The Crown: Part Five
By Michael Moriarty
web posted January 13, 2020
A letter from Princess Margaret’s lover, Peter Townsend, bids her adieu for he’s off to get married.
Meanwhile, Margaret’s photographer?
Anthony Armstrong-Jones!
There is sexual liberation and then, of course, there is Anthony Armstrong-Jones.
Though he speaks to the members of his menage-a-trois, a Mr. and Mrs. Fry, almost highly about the sexual skills of Princess Margaret, we all know there will always be “something missing” in a marriage of Anthony Armstrong-Jones to anyone!
Why did he do it?!
Why did he marry Princess Margaret?
No one understands the why or what for and he, of course, keeps his reasons, like many of his photographs, a mystery.
Then, of course, there is the dancer, Jacqui Chan, who seems to surpass all of his seemingly endless sexual distractions.
What do the Princess and he have in common?
They both consume cigarette smoke like dueling chimneys.
Their shared snobbery toward most of the human race might very well be their only mutual interest.
His marriage proposal to her?
It required several viewings of it to even begin to justify the not-so-hidden insults within what increasingly appears to be a most dreaded obligation.
“Will you forgive me,” he facetiously implores between puffs on his cigarette, “if I don’t go down on one knee?”
Her reply is equally as indecipherable: “You won’t divert your Princess even when you propose to her.”
His reply becomes even more unrelated to what she just said, “It’s got nothing to do with deference. The chafe from fucking you.”
And in a whisper, he orders her, “Marry me!”
“I thought you hated the idea of marriage.”
He replies, “I do. And I hated the idea of losing you even more!”
“You would have lost me.”
“You’d have come back!”
“Never!”
To that he says nothing.
He simply waits for what he knows she will do, crawl into his lap and silently beg to be (for need of an acceptable word) possessed.
“Promise me,” he says, “one thing!”
“Name it!”
“Not to bore me!”
She, in turn, asks Tony, “Not to hurt me?!”
Oh, really.
She’s not only an emotional basket case, alcoholic and suicidal smoking machine;
She’s an incurably self-pitying infant! Meanwhile, Tony’s mother, so far, is a soberer version of Princess Margaret and, when her son calls to announce his forthcoming marriage to the Queen’s sister, she’s resting and cannot be disturbed.
Back at Buckingham Palace, the Queen has been rather forcefully told by her sister Margaret that Margaret will soon be marrying Anthony Armstrong-Jones.
The Queen’s adviser, Michael is his name?! He hopes, when told of an oncoming marriage in the Royal Family, that the new in-law will NOT be Anthony Armstrong Jones.
“There is one slight problem”, offers Michael.
Then, cut to the next scene.
We learn a bit later that the Queen is pregnant.
But is that the problem? The reason why Margaret’s marriage will have to be postponed!
We shall see.
As expected, the postponement infuriates Princess Margaret! A party is thrown to bring the “old” generation of Buckingham Palace and the new generation of Tony’s friends?!
Together!!
This is intended to make the marriage delay more palatable.
Meanwhile, the real reason for Michael the Adviser-to-the Queen’s suggestion that “there is one slight problem”: it has nothing to do with the Queen’s pregnancy.
Tony’s love affairs and even his suspected, homosexual involvement with the husband of one of his three, known mistresses, these are combined to culminate in “one slight problem”.
Following the delivery of the Elizabeth’s child, Andrew, Margaret and the Queen meet to discuss the forthcoming marriage.
It is here that Queen Elizabeth attempts to dissuade her sister from marrying Tony.
Suspecting bad news, Margaret bravely says, “Tell me now!”
Elizabeth falters.
No, she doesn’t tell her sister what she knows about her sister’s fiancée.
The wedding will proceed. 
Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@MGMoriarty.