What happened to Princess Margaret? True story of royal's final days

The episode intercuts flashbacks of Margaret and her sister Elizabeth during the celebration of VE day with her declining health in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com about the emotional final scenes before Margaret's death, actress Imelda Staunton who plays the Queen said: "When you're establishing those sisters in season one, and then completing their journey now, it's so rewarding to do those scenes, because, you know, we are obviously hanging so much stuff on real events and protocol and the institution, but then when you get the human dilemmas that are happening, and particularly with those two women, because they were sisters before she was Queen, and they were both princesses before she was Queen.

"And so to have this episode as being two sisters, I think it was really, it was so moving. And, and I mean, Peter Morgan is sort of always at his best, but I think when he we get a chance to have that sort of writing, it's, it's, it's so satisfying to do."

So, what really happened to Princess Margaret?

What happened to Princess Margaret? True story of royal's final days

How did Princess Margaret die?

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon died at the age of 71 following her fourth stroke and subsequent cardiac issues.

The Princess died at King Edward VII's Hospital in London on 9th February 2002 at 6.30am GMT.

She was survived by her two children from her marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon: David Armstrong-Jones (now Earl of Snowdon) and Lady Sarah Chatto.

What health issues had Princess Margaret suffered?

Before suffering from recurring strokes, Princess Margaret had suffered from mental health issues, bronchitis, laryngitis, and migraines. It is believed contributing factors to this included her chain smoking and alcohol consumption.

In 1985, Margaret had part of her left lung removed and she was forced to give up smoking in 1991 but remained a heavy drinker.

In 1993, Margaret was taken to hospital after suffering from an episode of pneumonia.

Margaret had suffered her first mild stroke on 23rd February 1998 while holidaying at her favourite holiday home on the island of Mustique in the Caribbean.

After this, the Princess suffered a further stroke a year later while staying on the island again and was left with mobility and speech issues after her feet and legs were scolded in a bath after suffering the stroke.

A further stroke saw Margaret hospitalised on 10th January 2001 after she was left with issues swallowing and had lost her appetite, leaving her increasingly immobile and in need of care, She also lost vision and experienced paralysis down one side of her body.

The fourth and final stroke preceded the Princess's death on 9th February 2002.

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• Why won't there be The Crown season 7?
  
• The Crown’s Bertie Carvel on Tony Blair portrayal: ‘He represents modernity’
• The Crown’s Dominic West says real-life royal drama “hugely affects” show
• How does The Crown season 6 address the Queen's death?

The Crown season 6 is available to stream in full on Netflix now. Seasons 1-5 are also available now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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