But then ensued the reality of high life being sometimes incompatible with real life. To find evidence of infidelity, he broke into Margaret's personal cupboard in their London house, where he found the infamous Polaroids along with letters and other private documents. Their marriage, at the Brompton Oratory, stopped traffic in Knightsbridge for 3 hours and was declared the wedding of the decade by many in attendance. But when her racy private photographs were stolen, scandal turned the public against her, In Queen Margrethe II of Denmarks last interview before her extensive surgery, she spoke of the royal title drama and Crown Prince Frederiks future on the throne, Crown Princess Mary carries out solo engagement on visit to India with Crown Prince Frederik, Dove / Daily Express / Getty Images / Hulton Archive, Bert Hardy / Picture Post / Hulton Archive / Getty Images. "[17] Many of the men the Duchess was alleged to have slept with were homosexual; she was unwilling to divulge this as sexual acts between men were illegal in the United Kingdom at the time. If you know a couple, one of whom is a bore, dont invite either of them, she advised. [14], The Duchess counter-petitioned the divorce, accusing the Duke of committing adultery with her stepmother, Jane Corby Wigham. Bogus pregnancies and bloodline discrediting in the days before DNA testing could prove the cases either way. I must have clutched at it, for it was later found that all my fingernails were torn off. Meanwhile nothing was said about his own affairs or his subsequent remarriage to Mathilda Mortimer, a rich American, just six weeks later. Famed for her charisma, beauty, and style, Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, dominated the front pages, as the divorce exposed accusations of forgery, theft, violence, drug-taking, bribery, and an explicit Polaroid picture that was to haunt her for the rest of her life. I was as good of a witness as I could be. Inveraray Castle, the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Argyll, photographed in 2010. Ad Choices, Shes iconic, says Sarah Phelps of the socialite unfairly referred to as the Blowjob Duchess following a scandalous divorce trial. The type, to be harsh, is familiar today. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. By 1959, and determined to divorce since Margarets father had decided to stop paying his bills, he had gained access to her Queen Anne house on Upper Grosvenor Street while she was abroad, and called in a locksmith to crack the locks of the private drawers and cupboards containing her memorabilia. A series of Polaroid photographs were used as evidence in the bitter and acrimonious divorce case between the Duke and Duchess of Argyll in 1963. A Channel 4documentary in 2000 claimed that the Headless Man was in fact two different men Sandys and Fairbanks Jr but it seems this may be one secret Margaret carried with her to her grave. Its a pity the drama does not have time to explain the years of fame that came before her disgrace, and which shaped her. Meeting by chance on a train, Argyll told Margaret of some of his experiences as a prisoner of war during World War Two, omitting the fact that the trauma had left him reliant on alcohol and prescription drugs. But who spoilt her? Married in 1951, Margaret was at the height of her fame as a glamorous and stylish socialite, and had even been name-dropped in Cole Porter's song, You're the Top. She cannot have spoilt herself. I had become a duchess and mistress of a historic castle. She struck an archaic figure at these 1980s social events, being perfectly groomed and coiffed, bejewelled and couture-clad, with ramrod deportment, but in an era when informal post-hippie was the fashionable vibe. And thank God Ive had it., George Whigham made sure Margaret had a different couture dress for each event and was so tireless in promoting his daughter that he was accused of hiring press agents. This is a morality tale. Horror film legend Ricou Browning who 'played all the bad guys' and starred as Gill-man in Creature from the Grandma's horror injuries after violent dog latched onto her arm as she reveals the pet owner's nasty response Man dies 'after being shot at home': Police Scotland hunt 'gunman' as they appeal for information. she said. The couple divorced in 1947, and she went on to become engaged again to Lehman Brothers banker Joseph Thomas, although they never married. Sample Page; ; The number allegedly included cabinet members, Hollywood actors, and members of the royal family. A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. 25 Feb/23. During the divorce proceedings, the Duke produced various incriminating letters and photographs, which he took from the Duchess's Mayfair home. She also lent her name as author to a guide to entertaining. [25], Margaret had asked Charles Castle in 1974 to write her biography, but reneged. Debutantes were not expected to discuss the great issues of the day but merely to issue pleasant tinkling laughs while the man spoke. With a rigid poise that mixes froideur with fear, Foy makes Margaret both defiant and pitiful. When the CEO of Scholastic died suddenly last year, he left control of the family empire to a former colleaguehis ex-girlfriend. Rather than clarifying the relationships, which would have outed her friends, Margaret refused to comment. 12 years later, the duke sued for divorce, accusing Margaret of infidelity and producing evidence, in the form of Polaroid photographs of Margaret engaged in sexual acts, to prove it. Business, Economics, and Finance. [8], The Duchess never revealed the identity of the "headless man", and Fairbanks always denied the allegation. After that, life must have been hard, so very unglamorous and undeferential, and eventually she was reduced to one butler and one maid. Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, at an event with her friend, Lady Edith Foxwell, in 1959. Later, the Duke of Argyll claimed that the blow to Margarets head had made her become a nymphomaniac. But strip away the sense of duty and decency, and what you are left with is the Duchess of Argyll riches without real value, privilege without a raison detre. Bettany plays the duke with an absolute absence of sympathy. The sex symbol confessed that "girls thought I was a jokea happy buffoon," before he met his wife. [1] After the end of her first marriage, Margaret was briefly engaged to a Texas-born banker, Joseph Thomas of Lehman Brothers, but he fell in love with another woman and the engagement was broken. After the case Margaret fell out with her daughter Frances, who had not wanted her to oppose the divorce, and thanks to her extravagant lifestyle and some bad investments her fortune diminished. The judge commented that the Duchess had indulged in "disgusting sexual activities". to "You're Mussolini / You're Mrs Sweeny". During her marriage to Sweeney, she had three children, one who was a stillborn girl, as well as a son Brian and a daughter Frances (who went on to marry the Duke of Rutland), and she also suffered eight miscarriages. In those days, society men did not take personalities into consideration when choosing a wife. The identity of the Headless Man was never revealed during her lifetime. [She was] a passionate woman with her own morality, because anybody that doesnt give up their friends, that cuts a lot of ice with me.. [20], In 1978, Margaret's debts forced her to move from Upper Grosvenor Street and relocate with her maid to a suite at the Grosvenor House Hotel. She was on the mailing list of every PR company since she was a duchess and it was known she would go to the opening of the proverbial envelope. She was one of a series of society beauties photographed as classical figures by Madame Yevonde. Foy told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour:'It's a really hard line because basically you do feel exploited when you are a woman and you are having to perform fake sex on screen. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Duchess of Argyll's explicit headless man photo re-enactment. Margaret carried on, though her final chapters were still quite sad. [1] Before these pregnancies, she suffered eight miscarriages. [4], On 21 February 1933, following her conversion to Roman Catholicism,[2] Margaret married Sweeny at the Brompton Oratory, London. In 1943, she suffered a catastrophic fall that left her with 30 stitches and a broken vertebra, temporarily unable to walk. Margaret Argyll never learnt to boil a kettle and never once made her own bed. By Ian Tyas/Keystone Features/Getty Images. Margaret Argyll, the only child of a self-made Scottish millionaire, was a society beauty who her husband alleged had slept with 88 men, including two cabinet ministers and three royals. The couple married in 1951, but their marriage soon turned sour after the Duke accused Margaret of being unfaithful. Mr and Mrs Whigham believed relentless socialising was the best way to cure Margarets stammer, which they feared might turn her into a recluse. Argyll accused his wife of infidelity with 88 men, compiling a detailed list which included government ministers and members of the royal family. Far from being envious of her lifestyle during the economic depression, the British public adored Margaret Whigham. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. You would go and stand outside the churches where such women were getting married, just to be a part of the huge excitement and touch the hem of history.. The claim was watertight and Margaret knew she would be unsuccessful but wanted to give her rival a run for the money. Upon seeing the presented evidence in court, the judge, Lord Wheatley, said: There is enough in her own admissions and proven facts to establish that by 1960 she was a completely promiscuous woman whose sexual appetite could only be satisfied with a number of men. Her first marriage to Sweeny ended after the war as first he and later she started various affairs. 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