On the death of King George VI in February 1952, Queen Elizabeth II ascends to the throne. For the Queen's younger sister, Princess Margaret, she has not only lost her father but, it is noted, in some ways her sister as well. As the Queen became more engaged in her royal duties, Princess Margaret found herself having to carve a new role for herself. She soon began an affair with a member of the household staff, RAF Group Captain Peter Townsend, a war hero and 17 years her senior. The major obstacle to their marriage was the fact that he was divorced. Until she reached the age of 25, Margaret would need the Queen's permission to marry. The advice she received, both from her own advisers as well as 10 Downing St., was that as the head of the Church of England, she could not condone a marriage to a divorcé and Margaret would have to relinquish not only her succession rights to the throne but also her titles and income. The Queen was torn between her views of royal duty and compassion for her sister's plight but after several years, Princess Margaret issued a public announcement that when would would not marry him.
—garykmcd