Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 2, 1958, Winnipeg, Manitoba Page .6 Winnipeg in Kfir tuesday. December 2, 105s the Townsend Story this is the fourth in a series of excerpts from a Book dealing with the ice affair of Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend. Peter s real test As an Querry came in the Spang of when the Royal family left England on the battleship Vanguard to Start their Long South african tour. It Vasterl three months and covered nearly Miles from first to last Princess mar Garet saw quits a Good Deal of Peter Townsend. He often Rode with her and her sister. As the tour progressed he began to notice that Margaret thin and White faced was finding the tour nerve racking. Whenever he could he helped her and encouraged her. Soon she began to find him More and More indispensable. On the famous climb up the Matoto Hills to Rhodes s grave Peter watched with amusement As Princess. Elizabeth took off her Low heeled shoes and gave them to her Mother to Wear so that the Queen could walk Moie easily on the Slippery Gran Ite. Perhaps during this tour came the beginning of an easy quite unselfconscious relationship Between the Princess and Tow mend a relationship based on Lik ing Trust shared tastes and interests admiration. And during the South african tour Peter endeared himself to the King. He made himself invaluable. Perhaps his happiest moment was when the King put his hand on his shoulder and said laughingly i Don t know what we would do without you petes was at Margaret s Side again when barely eighteen in september the next year she performed her first official act abroad representing her father at the investiture of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. Townsend sat two pews be Hind her in the great new. Church at Amsterdam. When before the service began she looked round nervously like a child lost among so Many grown ups his warm smile gave her Confidence As has been noted the problem of publicity is something thai plagues All members the Royal fam ily. Before she became betrothed to i inn Philip the Quern was the Cen lie the speculative Luw Light. One Flay vent to a working class area to attend a function. The crowd jelled a lines Philip him s Princess Margaret found her afterwards in her Pri suite extremely distressed. She confided to her sister nothing is your own not even your love of Margaret made a mental vow that when she Tell in love she would keep it secret until the announce ment of her betrothal. And she nearly succeeded. Makgaret thought a great Deal about marriage. Once when ing the marriage of two of her friends a marriage of opposites she said seriously i suppose i had bal Ter marry someone firm to keep me in was she thinking of Peter Townsend when Neces sary he could be quite firm with Margaret As he walked along the red carpeted corridors of Buckingham Palace he would run into Margaret trying out a new dress or costume Complete with accessories. Peter Stop and smile at this one woman mannequin Parade. His opinion would be sought. Usually he approved of the new acquisition to the wardrobe but he did t he was Frank. It is not he would comment. The dress would never be seen again. Margaret respected Peter s judgment because he knew about the big outside world. Of him she would ask Tell me How is this done in the big out Side and Peter would Tell her. It was in these Small be ginnings that their Friend ship and affection grew. It was Happy and uncomplicated. And there was their religion or o put it More accurately the spiritual Side of their lives. How vat Nurss j1arajarjet manage to keep her affection for pet i Townsond secret for so Long As we have soon she was Dolci mined to Knop her i Rue feelings from the Plait of pub icily. And yet she perhaps Lerud some the gossip about her alleged suitors. But trom the rime she was seventeen the Rumens bubbled thick and some of the stories like the raging affair supposedly launched when King Michael of Rumania Lent her a theatre program made her laugh. Margaret s potential suit ors who in fact turned out to be nothing More than Csc its to theatres dinner pailhes or night clubs had to be acceptable at to bold Baek to und up Hung Tir and had la be perfectly suited to fit into the cramped rhythm of1 coun life. In to okra twenties both Mai Saret and her Sis l ;