Princess Margaret's Brutal Two-Word Quip Revealed Her Feelings About Sister Elizabeth Becoming Queen

Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret reading off a paper at a desk

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Margaret was known for her vivacious yet blunt personality, and even as a 7-year-old child, she didn't hold her opinions back. In 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne, making his younger brother (and Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth's father) King George VI. For a 10-year-old girl who was never meant to be Queen, Elizabeth's world was completely upended.

In Robert Jobson's new book The Windsor Legacy, published January 6, the royal author details the aftermath of the late King and Wallis Simpson's love affair and resulting abdication. The royal journalist writes that the then-Duchess of York, later known as the Queen Mother, and her husband, Prince Albert, "were 'overcome with misery' at their new burden" as King and Queen.

Adding that life for the family "changed overnight," Jobson adds that the new Queen told Princess Elizabeth that "unless a brother arrived," she'd be the future monarch.

Princess Margaret holding a dog standing next to Princess Elizabeth at Royal Lodge in 1936 — Princess Elizabeth (right) stands with Princess Margaret and one of their dogs, Chu-Chu, at Royal Lodge in 1936.

Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret hugging as children — Princess Elizabeth (left) and Princess Margaret are pictured in a 1940 portrait.

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Princess Margaret, who was just 7 at the time, reportedly asked her older sister, "Does that mean you'll be the next Queen?" When Elizabeth replied, "Yes, someday," young Margaret "simply replied, 'Poor you.'"

Although Princess Elizabeth had to face the enormous responsibility of becoming the future Queen, Margaret's future was entirely uncertain as a royal spare.

After her February 2002 death, the Telegraph published a piece paying tribute to Princess Margaret's life, noting that the late royal "was spoiled by her parents to compensate for the difference between the siblings' futures." King George VI, especially, "spoiled her dreadfully," a source told the media outlet.

But at the end of the day, Queen Elizabeth realized her sister's burden was almost greater than her own. "Mummy and Margaret have the biggest grief to bear for their future must seem very blank, while I have a job and a family to think about," she wrote to a friend after her father's death in 1952.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.