I WAS sad to hear of the death of Princess Margaret because it is yet another link broken with our glorious past.

I fear the monarchy and its traditions will be lost to us when the present generation passes on.

Interest in royalty is waning and the younger Windsors with the possible exception of Wills are unlikely to have the charisma to make the public want to retain a king or queen.

But Princess Margaret did have charisma by the bucket-load. She may have always been in her sister's shadow but she was part of the family which saved the monarchy.

She was daughter to the reluctant King George who stepped up to become our figure-head during World War II and gave us the stomach to defeat the Nazis.

We owe her late father and his family a tremendous debt, and that's why Margaret, the Queen and Queen Mum will always hold a place in every loyal Brit's heart. We may not be so caring, however, towards the rest of the rabble who have brought the family into disrepute in recent years.

I only saw Margaret once at close quarters, but she enchanted me. It was years ago at a college in Slough where she was presenting prizes.

She was very pretty, regal and small. I was assigned to get a story, and I swear she looked me straight in the eye and smiled, even though I was a distance away. Mrs Mann reckons she was probably looking right through me and thinking about her supper, but I do like to dream I caught the eye of a princess.

Anyway, the ceremony was so dull that I couldn't think of a news angle. In desperation, I followed her and an entourage out onto the open roof.

Suddenly a huge gust of wind swept over and almost blew the tiny Princess clean off her feet. I made that my news angle, which perhaps illustrates, more than anything else, why I never made it to the ranks of the national paparazzi.

But I never forgot that insignificant moment in Slough, probably because of the Princess' sheer vulnerability against the elements. Strangely, Slough is the location for her cremation.

Reaction to her death has been muted. That's a pity, for I don't think the public realise what they are losing as a great family dwindles into mediocrity.

February 14, 2002 13:39