WHERE THE WALLS HAVE EARS
KENSINGTON Palace: an imposing compound in the heart of London that’s been the home of kings and queens, princes and princesses for centuries. And if these red-brick walls could talk, they’d tell secrets that could make the most robust of listeners blush.
‘She’d shriek the most terrible things and she didn’t give a damn if everyone could hear’
In the absence of talking walls, however, we have Tom Quinn – a British journalist who delved deep into wells of gossip to produce a fascinating new book, Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle.
It’s caused quite a stir among royal watchers – and in this juicy extract, you’ll see why.
PRINCESS MARGARET
Much of what we remember today of Princess Margaret and her husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones, is, sadly, the fury and anguish of their years together.
Like most tragic relationships, theirs had its amusing moments. Their habit, for example, of leaving notes here and there around their Kensington apartment, saying such things as, “Here are 10 reasons why I hate you . . .”
Ron Wilson, who worked at the palace in the 1960s, remembers “blistering rows” that could be heard all over the palace.
“She [Princess Margaret] would shriek the most terrible things and she didn’t give a damn if the windows and doors were open and everyone could hear.
“A lot of their rows were based on the
