Margaret Whigham was born in Scotland in 1912 to millionaire parents. A wealthy heiress of the early 1900s, Wigham became a highly sought-after member of London’s high society and involved herself in many short-lived romantic affairs with notable figures before getting married to wealthy American businessman Charles Sweeny. However, their marriage was short-lived and Whigham divorced him to marry Ian Campbell, the 11th Duke of Argyll. This is the beginning of the scandalous story of Margaret.
It didn’t take long for the Duke and Margaret’s marriage to turn toxic and fall apart. The two had numerous affairs outside of marriage and lived separate lives before they decided to get a divorce, which turned out to be one of the most scandalous and costliest divorces in the history of Britain’s royalty.
All about Margaret Whigham’s divorce
It all started with the Duke providing much evidence of Margaret Whigham’s infidelity, including the infamous photographs that showed Margaret nked, in her three-strand pearl necklace, and performing fllatio on a man, whose head was not in frame.
The Duke of Argyll claimed Margaret had as many as 88 affairs, which included government ministers as well as members of the British royal family. Although it was later revealed that the number was inflated, the stigma of the claim followed Margaret for the rest of her life. She came to be known as the “dirty duchess,” and the court labeled her as a promiscuous woman and ordered Margaret to pay £50,000, which at the time made it the most expensive divorce in British history.
With time, Margaret Whigham’s fortune diminished and poverty descended upon her. She passed away in 1993 after a fall in a London nursing home and was buried alongside her first husband, Sweeny.
What is A Very British Scandal all about?
0 votes
