As she put it, All Charlie wanted in a wife was a pretty, brainless doll. A decline that would end in a shocking incident. During the divorce process, the Duke produced a Polaroid photograph of the Duchess performing a sexual act on another unidentified man - nicknamed "the headless man" - that he had found . . forever 'the Dirty Duchess' in the eyes of the public . 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 . How to Take the Perfect 'Private' Polaroid - Dan Finnen 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. She also almost died during a horrific accident while visiting her chiropodist, in which she fell down a lift shaft. Even so, it paid off in a big way. . Royal Family's thoughts . Opposition parties tore into the ruling ANC's 'energy plans' [imagesource: Staffan Widstrand / World Nature Photography Awards] For Margarets secrets, it was the apocalypse. By Hayley Maitland. And when it came to Kidston, she was particularly ruthless. The photo, in which the man was only captured from the neck down, became knows as the 'headless man' Polaroid. 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Her second husband - and the subject of the BBC's A Very British Scandal - was Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. All Rights Reserved. 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 never did shake off the "Dirty Duchess'" nickname, though. 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. 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. 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. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. Within just a few months of marrying the Duke of Argyll, Margaret had already realized shed made a mistake. But the writer also believes that crucial facts about the duchess's adventurous sex life are still judged too sensitive to reveal. 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. As Margaret later related, I apparently fell on to my knees and cracked the back of my head against the wall. Which is exactly how Margaret ended up jumping into bed with Davidand suffering horrible consequences. Until, that is, it blew up in her face. In their efforts to guess at the man, they dug up even more dirt on the duchess. 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. The Polaroid Affair. Is the government still hiding the truth about Britain's 'Dirty Duchess 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. Anyway, she certainly has main character energy, and the BBC drama series is sure to be fascinating. 1. After all, the flyboy was already married and had a young toddler at home. Thanks for your help! In the spring of 1931, Margarets carefree life came to an abrupt halt. Who Was the Real Duchess of Argyll? - Town & Country . As always you can unsubscribe at any time. According to them, the man is almost certainly Hollywood actor Douglas Fairbanks Jra married man, at the time. . By the early 1990s, Margaret was no longer able to take care of herself, and her children placed her in a nursing home. The future Duchess of Argyll was born Ethel Margaret Whigham on December 1, 1912, in Scotland to a millionaire father. 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Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. In late 1933, Margaret was eight months pregnant and readying herself to give birth to a healthy child at last. Who was Margaret the Duchess of Argyll? In 1947, just a bare four years after her traumatic accident, Sweeny and Margaret filed for divorce. Although the higher-ups managed to keep his identity hush-hush, Fairbanks handwriting reportedly matches the writing found on the photograph. With this disappointment in her wake, Margaret turned to a desperate ploy. Is the government still hiding the truth about Britain's 'Dirty Duchess Around this time, Margarets behavior behind the scenes sent tongues wagging. 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 it was here that tragedy struck. 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. 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. with the Duchess portrayed by Clare Foy. In one infamous exchange, a partygoer of Margarets once picked up a cushion and said gleefully, What a fun party, Margaret, lets swap gossip. Well, karma comes for us all, and it was coming for Margaret. For further updates, please refresh the page, Britain's most expensive house goes up for sale at jaw-dropping price, The gorgeous Georgian mansion - named The Holme - boasts 40-bedrooms, a tennis court, a library and a sauna. Mum in hysterics over Hermes driver's proof of delivery photo & EVERY parent can relate, Im trolled by older women after having a surprise baby at 15 - but I got As at my GCSEs weeks later, Ive no regrets, I told my dad I was moving out so he converted the garage into a stylish mini apartment for me so I wouldnt leave, Youve been cleaning your contact lenses all wrong - the quick trick that will get your lenses clean in seconds. But behind the scenes, she was already living a horror story. She had only one option. Among her conquests was a broken engagement with the Texan banker Joseph Thomas as well as a dalliance with the curator for the Met, Theodore Rousseau. But, no. Strapped for cash, she wrote a memoir, Forget Notbut people considered it embarrassing and too full of name-drops. And there was one point in particular that nobody could get over. 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. Although Margarets experiences with Niven were her first time with a man, one time in her case was very much enough. 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 . 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). For what its worth, yes, Margaret was very aware of the homage to her and mentioned it in her memoirs. 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. . I let my sugar babies go through my dead wife's wardrobe - they love it and I find the experience 'therapeutic'. Only, before she could do irreparable damage to the Kidston union, disaster came knocking. The Channel 4 documentary "proved" that Sandys is the 'headless man', based on a claim from Margaret that the only Polaroid camera in the country at the time had been lent to the Ministry of Defence. Who was the Duchess of Argyll, Margaret Campbell? That May, she got word that her lover Glen Kidston had perished in a horrific plane crash. . Namely, although she was ostensibly looking for marriage and stability, she sure wasnt acting like it. It was the last nail in the coffin of Margarets respectability: She was now a free woman, but her name was officially mud. Paul Bettany and Claire Foy as the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, in the A Very British Scandal. Cracks in this life of leisure, however, quickly began to appear. Whether or not Sandys was the headless man, he was certainly a lover of Margarets, and offered his resignation when the scandal broke. In his court papers, Argyll accused Margaret of sleeping with no fewer than 88 men over the course of their marriage. 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. Sandys's identity is "conclusively proved", the documentary makers believe, by the duchess's claim that the only Polaroid camera in the country at the time had been lent to the Ministry of Defence . The most ruinous aspect of these photos wasnt Margarets undressed state. The centre of the country's first major slut-shaming case, socialite Margaret, Duchess of Argyll . . Duchess of Argyll divorce: What was the 'headless man' Polaroid picture But these boys were just practice for the man she was about to meet. During the divorce proceedings, the Duke produced various incriminating letters and photographs, which he took from the Duchess's Mayfair home. Duchess of Argyll Photos - Daily Status 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." Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll - Wikipedia 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. The Channel 4 documentary "proved" that Sandys is the 'headless man', based on a claim from Margaret that the only Polaroid camera in the country at the time had been lent to the Ministry of Defence. The mystery man in the explicit photo became known as the 'headless man&# On our left in the image atop, is the Duchess of Argyll, Margaret Campbell. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Lady Colin claims to have chosen to reveal the identity of the headless man to restore some measure of justice to . Unmasking the Dirty Duchess's secret lover - Independent.ie Fairbanks Jr and Margaret both denied he was the Headless Man, but he was identified through his handwriting. Headless Man Photo Polaroid - Daily Status Well, guess what? For other inquiries, Contact Us. But its what David and Margaret were about to get up to that was worthy of a dramatic screenplay. Duchess of Argyll: The true story of Margaret Campbell and the leaked 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. Together they are absolutely the essential things in life. The Duchess refused to reveal who the man is, leaving the press to speculate about his identity. 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.