Charles Castle (1) (1939–2013)

What I chiefly remember about the Duchess of Arglyll is of her gossip column in the Tatler in the 1970’s. As an avowed Anglophile living in St. Louis, I’d go to a shop that sold foreign newspapers and magazines and buy the Tatler every month to keep up on the comings and goings of the British upper classes. To me (and this was entirely based on the photograph that would accompany her column) she looked like someone who had once been beautiful, but was now definitely over the hill and refusing to admit that time had marched on. I think, perhaps, that this impression was not far from the truth.

This year, after watching the story about her on Amazon’s “A Very British Scandal,” I decided to read more about her. Charles Castle’s book about her was published shortly after her death in 1993. And yes, much like the mini-series, Margaret was beautiful, rich and very spoiled. When she met Colin Campbell the heir to the dukedom she had already thrown over her first husband, and for Margaret & Campbell it was lust at first sight. With visions of a coronet dancing in her head she got her father to bankroll the restoration of Campbell’s crumbling castle in Scotland and seemed to enjoy playing the lady of the manor.

The Duke, however, had no intention of being faithful and soon they both were off having multiple affairs of their own, all of which culminated in a very juicy and very public divorce of which Margaret got the worst. She was branded an immoral woman and virtually bankrupted by the proceedings. After that it was all downhill.

Like many (former) beautiful and famous women she could not leave well enough alone and continued suing people who had offended her for years, alienating her children, and finally dying in poverty in 1993. Today she has been largely forgotten except for having her life dredged up as a TV miniseries. Sic transit gloria.… (mehr)