'How many women do you have?,' Foy replies. It took the judge more than three hours to read out his damning judgment at the end of one of the longest, most expensive and toxic divorce cases of the 20th century . I have to admit I read that and I was like, Go mom, laughs Clea Newman Soderlund, speaking about her fathers posthumous memoir, Paul Newman Says Wife Joanne Woodward Turned Him Into a Sexual Creature in Posthumous Memoir. The headless man, or men, in the photographs were never identified. Image Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo. For years after the scandal, she retained her beauty and some social cachet, but her fortune dwindled. And it would be totally different., 2023 Cond Nast. [26] He then published The Duchess Who Dared The Life of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll in 1994. They make a quick but racy stop-off in a cleaning cupboard, before going up to see Margaret's parents. How did it come to this? All rights reserved. Born in 1912, she was still around in the early 1980s when our paths would sometimes cross in London. A wealthy heiress and one of the most colourful figures of the swinging sixties, Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, married the Duke of Argyll, her second husband, in 1951. Nobody, nobody, nobody. The toxic love affair between the Duke and Duchess started with Margaret divorcing her then-husband to marry Ian, who would become the Duke of Argyll. Later, when they met again, Ian had inherited the dukedom, but the eccentric 10th Duke, his late relation, had let things fall to wrack and ruin. Ivana Marie Zelnkov escaped from behind the Iron Curtain to storm New York City and help create the twisted miracle of Donald Trump. Her lawyer argues shes being overcharged, and the case seems destined to become the latest front in the ongoing debate over criminal justice in the city. The house was always packed with the most amusing people, sometimes 18 to dinner with another 10 joining afterwards, she told her biographer. She was brave in the war and did not complain about falling 40 feet down a lift shaft when she went to visit her chiropodist on Bond Street. This drama captures that sense of national outrage in those opening shots, as the duchesss car is besieged on a London street by onlookers who hurl abuse and spit at the windows. Eight months after her wedding, the nation held its breath as she fought for her life, following a disastrous stillbirth. Now, the story - which involved illicit Polaroid pictures and a maelstrom of headlines - is the inspiration behind the BBC's latest drama series, In Queen Margrethe II of Denmarks last interview before her extensive surgery, she spoke of the royal title drama and Crown Prince Frederiks future on the throne, Crown Princess Mary carries out solo engagement on visit to India with Crown Prince Frederik. Everyone knows her as Oui Oui, because she agrees to everything though Margaret childishly calls her Wee Wee. As a young woman I had been constantly photographed, written about, flattered, admired, included in the Ten Best-Dressed Women in the World list, and mentioned by Cole Porter in the words of his hit song "You're the Top". But then ensued the reality of high life being sometimes incompatible with real life. The first woman to have been the victim of hacking, in that her own diaries and photos were stolen and used against her. "I thought he was such a bastard," Margaret told George Hume in a 1990. She was among the VIP guests at his London memorial service. Two big parties for me in three years with over 400 guests on each occasion. But if there was one thing Margaret learned over the decades and her various scandals, it was that she could not and would not ever change. Many have retrospectively described her as the first woman to be publicly slut-shamed, and whilst the term is somewhat anachronistic, it was certainly one of the first times a womans sexuality was quite so publicly, roundly and explicitly condemned. 12 years later, the duke sued for divorce, accusing Margaret of infidelity and producing evidence, in the form of Polaroid photographs of Margaret engaged in sexual acts, to prove it. Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, with her daughter Frances Helen Sweeney . She continued giving the occasional TV interview, usually with one of her many beloved poodles in tow. Neither the good years, in which I laughed and danced and lived upon a cloud of happiness; nor the bad years of near despair, when I learned what life and people and friendship really were.. Her beauty was much spoken of, and she had youthful romances with Prince Aly Khan, millionaire aviator Glen Kidston and publishing heir Max Aitken, later the second Lord Beaverbrook. As indisputable proof of the duchesss misadventure, however, the Polaroids were the clincher. It seems Margarets nouveau riche status had always bothered Londons old-money scene, even as Margarets parents spent plenty of cash funding her societal risepaying over 40,000 pounds for her coming-out party. When I revisited her story I realised how much social history I had missed out on by steering a wide berth when I encountered Marg Arg at parties. She is best remembered as a nymphomaniac socialite who disgraced the House of Argyll when a collection of diaries and explicit Polaroids were stolen by her husband, Ian Campbell, the 11th Duke of Argyll, to be used as . The couple married in 1951, but their marriage soon turned sour. They did not. Her romances were legend. Argyll forged a deed of sale before their marriage to gain him access to some of Margarets money. . What do you make of your life? an interviewer asked her in 1990. Ethel Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll (ne Whigham, formerly Sweeny; 1 December 1912 25 July 1993) was a Scottish heiress, socialite, and aristocrat who was most famous for her 1951 marriage and much-publicised 1963 divorce from her second husband, Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. . Another quote gives an insight into her personality: "Always a poodle, only a poodle! Her penury grinds at her, worse and worse and worse., But even in poverty, Margaret refused to change her ways to appeal to the public. She is penniless, says Phelps. Upon seeing the presented evidence in court, the judge, Lord Wheatley, said: There is enough in her own admissions and proven facts to establish that by 1960 she was a completely promiscuous woman whose sexual appetite could only be satisfied with a number of men. The pictures were part of a legal case the duke drew up against the duchess as part of divorce proceedings, alongside a list of 88 men he accused her of having sex with behind his back. Everyone's got old and fat." One of the explicit photographs presented in court was a Polaroid of the Duchess, wearing nothing but her signature triple-string of pearls, standing next to an unidentified man. She cannot have spoilt herself. Ian filed for divorce, citing both the photos and a list of 88 men noted in her diary, men Ian suspected Margaret had slept with during their marriage. In 1990, three years before her death, Margaret reflected on the absurdly high highs and low lows of her life, in an interview quoted by The Telegraph. Imagine the courage that takes., Shes a hot mess. But as Beyer would soon realize, Finchs past wasnt what she claimedand Beyers own difficult history was up for the taking. In several photos, Margaret was wearing only a string of her trademark pearls. Margaret's rumoured affair with the ex-press officer at the Savoy was named as one of the key affairs in the divorce proceedings. Ian broke into into Margarets house and hired a locksmith to open a cabinet in which he found compromising photos. one of the most notorious, extraordinary and brutal legal cases of the 20th century. The headless man was never formally identified, although a shortlist included the actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr and Churchills son-in-law and government minister, Duncan Sandys. Margaret with J Paul Getty at a film premiere in London, 1970, Of the splendour of these years, she said to biographer Charles Castle: The period between 1930 and 1933 was packed with gaiety and fun It was heaven. With Ian broke and unpredictable, her focus shifted to restoring her husbands decrepit castle, likely believing it to be an investment in their future. He filed for divorce. At 15, she became pregnant by David Niven; a termination was arranged and this scandal hushed up. According to The Grit in the Pearl, Ian and Margarets marriage spiraled into mutual infidelities. Yes, Margaret was spoilt and accustomed to getting whatever she wanted. Id had no idea of the magnificence of the early life of this only child of a self-made millionaire of Scottish origins. I feel a bit ashamed because until I started looking into her life I had written off Margaret, Duchess of Argyll as no more than a joke figure. "All hell broke loose," remembered her family cook, Elizabeth Duckworth. Margaret Argyll never learnt to boil a kettle and never once made her own bed. By Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images. The Sexual Revolution with Virginia Nicholson, Anne Franks Legacy: How Her Story Changed the World. When Elisabeth Finch met Jennifer Beyer in 2019, the two women forged a fiercely loyal friendship, and eventually got married. The first time we glimpse Claire Foy as the forlornly imperious Duchess of Argyll, she is a prisoner in the back of her own limousine, surrounded by a public that hates her. The Queen epitomises everything selfless, noble and honest about a traditional ruling class. It was speculated that this "headless man" was the Minister of Defence Duncan Sandys (later Lord Duncan-Sandys, son-in-law of Winston Churchill), who offered to resign from the cabinet. He could have just given the judgment, I find in favor of the plaintiff. Following the scandal, he offered to resign from the cabinet but his resignation was declined. When the CEO of Scholastic died suddenly last year, he left control of the family empire to a former colleaguehis ex-girlfriend. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. There was no legal recourse. Claire Foy is shockingly good for this role, the heiress without purpose, because we are so used to seeing her as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown. It was like an upmarket version of EastEnders, with everyone, including unfaithful servants, behaving badly: forgeries, poison-pen letters, doubledealing, phone tapping and public humiliations. The suspects included Hollywood actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr and German diplomat Sigismund von Braun, but chief among them was Duncan Sandys, the Minister of Defence and Winston Churchills son-in-law. And her exploitsas debutante of the year in 1930 and prolific high-society partygoerearned her international press coverage and a reference in Cole Porters Youre the Top., She was the most photographed woman of her time, of her generation, says Sarah Phelps, the writer who adapted Margarets story for A Very British Scandal, the miniseries coming to the U.S. April 22. George spent most of it on promoting the social rise of his beloved only child, always operating out of grand and luxurious accommodation on both sides of the Atlantic. A series of Polaroid photographs were used as evidence in the bitter and acrimonious divorce case between the Duke and Duchess of Argyll in 1963. Margaret Whigham was a sensation to British society when she arrived from America as a teenager in the 1920s. The pictures had been discovered by her husband, who allegedly hired a locksmith to gain access to his wife's private papers. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. That word round-heel sums up the pious hypocrisy of the era. [14], The Duchess counter-petitioned the divorce, accusing the Duke of committing adultery with her stepmother, Jane Corby Wigham. Margaret with her first husband, Charles Sweeny, on their wedding day at Brompton Oratory, 1933. Image Credit: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo. You feel exposed.. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Nonetheless, after the divorce, that was all anyone ever talked about in connection with Margaret. And then I heard that a television biopic, A Very British Scandal, was being made about her by the team behind A Very English Scandal, the series about Jeremy Thorpe. Admirers lined the route from Hyde Park Corner to their wedding at Brompton Oratory in 1933 and traffic in Knightsbridge came to a halt for three hours; 2,000 invited guests were joined by 2,000 gatecrashers. He told her about his five years in a prisoner-of-war camp and she listened. 25 Feb/23. It shows Margaret arriving atInveraray Castle in Scotland, the home of Ian Campbell, the Duke of Argyll. There were also photographs of the Duchess fellating a naked man whose face was not shown. During her marriage to Sweeney, she had three children, one who was a stillborn girl, as well as a son Brian and a daughter Frances (who went on to marry the Duke of Rutland), and she also suffered eight miscarriages. Along with other unsuccessful legal suits, she fought a 15-year battle to prevent her stepmother from claiming inheritance of Georges property in the Bahamas under the local dower law. Her fathers generosity dried up as he stepped down from his chair at Celanese, and a new, younger second wife entered the picture. Her photo appears alongside each report. Originally published in the January issue, on newsstands now. Margaret spent the first fourteen years of her life in New York City, where she was educated privately at the Hewitt School. Everybody knows what the photograph depicts. The identity of the Headless Man was never revealed during her lifetime. The porcelain-skinned Margaret, with her bewitching green eyes, was considered a great beauty. Famed for her beauty, Margaret moved through the. Ian had referred to Margaret as Satan. [8], The Duchess never revealed the identity of the "headless man", and Fairbanks always denied the allegation. The mystery was only recently put to bed by Lady Colin Campbell, who disclosed in 2013 that the man was the American executive Bill Lyons. A selection of short interviews with Margaret Whigham, Duchess of Argyll. a self-confessed wolf. [11], Within a few years, the marriage was falling apart. Most famous of said scandals was the infamous divorce case bought by Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. He is still married, yet he has no qualms about asking her father (Richard McCabe) for her hand and a loan. Whilst there may well have been an attraction between them, Margarets money was a key factor in the decision to marry: the Dukes ancestral home, Inveraray Castle, was crumbling and badly needed an injection of cash. A Very British Scandal continues tonight at 9pm on BBC1. Her pleasures are vapid, her friends are sarcastic. Later, the Duke of Argyll claimed that the blow to Margarets head had made her become a nymphomaniac. A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. [6] For the rest of her life, Margaret was associated with glamour and elegance, being a firm client of Hartnell, Victor Stiebel, and Angele Delanghe in London before and after the Second World War. The couple divorced in 1947, and she went on to become engaged again to Lehman Brothers banker Joseph Thomas, although they never married. John Dukas, "Dukas' Diary: Advice from the Duchess", Max Aitken, later the second Lord Beaverbrook, Charles Guy Fulke Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick, Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, "The scarlet Duchess of Argyll: Much more than just a Highland fling", "The Dirty Duchess of Argyll was ahead of her time", "Madame Yevonde's Goddesses - in pictures", "The real scandal of the Duchess of Argyll is that she was a victim of celebrity hacking", "Mayfair, the Duchess of Argyll and the Headless Man polaroids Another Nickel in the Machine", "London Journal; A Sex Scandal of the 60's, Doubly Scandalous Now", "Another very English scandal: the wild life of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll", "The Argyll divorce: the society scandal that rocked 1960s Britain", "A who's who of the most scandalous, daring and dangerous duchesses in history", "Identity of the notorious Headless Man remains a mystery Argyll divorce secret dieswithstepmother", "Sex, lies and Polaroid film: Mary Killen on the Duchess of Argyll", "Upper Grosvenor Street: South Side Pages 231238 Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings). Wheatley is a Puritan, Phelps explains. Glamorous top lawyer, 27, is arrested and charged with multi-million dollar fraud: Cops search her flamboyant Another close call! To the fury of her father, she became pregnant as a result. You can't help but feel exploited. Having sunk much of her fortune into Inveraray, she was also broke. I dont think anybody has real style or class any more, Margaret told The New York Times. Margaret did have bursts of romantic happiness but, for one reason after another, none was lasting and successful. The duke divorced Margaret in 1963 and she died in 1993 30 years of infamy that starkly contrasted with the splendour of her youth. Knocked up by David Niven at 15 (he was 18) Ethel Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll went on to a life that seemingly went from one scandal to next. The hill he is going to die on is putting the sexuality of women into a box marked disgusting. Hes the one who absolutely destroys her. 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York Times have bursts of romantic happiness but, for one reason after another, was... In a prisoner-of-war camp and she died in 1993 30 years of her life in New York City help...
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margaret, duchess of argyll polaroids