Margaret Sweeney was the British socialite and Duchess of Argyll, mostly known for her divorce scandal with her second husband.
A Very British Scandal, the BBC’s newest serial drama, premiered on Boxing Day, and viewers are enthralled by the splendor and drama of the main protagonists.
The plot centers on the Duke and Duchess of Argyll and their turbulent marriage, which resulted in divorce. In the drama, Claire Foy plays the role of the duchess, and Ian Campbell portrays the Duke.
Who Was Margaret Sweeney Duchess Of Argyll?
Margaret Sweeney was the Duchess of Argyll. She was a lady who was admired for her beauty and flair when she was a student in New York. Nevertheless, later, she became notorious for her infidelity and promiscuity.
Margaret was the only child of Helen Mann Hannay and George Hay Whigham. Her father was the chairman of the Celanese Corporation of Britain and North America and a Scottish millionaire. He provided her education privately at the Hewitt School in New York City for the first 14 years of her life.
Her youthful days were full of her romantic love story with different men. Prince Aly Khan, billionaire aviator Glen Kidston, and publishing heir Max Aitken were all lauded for her beauty.
Another lesser-known scandal of her is with David Niven. She built a sexual relationship with him when she was 15 years old during a holiday at Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. She became pregnant as a result which displeased her father.
She was brought to a nursing home in London for a secret abortion. Elizabeth Duckworth, her family’s chef, recalled, “All hell broke loose.” Margaret did not mention the incident in her 1975 memoirs, although she adored Niven right up until his death. At his London memorial service, she was one of the VIP attendees.
Explore Margaret Sweeney Wikipedia
Margaret Sweeney is featured on Wikipedia. However, the information provided on the site is all about her relationship with different men throughout her life. It also talks about her scandalous divorce from her second husband.
She was initially married to Charles Francis Sweeny, an American businessman, in the Brompton Oratory in London. Her Norman Hartnell wedding gown had received so much attention that traffic in Knightsbridge was halted for three hours.
She was associated with glamour and elegance for the remainder of her life. She had been a regular client of Hartnell, Victor Stiebel, and Angéle Delanghe in London before and after the war.
She shared three children with him: a girl who died at eight months in late 1933; a daughter, Frances Helen, and a son, Brian Charles. She had eight miscarriages prior to these pregnancies.
Margaret Sweeney Divorce Scandal Has Sparked Interest
Margaret Sweeney’s divorce scandal has sparked interest among the viewers who watched the BBC drama series, A Very British Scandal. She married Duke of Argyll in 1951, but their marriage had begun to see troubles within a few years.
The Duke suspected his wife of cheating; thus, he broke into a cupboard in their shared Mayfair home while abroad and discovered a pair of Polaroids of the Duchess sexually close with a male.
The finding precipitated a bitter divorce process in which she was accused of engaging in “disgusting sexual behaviors” by the judge.