![]() The embassy said Townsend died during the night at his home in Rambouillet, southwest of Paris, where he lived with his Belgian-born second wife, Marie-Luce. ![]() As a group captain in the British Royal Air Force, Townsend shot down the first German bomber to crash on British soil on Feb. He flew Hurricanes and Spitfires when the Germans threw the Luftwaffe against Britain from May 10, 1940, in the Battle of Britain, and was credited with downing 11 aircraft. But despite his record as a war hero, it was as the hero of a tragic romance that the handsome Townsend captured the imagination of the sentimental around the world. In their eyes, a deserving man was drummed out of the country he had served so well for daring to fall in love with a princess. And the princess, in complete defiance of all fairy-tale endings, was compelled to sacrifice true love for the sake of duty. The queen was sending a private message of condolence to Townsend's widow because Townsend had served as a royal equerry, a palace spokesman said.īuckingham Palace said Tuesday that Princess Margaret was 'saddened' by the news of his death. ![]()
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