell
Premium Content Editor
September 19, 2022
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Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret were just like regular sisters, who loved each other unconditionally.

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Her Majesty the Queen died aged 96 at Balmoral on September 8 and on Monday everyone mourned her passing while the royal family reunited at her state funeral.

Over the course of her life, she formed one of her closest bonds with her sister Princess Margaret. 

sisters

The sisters enjoying the day in the grounds of the Royal Lodge

Born four years apart, there was no doubt the royal sisters couldn't be more different.

"Lilibet is my pride, Margaret my joy," their father King George VI said.

Both well loved for their differences, Princess Margaret delighted everyone with her mischievous side while people were fond of Queen Elizabeth II's dutiful nature.

sisters and queen mother

The Queen mother with Queen and Princess Margaret

Despite this, the siblings shared a deep connection over the years until Princess Margaret's death in 2002 which left the Queen heartbroken.

In a rare display of emotion in public at the time, the late monarch was seen crying at her sister's funeral. 

Charles said at the time: "This is a terribly sad day for all my family, but particularly of course for the Queen, my mama, and my grandmother, the Queen Mother."

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Princess Margaret had always affectionately called Her Majesty "Lilibet" in private, behind closed doors, although she referred to her as The Queen in public.

While their relationship wasn't without their squabbles and trials over the years, their love had no end.

Inseparable from a young age, it is no surprise throughout their lives they chatted every day and giggled away on their direct phone line between Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace.

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"They had a love, friendship, and conspiracy that were impressive to behold," a royal family friend of the sisters, Reinaldo Herrera, said.

In her own words, Princess Margaret hailed her sister for having a "kind of magic" as she revealed she was mesmerised by Queen Elizabeth II.

She told author Andrew Duncan in the late 1960s: "My sister has an aura. I'm enormously impressed when she walks into a room. It's a kind of magic."

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