Party-loving Princess Margaret was everything the Queen was not: artistic, rebellious, scandalous… Yet the sisters were close. And Margaret's death on this day in 2002 hit Elizabeth hard…
When it was confirmed to Princess Margaret that her older sister would one day become queen, her reaction was one of compassion, bordering on contempt.
'Poor you!' she famously replied to ten-year-old Elizabeth.
For much of her life, Margaret did her best to live in striking and sometimes alarming contrast to the example of the dutiful firstborn.
As Craig Brown puts it in his biography Ma'am Darling, 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, it was as if the cigarette-smoking, scandal-stricken younger sister was determined to be some kind of anti-queen.
Princess Margaret continued to attend royal engagements to the best of her ability in her final years, despite her poor health
Princess Margaret's two children, Lady Sarah Chatto and Lord David Linley, pictured with their respective partners as they watch their mother's coffin leave the funeral service for cremation on February 15, 2002
She died at King Edward VII Hospital on February 9, 2002, after suffering a stroke that led to heart problems during the night.
Still, the sisters were close and spoke to each other every day if possible, until Margaret passed away on February 9, 2002 at the age of 71.
While Elizabeth busied herself with endless tasks, including evening red boxes of papers, Margaret – four years younger – had become one of the most glamorous figures in post-war Britain.
She was a patron of the arts, especially ballet, and was also known for her late nights, singing, dancing and a romantic life that included much heartache.
Her love for – and secret involvement with – the war hero Group Captain Peter Townsend was thwarted by convention. Townsend, considerably older, was also married.
The princess's marriage to photographer Tony Armstrong-Jones, another totem of '60s glamour, ended in acrimony and the first royal divorce since Henry VIII.
Although she didn't quite match their mother's impressive 101 years, Elizabeth lived a long and healthy life well into her 90s, passing away in September 2022 at the age of 96.
But Margaret's health deteriorated as time passed, with the removal of part of her left lung in 1985, a stroke in 1988 and the burning of her feet in a bathroom accident that left her in a wheelchair.
Margaret's last public appearance was at the 100th birthday of HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester in December 2001.
The princess died on February 9 after a stroke that led to heart problems overnight.
Her children, David and Sarah – a favorite of their Aunt Elizabeth – stood by her bedside.
The Queen issued a public statement, saying: 'It is with great sadness that the Queen has requested that the following announcement be made immediately.
“Her beloved sister, Princess Margaret, passed away peacefully in her sleep at King Edward VII Hospital at 6.30am this morning.
'Princess Margaret suffered another stroke yesterday afternoon.
'She developed heart problems during the night and was taken from Kensington Palace to King Edward VII Hospital at 1.30am. Lord Linley and Lady Sarah were with her, and the Queen was kept fully informed all night.
“Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and other members of the Royal Family are being informed.”
Charles, Prince of Wales, paid tribute to his 'dear aunt' in a moving television broadcast the day after the announcement.
Lady Sarah Chatto, Lord Linley and Queen Elizabeth attend Princess Margret's funeral at St George's Chapel
Margaret's coffin leaving King Edward Vll's Hospital to a waiting hearse on February 9, 2002
In the photo, choir boys walk out of the Queen's Chapel after the death of the Princess
He said at the time: 'My dear aunt has had such a terrible time over the past few years with her terrible illness.
'It was difficult for her to deal with it, especially because she was such a wonderfully vibrant woman with such a free spirit. She lived life and loved it to the fullest and that is why we will always remember her.”
Private memorial services were held at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham and Glamis Castle, the ancestral home of the Queen Mother, who would die with her youngest daughter the following month.
Margaret's coffin, shrouded in Margaret's personal standard, was taken from Kensington Palace to St James's Palace before her funeral.
A service was held at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for family and friends on 15 February 2002, which happened to be the 50th anniversary of the funeral of her father, King George VI.
The service was kept very private and attended only by around 450 family and friends, including 30 members of the Royal Family such as the Queen, Margaret's ex-husband Lord Snowdon and her two children.
Most of her family chose to be buried, but Princess Margaret was cremated at Slough Crematorium.
Margaret's coffin was taken from Kensington Palace to St James's Palace before her funeral
Margaret did not want to be buried because she hoped to be reunited with her 'daddy' after her death
This is said to have been motivated by her desire to be reunited with her 'daddy'.
A traditional burial would have meant burial in the Royal Cemetery at Frogmore in Windsor (where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert lie) as there was no space available in St George's Crypt.
Today, her ashes lie in the royal vault of St. George's Chapel, next to the graves of her mother and father.
A state memorial service was held in Westminster Abbey in April 2002.