The presiding judge, in his 50,000-word judgement, described Margaret as a “completely promiscuous woman'” who was “wholly immoral” because she engaged in “disgusting sexual activities”. With irrefutable evidence, Argyll was granted his divorce. Many of the 88 men listed were in fact homosexual, but given that homosexuality was illegal in Britain at the time, Margaret stayed quiet in order not to betray them on a public stage. The headless man was never formally identified, although a shortlist included the actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr and Churchill’s son-in-law and government minister, Duncan Sandys. Argyll accused his wife of infidelity with 88 men, compiling a detailed list which included government ministers and members of the royal family. The headless man, or men, in the photographs were never identified. The sheer scandal of photographic evidence of Margaret’s blatant infidelity – she was identifiable by her signature three-strand pearl necklace – was shocking to a world which, in 1963, was on the cusp of a sexual revolution.
The ensuing divorce case was splashed across newspaper front pages.
#Marg of arg headless man photo series#
The pair’s marriage disintegrated as quickly as it came about: both husband and wife were serially unfaithful, and Margaret forged papers suggesting her husband’s children from his previous marriages were illegitimate.Īrgyll decided he wanted to divorce Margaret, accusing her of infidelity and providing photographic evidence, in the form of Polaroids, of her engaged in sexual acts with a series of anonymous, headless men, which he had stolen from a locked bureau in their house in Mayfair, London. Inveraray Castle, the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Argyll, photographed in 2010. Argyll forged a deed of sale before their marriage to gain him access to some of Margaret’s money. Whilst there may well have been an attraction between them, Margaret’s money was a key factor in the decision to marry: the Duke’s ancestral home, Inveraray Castle, was crumbling and badly needed an injection of cash. Meeting by chance on a train, Argyll told Margaret of some of his experiences as a prisoner of war during World War Two, omitting the fact that the trauma had left him reliant on alcohol and prescription drugs. Duchess of ArgyllĪfter a string of high profile romances, Margaret married Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll, in 1951. In 1943, she fell nearly 40ft down a lift shaft, surviving but with a significant trauma to her head: many say the fall altered her personality, and that she was a different woman afterwards. Image Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock PhotoĪfter a series of miscarriages, Margaret had two children with Charles. Margaret Sweeny, nee Whigham, photographed in 1935. Their marriage, at the Brompton Oratory, stopped traffic in Knightsbridge for 3 hours and was declared the wedding of the decade by many in attendance. She was briefly engaged to the Earl of Warwick, before marrying Charles Sweeny, a fellow wealthy American. In an age where aristocratic women were primarily simply required to be beautiful and wealthy, Margaret found herself with no shortage of suitors and was named debutante of the year in 1930. Spending her childhood in New York City, she returned to London around the age of 14 and subsequently began a series of romantic relationships with some of the biggest names of her day.
Margaret was publicly humiliated as society first fed on, and then utterly condemned, her sexual relationships.īut why was this divorce case particularly scandalous? And what were the infamous Polaroid photos that proved so contentious? Heiress and socialiteīorn Margaret Whigham, the future Duchess of Argyll was the only daughter of a Scottish materials millionaire.
12 years later, the duke sued for divorce, accusing Margaret of infidelity and producing evidence, in the form of Polaroid photographs of Margaret engaged in sexual acts, to prove it.ĭubbed the ‘divorce of the century’, the subsequent swirl of rumours, gossip, scandal and sex captivated the nation. A wealthy heiress and one of the most colourful figures of the swinging sixties, Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, married the Duke of Argyll, her second husband, in 1951.
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