The Passionate Princess

To some, she epitomized the poor little rich girl. The younger sister of the Queen seemed to have everything: wealth, beauty, wit, freedom from too onerous a royal workload, the zest to pursue a glamorous, sometimes controversial lifestyle in the most rarefied echelons of society. Yet the lasting memory of Princess Margaret will probably be that of a sad figure who was unlucky in love and who never really found a fulfilling role in life or a lasting marital relationship.

Margaret Rose died on Saturday at the age of 71 after suffering a stroke — suspected...