10 in Gibson.com's 2011 list of the top 50 guitarists,[5] and No. According to The Telegraph, three years after publicly declaring the end of her scrutinized relationship with divorc Group Captain Peter Townsend (who was 16 years her senior), Margaret met Lord Snowdon.Then 28, the princess was a staple of London's elite nightlife scene, so it was fitting that she and the photographer first saw each other at a private dinner party. Episode four, 'Annus Horribilis', opens with a tearful Queen Elizabeth preparing to make a public apology at the Guildhall. [92] In 1993 he and Des McAnuff wrote and directed the Broadway adaptation of the Who album Tommy, as well as a less successful stage musical based on his solo album The Iron Man, based upon the book by Ted Hughes. Horse's Neck, issued in May 1985, was a collection of short stories he'd written between 1979 and 1984, tackling subjects such as childhood, stardom and spirituality. Townshend has also advocated for drug rehabilitation. Notable projects included editing Animals frontman Eric Burdon's autobiography, Charles Shaar Murray's award-winning Crosstown Traffic: Jimi Hendrix and Post-War Pop, Brian Eno and Russell Mills's More Dark Than Shark, and working with Prince Charles on a volume of his collected speeches. The following year, the association was moved to another Townshend-owned apartment, the Eccleston Square former residence of his wife Karen. [66] Entitled Quadrophenia, it was the only Who album written entirely by Townshend, and he produced the album as well due to the souring of relations with Lambert. In 1969 and 1972, Townshend produced two limited-release albums, Happy Birthday and I Am, for the London-based Baba association. See Photos. In 1971 Townshend, along with Keith Moon and Ronnie Lane, backed Mike Heron (of the Incredible String Band) on one song "Warm Heart Pastry" from Heron's first solo LP, Smiling Men with Bad Reputations. The following year, Townshend performed at a benefit for the annual Bridge School Benefit, a California facility for children with severe speech and physical impairments, with concerts organised by Neil and Pegi Young. In a 1985 radio interview, he said: What I'm most active in doing is raising money to provide beds in clinics to help people that have become victims of drug abuse. [64] "Baba O'Riley" in particular was written as Townshend's ode to his two heroes at the time, Meher Baba and composer Terry Riley. Friday 20 Nov 1914. Townshend began to feel alienated, and the project was abandoned after he suffered a nervous breakdown. Lord Snowdon, in 1958 and, a couple of months later, sat for a portrait with him. [67] It was released in November, and became their highest charting cross-Atlantic success, reaching No. Buckingham Palace on Tuesday announced the death of Townsend, an equerry to Margaret's father, King George VI, and later to her sister, Queen Elizabeth II, and said the princess ``was sad to learn of this news.'' So when it goes to playing something fast I go to the synth. [96] The blog closed in October 2006, as noted on Townshend's website. Townshend wrote in a 1977 Rolling Stone article: For a few years, I had toyed with the idea of opening a London house dedicated to Meher Baba. He joined the Royal Air . Townshend wrote a song, "I Can't Explain", as a deliberate sound-alike of the Kinks, another group Talmy produced. "[141] However, in a 1994 interview for Playboy, he said, "I did an interview about it, saying that 'Rough Boys' was about being gay, and in the interview I also talked about my 'gay life', whichI meantwas actually about the friends I've had who are gay. [87], Townshend made several solo appearances during the 1970s, two of which were captured on record: Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert[88] in January 1973 (which Townshend organized to revive Clapton's career after the latter's heroin addiction),[89] and the Paul McCartney-sponsored Concerts for the People of Kampuchea in December 1979. Townshend also got the chance to play with his hero Hank Marvin for Paul McCartney's "Rockestra" sessions, along with other rock musicians such as David Gilmour, John Bonham, and Ronnie Lane. A professorial father figure with a wife and four children, Townsend's character seemed, at least to my adolescent . His friendship with Hughes led to Townshend's musical interpretation of Hughes's children's story The Iron Man, six years later, as The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend, released in 1989. He was a pivotal role in the genre of rock music in the 1960s and 1970s. 0 Reviews. In 1799 Isaiah Townsend moved to Albany, New York, to become a partner in the firm of Stewart & Townsend, also iron merchants. In response to bootlegging of these, he compiled his personal highlights (and "Evolution", a collaboration with Ronnie Lane), and released his first major-label solo title, 1972's Who Came First. Notable artists and designers gave lectures at the college such as auto-destructive art pioneer Gustav Metzger. After the Who performed at half-time at Super Bowl XLIV, Townshend stated that he is concerned that his tinnitus has grown to such a point that he might be forced to discontinue performing with the band altogether. A limited-edition boxed set of all three limited releases on CD, Avatar, was released in 2000, with all profits going to the Avatar Meher Baba Trust in India, which provided funds to a dispensary, school, hospital and pilgrimage centre. This website was in collaboration with composer Lawrence Ball and software developer David Snowden, with instrumentation by Steve Hills. [139] According to The Sunday Times Rich List his assets were worth 40million as of 2009. Group Captain Peter Wooldridge Townsend, CVO, DSO, DFC & Bar (22 November 1914 - 19 June 1995) was a British Royal Air Force officer, flying ace, courtier and author. He's very good at his chord scene, too.[82]. [72][73] Townshend was nominated for an Academy Award for scoring and adapting the music in the film. By Mehera Bonner Published: Sep 22, 2022. [75] After a 1976 tour, Townshend took a year-long break from the band to focus on spending time with his family.[76]. [46] Lambert encouraged Townshend to write longer pieces of music for the next album, which became "A Quick One, While He's Away". Townsend died of stomach cancer in 1995, at the age of 80, in Rambouillet, France. The opening of his personal website and his commerce site Eelpie.com, both in 2000, gave Townshend another outlet for literary work. It was just going on. While the Who were playing, Yippie leader Abbie Hoffman jumped the stage to complain about the arrest of John Sinclair. An early example of Townshend's writing came in August 1970 with the first of nine installments of "The Pete Townshend Page", a monthly column written by Townshend for the British music paper Melody Maker. The Who continues to perform critically acclaimed sets into the 21st century, including highly regarded performances at The Concert For New York City in 2001, the 2004 Isle of Wight Festival, Live 8 in 2005, and the 2007 Glastonbury Festival. [59] The result was the rock opera Tommy, released on 23 May 1969 to critical and commercial success. [107] In March 2019 it was announced that a work entitled The Age of Anxiety would be published as a novel, with an opera to follow.[108]. In 1968 Townshend helped assemble a band called Thunderclap Newman consisting of three musicians he knew: pianist Andy Newman (an old art school friend), drummer John "Speedy" Keen (who had written "Armenia City in the Sky" for the Who to record for their 1967 album The Who Sell Out) and teenage guitarist Jimmy McCulloch (later to join Wings). [4] In 2001, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a member of the Who; and in 2008 he received Kennedy Center Honors. [19] Townshend and school friend John Entwistle formed a short-lived trad jazz group, the Confederates, featuring Townshend on banjo and Entwistle on horns. So the interviewer kind of dotted the t's and crossed the i's and assumed that this was a coming out, which it wasn't at all. Princess Margaret's first great love passed away in 1995 at age 80. Peter passed away on month day 1947, at age 66 at death place, North Carolina. [53] Released in December, their next album was The Who Sell Outa concept album based on pirate radio, which had been instrumental in raising the Who's popularity. In the same year, he donated a smashed guitar to the Pediatric Epilepsy Project. The "large clinic" Townshend was referring to was a drug treatment facility in London that he and drug rehabilitation experimenter, Meg Patterson, had devised, but the plan failed to come to fruition. A married Townsend meets then-teenager Margaret for the first time while accompanying the royal family on a three-month tour to South Africa. Place of death. [134], In interviews Townshend was more open about his beliefs, penning an article on Baba for Rolling Stone magazine in 1970 and stating that following Baba's teachings, he was opposed to the use of all psychedelic drugs, making him one of the first rock stars with counterculture credibility to turn against their use. In support of Tommy, the Who launched a tour that included a memorable appearance at the Woodstock Festival on 17 August. Pete Townshend opens up. LONDON (AP) _ Group Capt. Neil Young introduced him to an audiologist who suggested he use an in-ear monitor, and although they cancelled their spring 2010 touring schedule, Townshend used the device at their one remaining London concert on 30 March 2010, to ascertain the feasibility of Townshend continuing to perform with the Who.[150]. 3 in Dave Marsh's 1994 list of Best Guitarists in The New Book of Rock Lists. The same computer systems work wonderfully well on stage, proving to be perfect for me when the Who performed at the Super Bowl and doing Quadrophenia for TCT at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010. Townshend figured prominently in the development of what is widely known in rock circles as the "Marshall stack". In 1989 Townshend began work on a novel entitled Ray High & The Glass Household, a draft of which was later submitted to his editor. His duty was to protect the princess throughout the . A second son, Hugo, was born in 1945. [49] He developed this style after watching Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards warm up before a show. [20] The Confederates played gigs at the Congo Club, a youth club run by the Acton Congregational Church, and covered Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, and Lonnie Donegan. "[43] The Townshend-penned single reached number two on the UK charts, becoming the Who's biggest hit. In 1997, Townshend established a relationship with Maryville Academy, a Chicago area children's charity. George Townsend, also known as Shredder, is a minor antagonist in Family Guy, only appearing in the episode "Short Cuts". Pete Townsend's children. Since the late-1980s, Townshend has used the Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster, with Lace Sensor pick-ups,[118] both in the studio and on tour. PETER TOWNSEND OBITUARY. Save Article. Princess Margaret and Antony married in 1960, with their wedding making history as the first ever royal wedding to be televised. In July 1983, Townshend took a position as an acquisitions editor for London publisher Faber and Faber. Saint-Leger-en-Yvelines, France. It was on one of these trips in the summer of 1956 that he repeatedly watched the 1956 film Rock Around the Clock, sparking his fascination with American rock and roll. In 1941 Townsend married Rosemary . These include concept albums, the rock operas Tommy (1969) and Quadrophenia (1973), plus popular rock radio staples such as Who's Next (1971); as well as dozens more that appeared as non-album singles, bonus tracks on reissues, and tracks on rarities compilation albums such as Odds & Sods (1974). They remained happily married until his death, aged 80, in 1995. Age. [98], On 22 March 2018, Townshend stated that a new Who album should feature original songs by Roger Daltrey as well as him. [147] Authorities could not prove that the website accessed by Townshend involved children, and no incriminating evidence was found on his personal computer. He has also written more than 100 songs that have appeared on his solo albums, as well as radio jingles and television theme songs. Four years later, in December 1959, Peter Townsend married Marie-Luce Jamagne, with whom he had three children. The launch, followed on 5 November by a fund-raising event, was also attended by Robert Plant and Dave Grohl.[157]. [110] In his autobiography, he wrote: I wasn't trying to play beautiful music. [75] The album spawned one hit single, "Squeeze Box", that was written after Townshend learned how to play the accordion. The Who's Pete Townshend has said his child abuse pics arrest saved his life as it led him to discover he had bowel cancer. . [9] The Townshends had a volatile marriage, as both drank heavily and possessed fiery tempers. The show was earmarked as a benefit for the London-based Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation, an organisation which helps children with autism and intellectual disability. Their siblings included Peter, Noah, Samuel and William. In February 2006, a major world tour by the Who was announced to promote their first new album since 1982. $105 Million. [citation needed]. He was a fine mayor from what I understand, but I think the position he's got really would be better served by a person who's managed a large enterprise". May 25, 2017 - WOMAN Group Captain Peter Townsend MARRIED INSTEAD OF PRINCESS MARGARET. [153], In a widely reported 2012 interview with ABC, Townshend described himself jokingly as being "a bit of a neocon" stating that, "I like the idea of America as the world's police force. Structural Info. Peter Townsend, the dashing World War II fighter pilot who loved and lost Princess Margaret, has died after more than 30 years of self-imposed exile. But the romance was frowned upon when their engagement became public in 1953. The episode features Townshend, 76, talking and singing his way through the 24-year period between drummer Keith Moon's death in 1978 and the death of bassist John Entwistle in 2002, an era he . he is one of famous drummer with the age years old group. August 21, 2022 - 07:13 BST hellomagazine.com. [102] The musical has been a work in progress at least since 2009 with an original estimated release of 2011. Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) March 2, 2023. However, after the news broke out . Townshend promptly knocked him offstage with his guitar, shouting, "Fuck off my fucking stage! Although known for his musical compositions and musicianship, Townshend has been extensively involved in the literary world for more than three decades, writing newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts. and John Bonham", "Pete Townshend's Classic Quadrophenia With Billy Idol Announces U.S. Tour Dates (by Michael Gallucci)", "Pete Townshend Plots Short 'Classic Quadrophenia' Tour Townshend will revisit the Who's famous double album with an orchestra to reach "classical and pop music lovers alike" (by Elias Leight)", "Pete Townshend: The Rolling Stone Interview", "The Who Official Band Website Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon, Home", "The Who, and the Super Bowl's Evolving Halftime Show", "Roger Daltrey should write songs for next Who album", "Album Review: The Who Remain Blunt as Ever on Uneven WHO", "Pete Townshend on the Future of the Who", "Townshend Offers Update On New Solo Project WROR", "The Who's Pete Townshend plans new musical", "The Who Sell Out: Pete Townshend Gets Millions for Back Catalog", "An interview with Pete Townshend: 'I might retire from making money', "The Who's Pete Townshend announces debut novel, The Age of Anxiety", "Pete Townshend: "I wasn't trying to make beautiful music", "Guild F-612XL 12-string acoustic guitar | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear | Whotabs", "Takamine Guitars | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear | Whotabs", "Danelectro Guitars | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear | Whotabs", "10 Things You Gotta Do To Play Like Pete Townshend", "The Who's guitar is smash hit of Woodstock display", "The secrets behind Pete Townshend's tone on The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again", "Pete Townshend's Smashed Rickenbacker Takes More Than $78K at Auction", "Pete's Equipment, Harmony Sovereign H-1270 12-string acoustic guitar, Whotabs, Pete Townshend", "Fender Jazzmaster | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear", "Vox amplifiers | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear", "Pete's Gear: 1959 Fender Bandmaster Amplifier", "Pete Townshend: On Guitar-Smashing Regrets, Stylistic Evolution, and Becoming a Gear Aficionado", "1952 Fender Telecaster | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear", "ARP 2500 and 2600 synthesizers | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear | Whotabs", "In Love with Meher Baba, by Pete Townshend", "Pete Townshend: So Why Did a Guy Who Hates Pinball Write A Rock Opera About it? [6] He and Roger Daltrey received The George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement at UCLA on 21 May 2016. The man in questionCaptain Peter Townsend, a dashing war hero who served as her father's extra equerry, was 15 years older than the Princess, and, well, already had a spouse. He was romantically involved with Princess Margaret in the 1950s. Townshend has also attributed the start of his hearing loss to Keith Moon's famous exploding drum set during the Who's 1967 appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The Marshall stack was born, and Townshend used these as well as Hiwatt stacks. 9 on the American charts, Townshend was surprised it was not an even bigger hit, as he considered it the best song he had written up to that point. He worked as equerry to King George VI and was married with two children, but entertained an ongoing affair with Princess Margaret. Townshend also used a Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck very briefly circa late 1967, and both a Harmony Sovereign H1270[122] and a Fender Electric XII for the studio sessions for Tommy for the 12-string guitar parts. Princess Margaret Met Tony Armstrong-Jones In 1960. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Birthdate: January 01, 1736. Liner notes from 1996 CD release. There are gadgets on synthesizers that enable one to become a virtuoso on the keyboard. The princess was 16 years his . [36] The band was soon taken on by a mod publicist named Peter Meaden who convinced them to change their name to the High Numbers to give the band more of a mod feel. SHE LOOKS LIKE HER! Martins. Personal Life, Parents and Family Details : Isabelle is the daughter of parents - Peter Townsend (father) and Marie-Luce Jamagne (mother). [108], In 1967 Townshend had begun to explore spirituality. You guys sort it out. The debut of Townshend's stage version of Tommy took place at San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse in July 1992. This is the only Synclavier 3200 system of this specification in existence, custom-designed and built for Townshend by Steve Hills. Instead of throwing the smashed parts away, Townshend reassembled the pieces as a sculpture. [61] Townshend began writing material for another rock opera. Townshend has also recorded several concert albums, including one featuring a supergroup he assembled called Deep End, with David Gilmour on guitar, who performed just three concerts and a television show session for The Tube, to raise money for his Double-O charity, supporting drug addicts. Elizabeth Rogers . Net Worth. [149], In 1989, Townshend gave the initial funding to allow the formation of the non-profit hearing advocacy group H.E.A.R. Released as a single in January 1965, "I Can't Explain" was the Who's first hit, reaching number eight on the British charts. I was confronting my audience with the awful, visceral sound of what we all knew was the single absolute of our frail existenceone day an aeroplane would carry the bomb that would destroy us all in a flash. Townshend also wrote three sizeable essays for Rolling Stone magazine, the first of which appeared in November 1970. He's got really, really bad problems with itnot tinnitus, it's deterioration and he's seriously now worried about actually losing his hearing". [104][105] He summarized the work in an interview with Sirius Satellite Radio published February 2010. 4 in the charts upon its release in December 1966. After a lengthy delay, Townshend's autobiography, now titled Who I Am, was released 8 October 2012. It was a moderate success and featured demos of Who songs as well as a showcase of his acoustic guitar talents. Rock icon pens memoir. Date Of Birth. For much of the 1970s, he used a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, some with only two mini-humbucker pick-ups and others modified with a third pick-up in the "middle position" (a DiMarzio Superdistortion / Dual Sound). At about this time, Townshend, who had been searching the past two years for a basis for a rock opera, created a story inspired by the teachings of Baba and other writings and expressing the enlightenment he believed that he had received from them, which ultimately became Tommy. The album was subsequently titled A Quick One[47] and reached No. Their lineup coalesced around Roger Daltrey on lead guitar, Townshend on rhythm guitar, Entwistle on bass, Doug Sandom on drums, and Colin Dawson as vocalist. [55] Despite the success of "I Can See for Miles", which reached No. As we hark back to the events that led to this statement, the royal family endures one knockback . [37] The band anguished over a name that all felt represented the band best, and dropped the High Numbers name, reverting to the Who. [158], Townshend had been invited to perform for Amnesty by Martin Lewis, the producer of The Secret Policeman's Ball, who stated later that Townshend's participation had been the key to his securing the subsequent participation for Amnesty (in the 1981 sequel show) of Sting, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Phil Collins and Bob Geldof. Townshend lived at The Wick, Richmond, London, England, but sold the house in August 2021 for more than 15 million. They married on 20 May 1968 and moved into a three-bedroom townhouse in Twickenham in outer south-west London that overlooked the Thames. "Trauma is passed from generation to generation", he said, "I've unwittingly inherited what my father experienced. Pete now lives with long-time girlfriend, musician Rachel Fuller. When asked who first used feedback, Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore said: Pete Townshend was definitely the first. Peter Townsend (drummer) Family Background & Career. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.[2][3]. His 1998 album A Benefit for Maryville Academy was made to support their activities and proceeds from the sales of his release were donated to them. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. Meghan Mountbatten Windsor, The Duchess of Sussex. In a 1974 Penthouse interview he stated that he recognised in practice he was a capitalist who was rewarded well for his work, but that his ideals were communist. [12] He enjoyed his family's frequent excursions to the seaside and the Isle of Man. Between 1997 and 2002, Townshend played five benefit shows for Maryville Academy, raising at least $1,600,000. Other performers inspired to support Amnesty International in future Secret Policeman's Ball shows and other benefits because of Townshend's early commitment to the organisation include Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, David Gilmour and U2's lead singer Bono who in 1986 told Rolling Stone magazine: "I saw The Secret Policeman's Ball and it became a part of me. Princess Margaret was a teenager when she first met Peter Townsend. Cause of death Browse 99 princess margaret peter townsend stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Sunday would have marked the 92nd birthday of the Queen 's only sibling, her younger sister Princess . The couple went on to have two children: David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones in 1961 and Sarah Frances Elizabeth Armstrong-Jones in 1964. [24] Lacking the requisite grades to attend university, Pete was faced with the decision of art school, music school, or getting a job. 1. Townshend published a semi-autobiographical story The Boy Who Heard Music as a serial on a blog beginning in September 2005. He came from a musical family: his father, Cliff Townshend, was a professional alto saxophonist in the Royal Air Force's dance band The Squadronaires and his mother, Betty (ne Dennis), was a singer with the Sydney Torch and Les Douglass Orchestras. [99] That album, simply titled Who, was released on 6 December 2019. Townshend was ranked No. [128] He had this to say about the instrument: "I like synthesizers because they bring into my hands things that aren't in my hands: the sound of an orchestra, French horns, strings. Who is The Crown's Peter Townsend? [103] On 24 January 2012 Townshend sold the rights to all of his back catalog and much of his future work including Floss The Musical if it is ever completed. The song and its famous line "I hope I die before I get old" was "very much about trying to find a place in society", Townshend stated in an interview with David Fricke. While the original novel remains unpublished, elements from this story were used in Townshend's 1993 solo album Psychoderelict. In March 2011, Roger Daltrey said in an interview with the BBC that Townshend had recently experienced gradual but severe hearing loss and was now trying to save what remained of his hearing: "Pete's having terrible trouble with his hearing. He used this guitar at the Woodstock[119] and Isle of Wight shows in 1969 and 1970, as well as the Live at Leeds performance in 1970. Their first recording was the single "Something in the Air", which became a number one hit in the UK and a substantial hit elsewhere in the world. He was ranked No. [52] He also began experimenting with LSD, though stopped taking the drug after receiving a potent hit after the Monterey Pop Festival on 18 June. Whereas the other players like Jeff Beck and myself were playing more single note things than chords. In the early days with the Who, Townshend played an Emile Grimshaw SS De Luxe and 6-string and 12-string Rickenbacker semi-hollow electric guitars primarily (particularly the Rose-Morris UK-imported models with special f-holes). It is now owned by a different user and does not relate to Townshend's work in any way. [26] Townshend dropped out in 1964 to focus on music full-time. Following this success, Townshend produced their sole album, Hollywood Dream. In 2005, Townshend performed at New York's Gotham Hall for Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope, an annual children's charity fundraiser. Townshend, who 50 years ago, wrote the Who's Tommy, which dealt with a child spurred into what he's described as a form of traumatic autism, explained that the disorder has hit close to home. Peter Townsend. Princess Margaret's controversial romance with Peter Townsend put the royal family in an uncomfortable position. When this established that millions of people were living in abject hardship, the shockwaves went beyond the academy, making Townsend a public figure - "the man who rediscovered poverty". [71], A film version of Tommy was directed by Ken Russell, and starred Roger Daltrey in the title role, Ann-Margret as his mother, and Oliver Reed as his step-father, with cameos by Tina Turner, Elton John, Eric Clapton, and other rock notables; the film premiered on 18 March 1975. London, with the Royal family : King George VI, the Queen. Immediate Family: Son of Henry Townsend IV and Elizabeth Titus. Peter Townsend was born on November 22, 1914 in Rangoon, Burma, British India [now Yangon, Yangon, Myanmar]. The third system Townshend owns is one of the first Synclavier II systems ever built. [83], Many rock guitarists have cited Townshend as an influence, among them Slash,[84] Alex Lifeson,[85] and Steve Jones. Introduction : Isabelle Townsend is a former advertising model, actress and theater artist. Before long, the two struck up . Townshend offered very economical (reportedly 1 per night) lodging for American followers who needed an overnight stay on their pilgrimages to India. Barnes, Richard. The royal made plans to marry her father's former equerry in the 1950s after his divorce. An equerry, Townsend worked as an aide to the king.. Married with two young boys, 29-year-old Townsend grew close to the family through the years, including George's two daughters Elizabeth and . In 1989 during a radio interview, Townshend was mistakenly believed to have acknowledged his bisexuality, which he later clarified as actually a reference to gay friends.. .