By 1947 Princess Margaret was the only princess resident at Buckingham Palace after her elder sister Elizabeth moved to Clarence House. In the winter of 1947, when Princess Margaret was just 16 years old, the royal family embarked on a tour of South Africa, giving the princess her first taste of the royal duties she would soon be undertaking herself. When she turned 17, the Princess made her formal debut into society and was given a full public role.
In Princess Margaret’s first year of ‘coming out’ on the public scene she had more than 50 official engagements, easing her into her new role as she recognised the importance of her responsibilities as the princess of a royal family.
In 1949, after meeting Sharman Douglas, the daughter of the American Ambassador, the Princess’s social calendar also grew significantly as she attended many lavish balls and formed friendships with several young wealthy aristocrats including John Dalkeith and Sunny Blandford.
Main image: Princess Margaret at Princess Elizabeth’s 21st birthday party in Capetown, 1947. (TopFoto.co.uk)
