New Details Of Princess Margaret's Health Issues The Palace Kept Secret

We might think that only recently have members of the royal family started rebelling and misbehaving, but that's far from the truth. Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth, made a splash by being the complete opposite of the prim and proper royal: she was funny, outspoken, and even a bit scandalous. Yet her charms were hiding a host of health issues and family struggles that culminated in a harsh tragedy that no one was ready for.

"Disobedience Is My Joy"

Margaret went out of her way to distance herself from the duties of the royal family. "Thank God the other one was born first," she once said about her older sister. The Princess demonstrated that she had little patience for decorum too, as she once announced "Disobedience is my joy." However, that flippant attitude may have been compensating for a vulnerability that she just couldn't shake.

Born Into Royalty

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, otherwise known as Margaret Rose, was born on August 21, 1930, in Glamis Castle in Angus, Scotland. The younger daughter of King George VI (then Prince Albert) and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the infant royal had a lot to live up to. Oddly enough, her parents waited a few days before naming her.

Delayed Naming

Margaret wasn’t born prematurely, but her name came several days after her birth because her parents wanted to avoid her being numbered 13 in the parish register. Unfortunately, Margaret wouldn’t be able to escape being unlucky, though she would rarely admit that fact.

Fourth In Line

At the time of her birth, Margaret was fourth in line to the throne. Some say it was easy for her to slip between the cracks because of it, but she may have been destined for trouble. She always stood out in sharp contrast to her older sister, Elizabeth.