Princess Margaret’s heartwarming gesture proves her sisterly bond with the Queen was unbreakable

Princess Margaret always traveled with a small photo of her sister, Her Majesty the Queen. This sweet, sisterly gesture has been revealed in a new book by royal author Tina Brown. Tina had unrivaled access to close sources of the royals for the book, including Margaret’s former lady-in-waiting, Jane Stevens.

• Princess Margaret always traveled with a framed photo of the Queen, a new book has revealed.
• The sweet gesture proves that, though complicated like any sibling relationship, Margaret and the Queen had a close, unbreakable bond.
• In other royal news, British fashion royalty Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss celebrate exciting Prince Charles US plans.

King George VI once famously said, “Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy.”

The King’s comments turned out to be something resembling foreshadowing for the personalities his daughters would go on to inhabit. Lilibet—who would go on to become Queen Elizabeth II—and her younger sister Princess Margaret Rose had very different public personas.

The Queen has long been revered for her stoicism and her obligation to duty—in fact, she has been praised for getting right back to work following her 96th birthday. Margaret, on the other hand, was renowned for being glamorous, impulsive, and outrageous.

Still, despite their different temperaments, the sisters shared an incredibly close bond.

So much so that a new book has revealed Princess Margaret kept a token of her sister with her whenever she traveled.

Tina Brown’s book, The Palace Papers, reveals, "When Margaret traveled abroad, she always unpacked a small, silver-framed photograph of the Queen to hang on her wall or place on her dresser.”

Her former lady-in-waiting Jane Stevens also revealed to Tina while writing the book that during tours, the princess would search for gifts to bring back for her older sister as a souvenir.

Margaret and the Queen were just four years apart in age, but their lives took staggeringly different paths thanks to the actions of their uncle, King Edward VIII.

Their uncle famously abdicated the throne, choosing his love for Wallis Simpson over the crown.

This decision changed the lives of Edward’s brother, King George VI, and his eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth forever. Elizabeth became the heir presumptive and, in 1952, was crowned Queen Elizabeth II.

Of course, she has remained on the throne for a monumental 70 years and this year the nation celebrates the Platinum Jubilee.

Tina Brown’s book explains that, despite Queen Elizabeth having this life thrust upon her changed the trajectory of her life, Margaret was always there for Her Majesty.

Tina discusses the Queen’s relationship with Margaret—emphasizing that to Margaret, the Queen was always a peer, with whom she could complain about family woes and exchange gossip in their daily telephone calls, something the Queen couldn’t do with many other people.

Princess Margaret died in 2002. The Queen still shows how important Margaret is to her, allowing her “last great love” to visit Margaret’s tomb, despite the scandal the relationship caused at the time.