Margaret Campbell, the famously beautiful Duchess of Argyll, had been a celebrity - and a source of scandal - from even before her debutante days. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. [imagesource:wikicommons] In light of her husbands allegations and jaw-dropping evidence, Margaret couldnt just sit back and take it. Oh, and it was in Downton Abbey, too. A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. Just two years after this episode, Margaret pulled a fast one on society. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Instead of going for either Greville or Aiken, she dumped them both and went with another man entirely: The businessman and avid golfer Charles Sweeny. It was something much worse. In 2000, a Channel 4 documentary sought to discover who the man really was, with two names in particular raised as possible candidates. It is rumoured that she bedded some of the most powerful men in Britain, including the married Duke of Kent and the film star Cary Grant: During this time, Campbell was courted by American investment bankers and art dealers and memorably wrote that she learnt that it was key to go to bed early and often in a relationship. Although the identity of the 'headless man' may never be confirmed, a 2000 Channel 4 documentary revealed that two men are the most likely candidates. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Years ago, if youll remember, Margarets first husband Charles Sweeny claimed that her fall down an elevator shaft had fundamentally changed her personality and turned her into a nymphomaniac. The marriage did not last long before fractures began to form, and the duke, suspicious that his wife had been unfaithful, hired a locksmith to break into her private drawers while she was away in New York. But none of her liaisons stuck until she met Ian Douglas Campbell, the 11th Duke of Argyll, who was allegedly bewitched by her and according to some of the harsher critics of their union the money she brought to the marriage. The photo, in which the man was only captured from the neck down, became knows as the 'headless man' Polaroid. Lets just, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Scorned Facts About Farida, Egypts Rejected Queen, Infamous Facts About Edwina Mountbatten, The High-Society Rebel, No-Nonsense Facts About Sophia of Nassau, The Woman Behind The King. Shameless Facts About Faustina the Younger, The Most Scandalous Roman Empress, Everyone Has A Limit: These Moments Made People Say Enough Is Enough, Plot Twist: These Surprise Endings Made Our Jaws Hit The Floor, The Unforgettable Story Of Wu Zetian, China's Most Ruthless Empress, "The Bride Kissed The Best Man" And Other Real-Life Wedding Disasters, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed. Lyons was a "scion of a wealthy family" and was the duchess's lover for six years. . After the historic case she never remarried, and lost much of her fortune in later life. Obviously, Margaret had to choose just one manbut she threw a cruel curveball at her lovers. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. You'll be able to select any high-quality seats under your price range and selection, whereas buying tickets. So when Wheatley eventually granted the divorce, he did it with biting cruelty, sneering that she was a completely promiscuous woman and wholly immoral in his final judgment. Still, it took a dark turn. Heated debate breaks out after woman claims wiping just with loo roll alone ISNT enough - so which side do you fall on? Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. Which, sure, is certainly understandable. ", 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, The Duke and Duchess of Argyll at their wedding in 1951. On brand for a high-class woman, and Margaret even quipped she was there to, put the point of view of the horse. During the divorce proceedings, the Duke produced various incriminating letters and photographs, which he took from the Duchess's Mayfair home. A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. Madame de Pompadour didn't just share King Louis XV's bed, she also shared his power. Her lovers reportedly included comedy giant Bob Hope, French . To describe this series of Polaroids in any way decent enough to publish is a Herculean effort. Margaret Campbell, born in 1912 to a Scottish millionaire, was a British socialite who frequented the 'best dressed' pages of many a magazine and was known . . Yet far from empathy, this led her to acts of cruelty; a maid of hers once said she treated her dogs better than she did her staff. Orca Spotted Caring For Baby Pilot Whale. Instead, she accused him of a heinous act. Not that men didnt try: By the end of the season, the court named her their debutante of the year and Margaret had her pick of suitors, any of whom would eat out of the palm of her hand if shed asked. Inside, he discovered a cache of evidence of her infidelities, including Polaroid pictures of her with another man. Margaret Campbell was a British socialite who was embroiled in a sex scandal during the 1960s and became known as the "dirty duchess." . The Duchess of Argyll's story may have happened in 1963, but is more relevant than ever. But there was more hope to lose. An Exclusive First Look at Claire Foy in A Very British Scandal. The Duchess of Argyll at her Grosvenor House apartment, 1989 Credit: Shutterstock. When it comes to British scandals, theres no better place to start than the Dirty Duchess, Margaret Campbell. Rebounding from a breakup is always risky, and Margaret was rebounding from a full-blown tragedy. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. The Duke and Duchess of Argyll's infamous 1963 divorce captured the public's attention with its twists and scandalous revelations. Lady Colin claims to have chosen to reveal the identity of the headless man to restore some measure of justice to . After tying the knot at Caxton Hall register office, the Duke took her north to his ancestral seat, where they settled in the historic Inveraray . During one of her absences, the Duke broke into a locked cupboard and found her collection of pornographic photographs. The case left Margaret vilified by the press in a pre-sexual revolution Britain and branded the "Dirty Duchess," while her former husband, who was also accused of adultery, escaped similar . When the Duke realized what he was looking at, nothing was the same ever again. Although the former Duchess of Argyll was well into her 70s at this point, and might be excused for an early bedtime, it did point to an overall decline in her health. The case soon became very popular, with Margaret calling the 'dirty duchess' and the 'headless man' in the widely thought Polaroid images (Sir Winston Churchill . By the early 1990s, Margaret was no longer able to take care of herself, and her children placed her in a nursing home. Jane Beadon (stepmother) 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. Ticket Price (15% VAT) A photo of a 'headless' man was one of the key pieces of evidence used in the divorce case of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, which is due to be dramatised in the new BBC mini series A Very British Scandal. Her Norman Hartnell wedding dress cemented her status as one of the most glamorous socialites of the era, with crowds reportedly gathering to catch a glimpse of it. But she would be remembered for just one thing: the so-called 'divorce of the century', which ended her marriage to the Duke of Argyll in . We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Mid-way through the After Dark broadcast, Margaret had to bail out of her commitment and walk off stage because, as she claimed, she was so very sleepy. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Image: Amazon Prime Video. . With 88 possible lovers to choose from, the press had a field day hunting down who the man could be. So when the press got wind of the truly sordid details of the case, all bets were off. Only, before she could do irreparable damage to the Kidston union, disaster came knocking. and Polaroid snaps showing Her Grace, clad only in a string of pearls . Both denied it, and the Duchess, who died penniless in 1993, never made their identity public. In fact, in the summer of 1928, Margaret caught the eye of an older boy: The 18-year-old David Niven, who later became a Hollywood actor. Thereafter, the Duke, who allegedly referred to her as S for Satan, looked for proof of her adultery and proceeded to divorce her, leaving her to fend for herself. For further updates, please refresh the page, Britain's most expensive house goes up for sale at jaw-dropping price, The gorgeous Georgian mansion - named The Holme - boasts 40-bedrooms, a tennis court, a library and a sauna. Instead, Margaret had become erratic and impulsive with, most alarmingly, nymphomaniac tendencies. The Polaroid has since become known as 'the photo of the headless man', and the man's identity has long been the subject of speculation, with many books and programmes debating who he could have been. One Polaroid image, in particular, taken in 1957, cast Margaret as an infamous trollop in the pages of the tabloids. She got a nightmare instead. With this, the flood gates openedbut Margaret had her own stunning revelation waiting in the wings. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. secret recording, bribery and an explicit Polaroid . While Margaret may have been less than a perfect wife, she later blamed the split on Sweenys controlling nature. had ceased to be satisfied with normal relations and had started to indulge in disgusting sexual activities. She actually used her upcoming nuptials to cause even more drama. Her second husband - and the subject of the BBC's A Very British Scandal - was Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. Getty Images. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, The Duke and Duchess of Argyll at their wedding in 1951. You know, this despite the fact that Margaret had certainly been out among men for quite some time. After all, the flyboy was already married and had a young toddler at home. Following the scandal, he offered to resign from the cabinet but his resignation was declined. An inquiry has confirmed screen idol Douglas Fairbanks Jnr was the man seen with the duchess in an infamous series of four, sexually-explicit photos. Yet there was a far more likely culprit. And although her face was usually obscured, the duke could recognize her by one tell-tale sign: Her favorite necklace made up of three strings of pearls. She looked the woman up and down then drawled, Its not that sort of party. Some of the people she was accused of sleeping with were actually closeted gay men, yet if Margaret denied any of them as her lovers on those grounds, their (at the time criminal) secret would get out. Even her friends thought she completely lacked a sense of humor, and she called herself a bird brain. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. Allegedly, she once invited a 17-year-old boy into Inveraray Castle for a bath and a drink, and then took off her clothes and climbed in with him. Margaret's rumoured affair with the ex-press officer at the Savoy was named as one of the key affairs in the divorce proceedings. "She. In the late 80s, the Dirty Duchess found a new way to make some quick cash. She began appearing on television programs, making a cameo appearance on the talk show After Dark to discuss the Grand National horse race. He was a notorious drinker and gambler, and was hooked on prescription medications to boot. When she was in her late 20s, Margaret was visiting her doctor on Bond Street when she fell a whopping 40 feet down an elevator shaft in a freak accident. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. found Polaroid photos of the duchess performing sex acts on a man whose face wasn't in the frame. . There's a new period drama in theatres now, offering a w [imagesource:flickr] First, you need to get your hands on a camera. The Duchess refused to reveal who the man is, leaving the press to speculate about his identity. Incredibly, his identity was still a mystery after all this time, and journalists tried to guess who he might be. After all, the Duchess had one enormous skeleton in her closet. A decline that would end in a shocking incident. When the beautiful textile heiress Margaret . Fairbanks Jr and Margaret both denied he was the Headless Man, but he was identified through his handwriting. Margaret's rumoured affair with the ex-press officer at the Savoy was named as one of the key affairs in the divorce proceedings. October 25, 2021. & the free hacks that clean just as good, Mystic Meg zodiac signs latest: Riches in store for Capricorn & major changes await Gemini; plus weekly horoscopes, Im a psychologist - what your slippers really say about you and how I can tell if your personality type in seconds, Mrs Hinch cleaning fan reveals the 10p hack to banish stubborn limescale with NO scrubbing involved, I got dress-coded at work for not wearing a bra I confronted my boss and was left stunned by the response, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Rural population was 822858 (72.88%) and urban population was 306157 (27.12%). Starting in the late 1950s, the Duke of Argyll had enough of waiting for his wife to get home. The Duke of Argyll had always been suspicious that his wife had a roaming eyespoiler: he wasnt wrongbut hed never quite been able to prove it. More than that, all of his wives claimed he had mistreated them during their marriage. In the early days of Margarets married life, she happily anticipated bouncing babies and domestic bliss. Oh, Peggy. Indeed, she was usually performing acts on men who were not the Duke of Argyll. Then again, right around this time, Margaret went off the deep end herself. We want our readers to trust us. For other inquiries, Contact Us. The Duchess, Margaret Campbell, was a British socialite known for her lavish lifestyle and a string of high-profile affairs. Margaret Campbell often visited New York during separations from her husband. In the photographs, the Duchess of Argyll was very much not alone. At the end of her rope, she came up with a diabolical plan. Well, guess what? From that point on, nothing would be the same again. The mystery man in the explicit photo became known as the 'headless man&# Socialite Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, was the talk of Britain in 1963. . The winners of this [imagesource: Meta] When the dust cleared, luck prevailed. But there were disturbing indications of what really happened. 48 Upper Grosvenor Street was once dubbed by John Paul Getty as "Number One, London" and it was the Mayfair house where one of the most celebrated sex scandals of the Sixties took place. The next years of Margarets life paved the way for the infamy she was about to achieve. But it was here that tragedy struck. It was more than enough for the Duke of Argyll to file . The photo, in which the man was only captured from the neck down, became knows as the 'headless man' Polaroid. He had been flying through a dust storm when his entire plane broke apart beneath him, sending him to his end. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. One rumour suggests it was the former Minister of Defence, Duncan Sandys (who later became the son-in-law of Winston Churchill). 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. The titillating tale is coming to a small screen near you, as the BBC is making it into a drama series titled A Very British Scandal, following on from A Very English Scandal, starring Hugh Grant and Ben Wishaw: The series focuses on the acrimonious divorce that rocked the aristocracy and delighted the tabloids with its salacious details. . Although the couple's personal relationship had ended long before the divorce, The Duke of Argyll was furious at the numerous affairs Margaret had during their marriage. Central to the evidence that damned Margaret was the Polaroid photos, obviously taken with her consent, with an unnamed lover who became known in the press as 'the headless man'. Her love affairs led to her being branded the "dirty duchess" and her involvement in the . Although the identity of the 'headless man' may never be confirmed, a 2000 Channel 4 documentary revealed that two men are the most likely candidates. Duchess of Argyll divorce: What was the headless man Polaroid picture? To find evidence of infidelity, he broke into Margaret's personal cupboard in their London house, where he found the infamous Polaroids along with letters and other private documents. Photo Credit: . Anyway, she certainly has main character energy, and the BBC drama series is sure to be fascinating. But in the months that followed, he truly exacted his pound of flesh. Channel 4 thinks this was actually someone else - Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. During the divorce proceedings, he listed 88 men who he believed his wife had an affair with, including Hollywood actors, two government ministers and three British royals. In it, among other things, was a set of extremely damning and risqu polaroid photographs. Campbell even had a crumbling abode, Inveraray Castle, to match his moodiness. a self-confessed wolf. Joe Thomas was a New York stockbroker who Margaret was reported to have fallen in love with after the breakdown of her first marriage to Charles Sweeney, and it is claimed that he might be the man in the famous Polaroid photo. She was the belle of yet another society wedding, she had a title and a powerful husband, and people still considered her one of the best-dressed women in the world. Ian owed a lot of money due to his own gambling addiction and he calculated that Margaret's father might help him out financially. She kept mum on identifying any of the men she was in the photographs withthough there might have been a scandalous reason for this. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. He has been granted day-release. Margaret was utterly devastatedbut she didnt deal with her grief in the best of ways. Together they are absolutely the essential things in life. A FORMER Tory minister has been implicated in the Duchess of Argyll's "headless man" sex scandal of the 1960s. He had claimed then that shed had 88 lovers over the course of their marriage, with a judge in the divorce proceedings adding that the Duchess had a sex perversion. That May, she got word that her lover Glen Kidston had perished in a horrific plane crash. 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. The Crown star's return to on-screen high society sees her star alongside The Avengers' Paul . Born to a Scottish millionaire, she grew up in New York City and attended some of the most exclusive private schools in the country alongside some of the best, brightest, and definitely wealthiest heirs and heiresses of her day. In the spring of 1931, Margarets carefree life came to an abrupt halt. There was the duchess, wearing only a string of pearls, pleasuring a standing man while on her knees. Some peoples lives get strictly divided into before and afterbut nothing can hold a candle to what Margaret was about to experience. Thanks for your help! Instead, she ran right towards him and her doom. She was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful young women in the UK at the time, and her sexual adventures became the stuff of great gossip. Amazon has even produced a series in 2022, A Very British Scandal, based on her electrifying court battle with her husbandin it, Claire Foy plays Margaret, while Paul Bettany plays Ian Campbell, the Duke of Argyll. But its what David and Margaret were about to get up to that was worthy of a dramatic screenplay. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. Reportedly, the duchess began taking aim at the dukes sons from his previous marriage, even going so far as to forge letters that claimed the boys were illegitimate. Margarets presence in the photos shocked the dukebut more was on the way. She told her parents all about her romp with Niven, as well as the scandalous results. This was his third marriage - after wedding Janet Gladys Aitken and Louise Hollingsworth Morris Vanneck. David Niven met Margaret while the two of them were on holiday on the Isle of Wight. Credit Solution Experts Incorporated offers quality business credit building services, which includes an easy step-by-step system designed for helping clients build their business credit effortlessly. The first episode of A Very British Scandal took viewers by surprise as they watched The Crown's Claire Foy enjoy three sex scenes in the first 30 minutes of the first episode - with two different . She dated around whenever and wherever she couldand with a face like Margarets, she certainly wasnt spending her time with normies. Cracks in this life of leisure, however, quickly began to appear. Whether or not Sandys was the headless man, he was certainly a lover of Margarets, and offered his resignation when the scandal broke. Well, karma comes for us all, and it was coming for Margaret. Wedding to American golfer Charles Sweeny in 1933, Being Presented at the third court of the season in 1934, Recuperating in Hove following a fall down a lift shaft in 1934, Marrying the Duke of Argyll at Caxton Hall in 1951, With Frances at a Lancaster House Party in 1955, With Frances at Queen Charlotte's Ball at The Grosvenor House in 1955, With the Duke of Argyll leaving the pier at Tobermory in 1956, With Frances at Beirut's St George's Hotel in 1958, Outside the law courts in the Strand before being sued for slander and libel by her former social secretary Yvonne MacPherson in 1960, With the Duke of Argyll at the family seat, Inveraray Castle, in 1960, At the premiere of Kings Of Kings in 1961, At Zia Foxwell and David Kruger's wedding in 1969, With her poodle Louis at her Mayfair apartment in 1985, At the opening night of Chess The Musical in 1986, At the Hairdresser of the Year party in 1986, At her Grosvenor House apartment with Louis in 1989, The society beauty found herself at the centre of a toxic divorce case in 1963, after it emerged that both she and her husband had conducted multiple extra-marital affairs. Who was the Duchess of Argyll, Margaret Campbell? Somehow, Margaret simply couldnt make her bank account match her extravagant tastes, and she eventually had to move out of her notorious home, swapping it first for the Grosvenor House Hotel and then, at the urging of her children and her first husband Charles Sweeny, a meager apartment building. Margarets reply was cutting. The Duchess of Argyll spent a fortune restoring Inveraray Castle in western Scotland, now full of secret doors, ancient weapons and priceless artwork. Distrusting the duchess, Campbell seized her private Polaroid photos from a locked cupboard in their Mayfair home.
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