Princess Margaret developed a clever trick to hide her biggest insecurity after a cruel comment from a royal relative, Helena Bonham Carter CBE has revealed.
- Princess Margaret had a clever trick to conceal her height in public, it has been revealed.
- Helena Bonham Carter, who played Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister in The Crown, said that the iconic royal was left 'scarred' after an older relative criticized her small stature.
- In other royal news, the heartbreaking reason Kate Middleton reunited with her closest loved ones last week revealed.
Helena Bonham Carter has revealed that Princess Margaret had a major 'complex' about her height – so much so, that she developed a clever trick to appear taller at public events.
In her latest interview, the British actor shared the lesser-known snippet about the late Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister. Bonham Carter famously played Princess Margaret in Season 3 and Season 4 of Netflix's The Crown and would go on to receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her incredible portrayal of the iconic royal.
When asked what was 'key' to getting into the character, the 56-year-old explained that she needed to understand Margaret's insecurities.
"The real Margaret didn’t mind about being number two, but she did mind being really short," Bonham Carter told the Guardian (opens in new tab) on Sunday, adding, "She was just 5ft, so there was something in her posture to maximise every little millimetre."
According to The King's Speech star, Princess Margaret even had adjustments made to her vehicles to create the illusion of a taller frame.
"She had her car seat elevated so she could be seen," Bonham Carter explained, before speculating that the princess's "need not to be overlooked" was "probably prompted by her great-grandmother." It has previously been reported that it was Princess Margaret's grandmother, Queen Mary, who had once made a cruel remark about her height.
"The old Queen was supposed to have commented tartly on the fact that Margaret was not only spoilt but vertically challenged," royal author, Tim Heald, wrote in his 2022 biography, Princess Margaret, A Life Unravelled.
According to Bonham Carter, the alleged insult left Margaret "scarred."
"It’s funny what we carry – a complex that can govern all our behaviour," she added.
Princess Margaret's insecurity about her short stature also affected her outfits, which always included details that would add height. In a previous interview with Town & Country (opens in new tab) in 2020, Bonham Carter revealed that even the tiara at her wedding to Antony Armstrong-Jones was selected for its towering design.
"That’s why she wore the Poltimore Tiara, which was at least four inches tall, at her wedding," the Oscar-nominated actor said. "The risk that she might be literally overlooked was the problem, not the fact that she was her sister’s younger sister."
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