The Duchess refused to reveal who the man is, leaving the press to speculate about his identity. The photos were part of a lawsuit filed by the Duke against the duchess as part of a divorce proceedings, and a list of 88 men accused of having sex with her in the backyard. The photograph had been revealed by her then-husband, the 11th Duke of Argyll, as evidence of her adultery and sexual nature, reports The Telegraph. Still, Margaret dove in headfirst anyway, solidifying her reputation as something of a Helen of Troy. 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. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Which is exactly how Margaret ended up jumping into bed with Davidand suffering horrible consequences. Margaret Campbell, the famously beautiful Duchess of Argyll, had been a celebrity - and a source of scandal - from even before her debutante days. But scorching scandal hit her incredibly young. The couple married in 1951, but their marriage soon turned sour after the Duke accused Margaret of being unfaithful. 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. Margaret seemed poised to take the duke down with her, but on the very day of her hearing about his infidelity, she couldnt find a witness and had to drop her case. Claire Foy is taking on the role of Margaret Campbell, and Paul Bettany is playing her vengeful husband in a show that will air on the BBC early next year. 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. Around this time, Margarets behavior behind the scenes sent tongues wagging. While Margaret had been married once before when she met the Duke, Campbell had already gone through two wivesand his track record was far from reassuring. According to them, the man is almost certainly Hollywood actor Douglas Fairbanks Jra married man, at the time. She also almost died during a horrific accident while visiting her chiropodist, in which she fell down a lift shaft. Margarets reaction to all this, however, wasnt what you might expect. To describe this series of Polaroids in any way decent enough to publish is a Herculean effort. In 1930, her parents presented her at court as a debutante, which was basically their way of saying she was ready to mingle with men and get married. The Crown star will take on Margaret Campbell, the duchess, opposite Paul Bettany's Ian Campbell, Duke of Argyll . Another, more salacious Polaroid released in 1963 proves quite the contrary. It wasnt meant to be; she had a stillborn little girl instead. The Peerage, Pearls, and Polaroids, Oh My! Oh, Peggy. The Duchess, born Margaret Whigham, married Ian Campbell, Duke of Argyll in 1951, and it was the couple's divorce trial that has gone down in history. 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. 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. The next years of Margarets life paved the way for the infamy she was about to achieve. 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. Margarets family was eminently respectable, and they couldnt have a single whiff of their daughters so-called disgrace getting out. . . 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. Traumatic elevator accident or not, Margarets personality had always beenodd. The Duchess of Argyll spent a fortune restoring Inveraray Castle in western Scotland, now full of secret doors, ancient weapons and priceless artwork. She began appearing on television programs, making a cameo appearance on the talk show After Dark to discuss the Grand National horse race. Thing is, that wasnt even the most scandalous part. Published: December 26, 2021 at 8:05 am. While granting the divorce, the judge said of Margaret that she 'was a completely promiscuous woman whose sexual appetite could only be satisfied with a number of men. Margaret, Duchess of Argyll. 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 . BBC One's follow up to the 2018 A Very English Scandal . Starting in the late 1950s, the Duke of Argyll had enough of waiting for his wife to get home. Oh, and it was in Downton Abbey, too. One day, Margaret must have been feeling particularly insecure about her fertility issues. Both of them, though, show her wearing her iconic three-string pearls, jewellery that she had inherited from her grandmother. As someone who self-identified as always vain, Margaret always cared much more about her beauty than anything else. Campbell's ex-husband, the 11th Duke of Argyll, played in the film by Paul Bettany, asserted in their very public 1960's divorce proceedings that she had slept with 80 men during their . 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When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Upon finding this evidence, the Duke of Argyll turned right around and started divorce proceedings against Margaret. That, and three strands of pearls! The contents of her locked cupboard revealed the whole, sordid truth. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. 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. The German diplomat and brother of the Nazi scientist Werner von Braun, who invented the Nazis V-2 rocket, was another possible candidate for the 'headless man' in photo. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Married in 1951, Margaret was at the height of her fame as a glamorous and stylish socialite, and had even been name-dropped in Cole Porter's song, You're the Top. You'll be able to select any high-quality seats under your price range and selection, whereas buying tickets. The mystery man in the explicit photo became known as the 'headless man' and his identity has been largely speculated. Until, that is, it blew up in her face. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. The judge also called her a completely promiscuous woman whose sexual appetite could only be satisfied with a number of men. Another, racier Polaroid, showing the Duchess pleasuring a man, was also produced. But further investigations only proved more incriminating for Margaret. As the lyrics go: Youre Mussolini / Youre Mrs Sweeny. In it, among other things, was a set of extremely damning and risqu polaroid photographs. because the Ministry of Defence had the only Polaroid camera in Britain at the time. In fact, during this time she desperately tried to get people to sell her an entire baby boy. Because Margarets private stash of photos was now public evidence, newspapers of the day got a full view of the single most infamous snap in Margarets collection: One where she was kneeling down in front of a headless man. Unlike like her shocking accident in the elevator, this time Margaret was far too frail to survive. She kept mum on identifying any of the men she was in the photographs withthough there might have been a scandalous reason for this. Still, it took a dark turn. In the late 80s, the Dirty Duchess found a new way to make some quick cash. Im a cleaning whizz - three common products you need to ditch to save cash Together they are absolutely the essential things in life. Following the scandal, he offered to resign from the cabinet but his resignation was declined. 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. Paul Bettany and Claire Foy as the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, in the A Very British Scandal. There is still much speculation about who exactly the headless man was, but some historians believe we can put the answer to bed. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. One rumour suggests it was the former Minister of Defence, Duncan Sandys (who later became the son-in-law of Winston Churchill). 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. A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. 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. The legacy of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll is tainted by scandal. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. She told her parents all about her romp with Niven, as well as the scandalous results. That May, she got word that her lover Glen Kidston had perished in a horrific plane crash. Despite the tragedy, Margaret tried againeventually having two more children with Sweeny by 1940but her difficulties left lasting psychological scars. A series of Polaroid photographs were used as evidence in the bitter and acrimonious divorce case between the Duke and Duchess . . Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. 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. It was so secret that Margaret completely omitted this episode from her memoirs. dirty celebrity royals You probably know all about the Duchess of Argyll, but I didn't. . 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. "The Dirty Duchess of Argyll Was ahead of Her Time." Ben Macintyre, The Times, February 2, 2019. [1] . . 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. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. He has been granted day-release. The Dirty Duchess of Argyll was ahead of her time. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. Seat Classes. 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. She dated around whenever and wherever she couldand with a face like Margarets, she certainly wasnt spending her time with normies. The future Duchess of Argyll was born Ethel Margaret Whigham on December 1, 1912, in Scotland to a millionaire father. In 1947, just a bare four years after her traumatic accident, Sweeny and Margaret filed for divorce. Whether or not Sandys was the headless man, he was certainly a lover of Margarets, and offered his resignation when the scandal broke. 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. She never did shake off the "Dirty Duchess'" nickname, though. Still, dont let her party fouls fool you: When Margaret wasnt being dour, she was downright scandalous. Claire Foy is transforming into a forgotten British icon in new BBC drama, A Very British Scandal. Thats when she crossed a line she could never come back from. More than that, all of his wives claimed he had mistreated them during their marriage. Another, more salacious Polaroid released in 1963 proves quite the contrary. One man who kept popping up in Margarets history was the Minister of Defense for Britain, Duncan Sandys, who would also go on to become Winston Churchills son-in-law. Margaret Campbells young life more than set her up for her raucous adulthood. My mom never told me how her best friend died. 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. Socialite Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, was the talk of Britain in 1963. . 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. Actually, thats putting it kindly. In the photographs, the Duchess of Argyll was very much not alone. She actually used her upcoming nuptials to cause even more drama. In the spring of 1931, Margarets carefree life came to an abrupt halt. On December 21 1960, the New York Daily News informed readers the Duchess of Argyll would soon jet home to London. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to New York, where Margaret spent . . She got supremely unlucky and, months later, discovered her pregnancy. But there will be no press release or big [imagesource: Bleecker Street] The polaroids in particular captured the press' imagination, though the identity of the 'headless man' was never revealed. a self-confessed wolf. Thus, the controversial Polaroid was unearthed, alongside another one with her standing naked (bar the pearl necklace) next to a man: In the court proceedings, Duncan Sandys, then Secretary of State for the Colonies and Winston Churchills son-in-law, was named as the man receiving oral sex, while film star Douglas Fairbanks Jr was named as the other man. During the divorce proceedings, the Duke produced various incriminating letters and photographs, which he took from the Duchess's Mayfair home. The Duke and Duchess of Argyll at their wedding in 1951 Credit: Getty. 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 . Her last shred of dignity went soon after. The divorce case gripped the nation and became major tabloid fodder, especially as the private photographs became admissible as court reporting. 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. Another, racier Polaroid, showing the Duchess pleasuring a man, was also produced. As the 1970s dawned and free love became a more accepted concept, youd think Margarets image would get re-habilitated. So when Margaret started staying out extra late and getting more distant, the Duke committed a creepy breach of trust. Dirty Duchess Who was Margaret Campbell, the Duchess of Argyll, and when is A Very British Scandal on TV? To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. During the divorce proceedings, the Duke produced various incriminating letters and photographs, which he took from the Duchess's Mayfair home. Her father, in particular, was beside himself with rage. She was presented as a debutante in 1930, and after early romances with Prince Aly Khan, aviator Glen Kidston, Baron Martin Stillman von Brabus and publishing heir Max Aitken (later the second Lord Beaverbrook) and Prince George, Duke of Kent, she became engaged to Charles Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick. The pearls provided a dead giveaway that it was indeed the Duchess who was giving oral sex to a faceless man in the controversial Polaroid. The dirty tricks begin to rain down: Margaret tries to prove that Ian's two sons, born from a first marriage, are illegitimate. She became a life-long patron of the designer, as well as Victor Stiebel and Angle Delanghe. . This laser focus on how she looked and not how she acted got her into big trouble. . Image: Amazon Prime Video. But these boys were just practice for the man she was about to meet. Still, that wasnt quite enough for him. 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. The Golden Globe-winning actress plays Margaret Campbell, the Duchess of Argyll, who went through a high-profile, damaging and distressing public divorce. Margarets dignity took a hit in her later years, but her personality seemed to curdle as well. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. New BBC mini series A Very British Scandal stars The Crown's Claire Foy and Marvel actor Paul Bettany as Margaret and Ian Campbell, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, Sign up for the Daily Star TV newsletter for the biggest TV news. 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. There's a new period drama in theatres now, offering a w [imagesource:flickr] Is it any wonder she got herself into a royal mess? 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'. 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 . According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Chuadanga District had a population of 1,129,015, of which 564,819 were males and 564,196 females. 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. At the age of 15, she became pregnant with the actor David Niven's child while on a holiday on the Isle of Wight, but the pregnancy was terminated. The winners of this [imagesource: Meta] Unfortunately, when it came to Margaret, having so many romantic options always meant trouble. 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. Following Kidstons passing, she got hastily engaged to Charles Greville, the uber-wealthy Earl of Warwickand accepted the proposal of another man, the publishing scion Max Aiken, near-simultaneously. She claimed he had slept with her own stepmother, Jane Corby Whigham. 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. 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. 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. The reasons behind it were eye-opening. Getty Images. The movie star was named as Margarets lover, one of the 88 men on the list that the Duke produced in court. She became known as the 'dirty duchess'. The Duke and Duchess of Argyll were so high-society that any split between them was going to be a matter of public interest. Just two years after this episode, Margaret pulled a fast one on society. You know, this despite the fact that Margaret had certainly been out among men for quite some time. . Opposition parties tore into the ruling ANC's 'energy plans' [imagesource: Staffan Widstrand / World Nature Photography Awards] She began appearing on television programs, making a cameo appearance on the talk show After Dark to discuss the Grand National horse race. Upon seeing the presented evidence in court, the judge, Lord Wheatley, said: There is enough in her own admissions and proven facts to establish that by 1960 she was a completely promiscuous woman whose sexual appetite could only be satisfied with a number of men. Then, looking at the cushion, And its not that sort of cushion. "Thats interesting in itself as these things that seem so serious at the time, on the front of the newspapers, and no one really remembers it at all," said Claire. Chuadanga had a literacy rate of 45.91% for the population 7 years and above: 46.88% for males and 44.93% for females. Her plan? Margaret married Ian Campbell in March of 1951 and became the Duchess of Argyll in the process. But in the months that followed, he truly exacted his pound of flesh. had ceased to be satisfied with normal relations and had started to indulge in disgusting sexual activities. Famed for her charisma, beauty and style, the Duchess began spending time in London and New York without her husband and entertaining men including comedian Bob Hope and French singer Maurice Chevalier. Even so, it paid off in a big way. The couple married in 1951, but their marriage soon turned sour after the Duke accused Margaret of being unfaithful. But according to Sweeny, the woman who returned was not the wife he had known before. For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here. "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. First, you need to get your hands on a camera. "She. Royal Family's thoughts . A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. 1. As she put it, All Charlie wanted in a wife was a pretty, brainless doll. 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. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? . 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. dirty duchess polaroidwilliam paterson university application fee waiver. But as soon as they were over their shock, Margarets parents knew exactly what they had to do. But, no. A FORMER Tory minister has been implicated in the Duchess of Argyll's "headless man" sex scandal of the 1960s. And there was one point in particular that nobody could get over. Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, died aged 80 in a nursing home in Pimlico, London, just a few days before the Major government decided to keep all the testimonies given to Lord Denning under wraps . But the writer also believes that crucial facts about the duchess's adventurous sex life are still judged too sensitive to reveal. Were always looking for your input! Best known for the explicit Polaroid . Speaking to the Daily Record, author Lyndsy Spence said that she had conducted extensive research into Margaret Campbell's life for her book The Grit in the Pearl: The Scandalous Life of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, which included speaking to a relative of the businessman Joe Thomas. "You get to see behind it and ask the questions such as what may actually had gone on at the time and how it affected the individuals.". It was something much worse. October 25, 2021. The mystery man in the explicit photo became known as the 'headless man' and his identity has been largely speculated. 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. The Duke and Duchess of Argyll's infamous 1963 divorce captured the public's attention with its twists and scandalous revelations. It was the last nail in the coffin of Margarets respectability: She was now a free woman, but her name was officially mud. But it was here that tragedy struck. . Fairbanks Jr and Margaret both denied he was the Headless Man, but he was identified through his handwriting. An Exclusive First Look at Claire Foy in A Very British Scandal. He had Margarets car wiretapped so he could know where she was at all times. The creators of the documentary claimed Sandys' identity was "conclusively proved" by the duchess's claim that the only Polaroid camera in England at the time had been lent to the Ministry of Defence. 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. Born on 1 December 1912, Margaret Whigham was the only daughter of a Scottish businessman and millionaire, George Hay Whigham and his wife, Helen Mann Hannay. She was 35. Rural population was 822858 (72.88%) and urban population was 306157 (27.12%). The Duchess, Margaret Campbell, was a British socialite known for her lavish lifestyle and a string of high-profile affairs. At the end of her rope, she came up with a diabolical plan. forever 'the Dirty Duchess' in the eyes of the public . According to Lord Wheatley, the judge on the case, he had the morals of a tomcat. After the historic case she never remarried, and lost much of her fortune in later life. A POLAROID picture was one of the key pieces of evidence in the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll.