The Crown’s third series has kicked off on Netflix, bringing the action into the 60s and 70s as Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies take over where previous cast members Claire Foy and Matt Smith left off
And another character who features prominently in this series is Princess Margaret, played by Helena Bonham Carter – with the Queen’s sister’s relationship with her much younger boyfriend Roddy Llewellyn coming under the spotlight
The character is played in the series by actor Harry Treadaway – but who is he in real life and how long was he with the Princess? Here’s what you need to know… Who was Princess Margaret’s ‘toy boy’ Roddy Llewellyn? Roddy – or Roderick to give him his full name – is a British baronet who was born in Wales in 1947, the son of Olympic gold medal showjumper Sir Harry Llewellyn and his wife the Hon
Christine Saumarez. He was just 25 years old when he met Princess Margaret – who was 17 years older than him in 1973, with the pair being introduced by Margaret’s lady-in-waiting Anne Tennant
Margaret was still married to photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones – aka Lord Snowdon (played in the series by Ben Daniels) – at the time, with whom she had two children, David and Sarah – but the marriage was rocky at the time
She and Roddy had grown close by the following year, and she invited him to her holiday home on the Caribbean island of Mustique – with photos of the pair of them in swimsuits on the island hitting the headlines two years later
Although the Princess’ official biographer Christopher Warwick described the pair as having a ‘loving friendship’, it was widely reported they had had an affair lasting from 1973 until 1981
Roddy spoke out about their relationship in 2002, saying: ‘I didn’t think about the consequences of such a high-profile affair – if we all had crystal balls, we’d all know which horse to back wouldn’t we? I was just following my heart
’ Although Margaret’s marriage to Lord Snowdon had already encountered problems – with him having had an affair with Lucy Lindsay-Hogg, who later became his second wife – her relationship with Roddy was seen as a factor in the end of her marriage
The Princess was portrayed in a negative light by the press in the wake of the snaps being published – being portrayed as ‘a predatory older woman’ cheating on her husband – and she and Lord Snowdon divorced in 1978
Did Margaret and Roddy stay together? Despite her divorce, the Princess and Roddy did not stay together after her marriage ended
He went on to marry Tatiana Soskin in 1981, with whom he he has three daughters
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Margaret died on 9 February 2002 aged 71, after suffering a stroke which resulted in cardiac problems, following several years of ill-health and a series of previous strokes
Her death came just seven weeks before the Queen Mother passed away, on 19 April 2002
Where is Roddy Llewellyn now? Roddy, now 72, has had a long career as a landscape gardener, presenter, journalist and author, who has written about gardening for the likes of Country Life, The Lady, The Sunday Times and The Mail on Sunday
He has also authored several books on the subject, including Beautiful Backyards and Elegance and Eccentricity
The Crown is available to stream now on Netflix UK.