Margaret’s 1st Beau, Townsend, Sells Air Medals for Charity
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LONDON — Peter Townsend, the first love of Princess Margaret and the first British pilot to shoot down a German plane in World War II, sold his medals today to raise money for child war victims.
An anonymous Canadian collector bought the medals for $39,400 at a Sotheby’s auction. They included a Royal Victorian Order, a Distinguished Service Order and a Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar.
“I understand (the collector) was more interested in the gallantry aspect of these medals and their place in history rather than any connection with Princess Margaret,” a Sotheby’s spokesman said.
Queen Elizabeth refused to let her sister and Townsend marry in 1954 because he was a divorcee.
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