[imagesource:wikicommons] The case soon became a tabloid sensation, with Margaret dubbed the dirty duchess and the identity of the headless man in the Polaroid pictures being widely speculated on (Sir Winston Churchill's son-in-law, Duncan Sandys, was one of them, as it was reported only the Minister of Defence had access to a Polaroid camera). One can only assume that the Dirty Duchess would be loving the Hollywood treatment. By the early 1990s, Margaret was no longer able to take care of herself, and her children placed her in a nursing home. "She was incredibly famous," Claire tells . The Duke and Duchess of Argyll at their wedding in 1951 Credit: Getty. Margaret Campbell Duchess of Argyll. With this, the flood gates openedbut Margaret had her own stunning revelation waiting in the wings. The Duke and Duchess of Argyll's divorce case was highly publicised, Margaret Campbell, The Duchess of Argyll, was accused of having over 80 lovers, The identity of the 'headless man' in the photo with Margaret Campbell has been speculated over the years, Claire Foy stars as Margaret Campbell in a Very British Scandal, Paul Bettany stars as Ian Campbell in A Very British Scandal. Margaret had always had an innate sense of style, so when the public got wind of her upcoming wedding day, everyone was salivating to know what dress she would wear. At the end of her rope, she came up with a diabolical plan. 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You'll be able to select any high-quality seats under your price range and selection, whereas buying tickets. You know, this despite the fact that Margaret had certainly been out among men for quite some time. The Duchess of Argyll's story may have happened in 1963, but is more relevant than ever. After all, the Duchess had one enormous skeleton in her closet. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. More than that, Margaret was having further difficulty giving him a child, which didnt help matters. Margaret was utterly devastatedbut she didnt deal with her grief in the best of ways. Margaret Campbell was a British socialite who was embroiled in a sex scandal during the 1960s and became known as the "dirty duchess." . Seems pretty conclusive. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Subs offer. Fairbanks Jr and Margaret both denied he was the Headless Man, but he was identified through his handwriting. She also almost died during a horrific accident while visiting her chiropodist, in which she fell down a lift shaft. It only spiraled from there. After 33 stitches to her head and days spent recovering, doctors allowed Margaret to go home to her husband Charles Sweeny and their young family. Unfortunately, when it came to Margaret, having so many romantic options always meant trouble. 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. After all, some of the photographs depicted intensely intimate positions, with Margaret completely undressed. 'The Dirty Duchess'. "The dates matched too as Margaret was in New York in 1947 and 1948 and Polaroid brought out their first camera in 1948.". For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here. As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. After completing her education in New York, she moved back to the UK, where her beauty and status as an heiress made her much in-demand on the social scene. But behind the scenes, she was already living a horror story. In 1963, a judge dissolved the marriage of the aristocratic Duke and Duchess of Argyll, condemning the latter as a promiscuous woman with a "debased sexual appetite." The first photos of the scandalous new BBC drama A Very British Scandal starring Claire Foy have been released and there is all ready a lot of glamour to ogle over. She was going to take the child in and somehow pass him off as her own, therefore making him the true legitimate heir of the duke. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Yet the wedding was not to be, as she was soon swept off her feet by the wealthy American, Charles Sweeney, who instead became her first husband. This was his third marriage - after wedding Janet Gladys Aitken and Louise Hollingsworth Morris Vanneck. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Thing is, that wasnt even the most scandalous part. She looks like a family woman, sitting alongside her husband, the Duke of Argyll and children, but thats only one picture. 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 in the months that followed, he truly exacted his pound of flesh. The dirty tricks begin to rain down: Margaret tries to prove that Ian's two sons, born from a first marriage, are illegitimate. Obviously, Margaret had to choose just one manbut she threw a cruel curveball at her lovers. 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. Cracks in this life of leisure, however, quickly began to appear. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. Her plan? The answer they narrowed it down to nearly broke the country. 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. A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. 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. But it was here that tragedy struck. Campbell even had a crumbling abode, Inveraray Castle, to match his moodiness. In a countersuit, she claimed that the duke had been unfaithful too, but not with just anyone. dirty celebrity royals You probably know all about the Duchess of Argyll, but I didn't. . He has been granted day-release. Dirty Duchess Who was Margaret Campbell, the Duchess of Argyll, and when is A Very British Scandal on TV? . On brand for a high-class woman, and Margaret even quipped she was there to, "put the point of view of the horse". No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. Her lovers reportedly included comedy giant Bob Hope, French . 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. had ceased to be satisfied with normal relations and had started to indulge in disgusting sexual activities. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. My mom never told me how her best friend died. While the documentary suggested that both Duncan Sandys and Douglas Fairbank Jr could both possibly be the 'headless man', other sources have also speculated over the man's identity. Opposition parties tore into the ruling ANC's 'energy plans' [imagesource: Staffan Widstrand / World Nature Photography Awards] The Duke and Duchess of Argyll's infamous 1963 divorce captured the public's attention with its twists and scandalous revelations. secret recording, bribery and an explicit Polaroid . 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. 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. a self-confessed wolf. Getty Images. Until, that is, it blew up in her face. In October 2021 Tatler shared news of 'The Crown' star Claire Foy playing the so-called 'Dirty Duchess' in a three-part series 'A Very British Scandal', produced by BBC Blueprint Pictures. As she put it, All Charlie wanted in a wife was a pretty, brainless doll. 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. Well, karma comes for us all, and it was coming for Margaret. She began appearing on television programs, making a cameo appearance on the talk show After Dark to discuss the Grand National horse race. Before joining the team, she worked as a course lecturer while completing her Ph.D. in English Literature. So one day while she was away in New York and he had ample time to sit and get more paranoid, he called up a locksmith and asked him to break into it. She was known as the Dirty Duchess after her split from the 11th Duke of Argyll led to a bitter and scandalous divorce. The one surprising thing you're doing wrong when brushing your hair - and it's all about the time you comb it, A very surprising baby name has risen hugely in popularity - and we bet your nan has a friend called this. She said: "There have been rumours over the years about who he was. Traumatic elevator accident or not, Margarets personality had always beenodd. Although Prince Aly Khan loved to shower Margaret with affection and gifts, it was Kidston who really took her fancyeven though it was Kidston who was most dangerous of all. A FORMER Tory minister has been implicated in the Duchess of Argyll's "headless man" sex scandal of the 1960s. On 22 March 1951, Margaret, 38 at the time, married Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. 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 . 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 . 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. But there were disturbing indications of what really happened. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. The legacy of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll is tainted by scandal. When the Duke realized what he was looking at, nothing was the same ever again. He was a notorious drinker and gambler, and was hooked on prescription medications to boot. It was a (failed) ploy to safeguard her own powerbut if you think that Margaret stopped there, youre extremely wrong. Which, sure, is certainly understandable. Clearly, her second marriage was in deep troublebut no one had any idea what was really around the corner. The photo, in which the man was only captured from the neck down, became knows as the 'headless man' Polaroid. Margaret Campbell often visited New York during separations from her husband. She told her parents all about her romp with Niven, as well as the scandalous results. Inside, he discovered a cache of evidence of her infidelities, including Polaroid pictures of her with another man. because the Ministry of Defence had the only Polaroid camera in Britain at the time. 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. The deb of the season became "the dirty Duchess." This spectacular (and spectacularly sexist) fall from grace is the subject of A Very British Scandal, the upcoming BBC drama starring Claire . 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 reasons behind it were eye-opening. Her father, in particular, was beside himself with rage. Following the scandal, he offered to resign from the cabinet but his resignation was declined. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. 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. His next idea would be the couples downfall. Photo Credit: . Over the four years that Margaret and her duke were facing off against each other in court, the press speculated wildly about all of Margarets sins, dubbing her The Dirty Duchess. 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 for her vibrant, confident personality . This laser focus on how she looked and not how she acted got her into big trouble. Who was the Duchess of Argyll, Margaret Campbell? Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. Ian Duncan Campbell, the dashing Scottish peer known as the Duke of Argyll, sure fit the part: With a forbidding face and a brusque manner, Campbell seemed every bit a Byronic hero, and Margaret fell head over heels. A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. . Still, Margaret dove in headfirst anyway, solidifying her reputation as something of a Helen of Troy. 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. Frustratingly enoughand key to everything that followedthe mens heads were often out of frame, making them impossible to identify. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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. View our online Press Pack. Margaret learned the hard way that money cant buy you happinessbut she sure did try. She became a life-long patron of the designer, as well as Victor Stiebel and Angle Delanghe. The divorce case gripped the nation and became major tabloid fodder, especially as the private photographs became admissible as court reporting. ", 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. Talking about the series, actress Claire Foy who plays Margaret Campbell said: "The premise is that it is an untold story of something that was a scandal. The promised sight of Margaret in her Norman Hartnell wedding dress gummed up traffic in the surrounding area of Knightsbridge for three hours. 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. The Duchess of Argyll at her Grosvenor House apartment, 1989 Credit: Shutterstock. The couple married in 1951, but their marriage soon turned sour after the Duke accused Margaret of being unfaithful. [1] Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. She kept mum on identifying any of the men she was in the photographs withthough there might have been a scandalous reason for this. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. From that point on, nothing would be the same again. On December 21 1960, the New York Daily News informed readers the Duchess of Argyll would soon jet home to London. The photographs were taken on her newly-bought Polaroid camera, then commercially available in America in 1948, and the headless man (not so headless in additional snaps) had his own stash of . She dated around whenever and wherever she couldand with a face like Margarets, she certainly wasnt spending her time with normies. Just two years after this episode, Margaret pulled a fast one on society. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Instead, they humiliated her. . He also produced 13 Polaroid pictures he had found which showed the duchess and two naked men in her bathroom. On brand for a high-class woman, and Margaret even quipped she was there to, put the point of view of the horse. . Destiny Rogers 21 December 2021. Friends claimed that, of all the people in her life except family, Margaret only trusted her pets. To describe this series of Polaroids in any way decent enough to publish is a Herculean effort. Margarets reply was cutting. 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. Margaret's rumoured affair with the ex-press officer at the Savoy was named as one of the key affairs in the divorce proceedings. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. Although Margarets experiences with Niven were her first time with a man, one time in her case was very much enough. Now, the story - which involved illicit Polaroid pictures and a maelstrom of headlines - is the inspiration behind the BBC's latest drama series, Joy for Pippa and James Matthews as their seven-month-old daughter is christened at village church, Earl Spencer shares touching childhood photo of his late mother from his personal archives, Prince and Princess of Wales host Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway at Windsor Castle. In several photos, Margaret was wearing only a string of her trademark pearls. But its what David and Margaret were about to get up to that was worthy of a dramatic screenplay. According to them, the man is almost certainly Hollywood actor Douglas Fairbanks Jra married man, at the time. Some peoples lives get strictly divided into before and afterbut nothing can hold a candle to what Margaret was about to experience. She claimed he had slept with her own stepmother, Jane Corby Whigham. . The new drama, starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany as the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, looks at their relationship and high profile divorce, which accused Duchess of Argyll Margaret Campbell of having affairs with over 80 men. 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. So when the press got wind of the truly sordid details of the case, all bets were off. "She. 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. (Image credit: BBC) In 1963 the Duke initiated divorce proceedings after discovering a selection of nude polaroid pictures of his wife upon breaking into a locked cupboard whilst she was away . Heated debate breaks out after woman claims wiping just with loo roll alone ISNT enough - so which side do you fall on? But according to Sweeny, the woman who returned was not the wife he had known before. Rebounding from a breakup is always risky, and Margaret was rebounding from a full-blown tragedy. "In 2013, Margarets stepdaughter-in-law Lady Colin Campbell claimed the duchess had told her it was American airline executive Bill Lyons but I think I have stumbled upon the most likely truth. Then, in 1943, everything changed once moreand not for the better. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to New York, where Margaret spent . 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Well, guess what? The Polaroid Affair. The Duchess Of Argyll's Life Changed Massively Post-Divorce. The most ruinous aspect of these photos wasnt Margarets undressed state. The couple married in 1951, but their marriage soon turned sour after the Duke accused Margaret of being unfaithful. The centre of the country's first major slut-shaming case, socialite Margaret, Duchess of Argyll .