

When Jennings declines to kiss her, she assumes it's because of the church and his vow of abstinence. It's an intimate exchange, and Margaret is clearly interested in Jennings as more than a close friend. And obviously, the mouse stole the limelight away from actress Olivia Colman, who plays The Queen, Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret and Marion Bailey as The Queen Mother. In The Crown, we're introduced to Jennings as he breaks the news to Margaret that he's about to take Holy Orders. Per the Catholic Leader, Jennings said Margaret described the evening as "one of the most rewarding, fascinating and satisfying nights of her life.” Was Princess Margaret romantically interested in Jennings? Queen Elizabeth is the head of the Church of England, so Margaret converting would have been seen as a potentially devastating snub.īotham also described a dinner party in 1988 where Jennings brokered a meeting between Margaret and the Catholic Cardinal George Basil Hume. Biographer Noel Botham claimed in his 2002 book Margaret: The Last Real Princess (per Radio Times) that Jennings believed Margaret wanted to convert, but Margaret felt unable to go through with it because it would be a betrayal of her sister. According to several reports, Jennings really did try to convert Margaret-and in at least some versions of the story, she considered it. There's no evidence that Margaret and Jennings ever had such a falling out in real life-in fact, she was one of the last people to see him before he died in 1995.īut the rest of this storyline comes from the truth. Onscreen, Margaret and Jennings' relationship comes to a dramatic close when he tries to convince her to convert to Catholicism, and she refuses out of loyalty to her family, before telling him she never wants to see him again. Upon his death in 1995, The Times wrote in its obituary (per Radio Times) that Jennings' death "deprives London's religious life of one of its most eccentric comets…he would turn up at country house dinners, theatre festivals, auction houses and modest student gatherings, always yearning to argue the toss, always with an admonitory finger at the ready, always loyal."ĭid Princess Margaret consider converting to Catholicism? After completing his training in Rome, Jennings returned home and ultimately became the chaplain at King's College London, per Metro. He was a notorious and popular figure in London, with a wide circle of friends including the actor Alec Guinness and Princess Margaret. In 1984, he quit his job to take the Holy Orders and become a Catholic priest. Who was Derek Jennings?ĭerek Jennings was born in 1946 and worked as a senior civil servant in the British Government’s Department of the Environment. The fascinating story of Father Derek Dazzle Jennings, Princess Margarets friend, is well worth knowing and is told in part during The Crown season 4. Princess Margaret Prince Charles Princess Anne Queen Elizabeth, The Queen. Here's the true story of Dazzle and his relationship with the princess. Tom Burke portrays Derek 'Dazzle' Jennings in the Netflix original series, The Crown. For reasons that soon become clear, she's barking up the wrong tree. PRINCESS MARGARET and Peter Townsend are often portrayed as star-crossed lovers in historical accounts of their relationship. But before any of that, she endures a major romantic disappointment in her relationship with Derek "Dazzle" Jennings (Tom Burke), a young priest she's developed feelings for. Just like we learned on The Crown, Dazzle’s circle of friends-including Princess Margaret-was surprised when he decided to join the Catholic church, but he remained a beloved part of London society.Poor Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) has a rough time of it in the new season of The Crown, in particular in the seventh episode, "The Hereditary Principle." In the space of that single episode, Margaret has a medical scare that requires lung surgery, is demoted from her royal duties, and discovers a devastating secret about her family. DAZZLE JENNINGS was introduced in The Crown season 4 as a friend to Princess Margaret, who went on to serve as a Catholic priest. First Up, He Was Fully a Fixture in London Society Here’s what ya need to know about the *real* Derek Jennings. Just like everyone else in the Netflix show, Dazzle was a real person-but The Crown got some things waaay wrong about their relationship. According to MATH, about 90 percent of The Crown season 4 is dedicated to Princess Diana and Prince Charles drama-and the other 10 percent is a deep dive into the bleak yet fancy lives of the remaining royals, including our forever fave Princess Margaret.Īs much as Margaret upholds the snobbery and elitism of the royals, she also spends this season realizing the depths of her own family’s cruelty-helped by her friend Derek “Dazzle” Jennings.
