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Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon  

At table she was reported to drink whisky throughout the meal and to smoke constantly, stubbing her cigarette ends randomly on adjacent plates, frequently on uneaten food. . .

In her later years, Princess Margaret suffered from poor health, a state of affairs exacerbated by her heavy smoking of strong cigarettes and by her drinking. In the 1970s she contracted hepatitis and this was followed by a severe attack of viral pneumonia. More seriously, in 1984 she underwent an operation to remove a sample of lung tissue but this was pronounced non-malignant after several days of suspense. It naturally provoked calls in the press, and a torrent of letters from members of the public, for her to cut down her smoking, which she indeed attempted to do. But after briefly giving up, she later resumed the habit, though at a rate halved from her previous 60-a-day. But she battled on with her engagements when health permitted, and on her 60th birthday in 1990 the Queen presented her with the Royal Victorian Chain, as a mark of esteem. Still, she was to be beset by further illnesses, losing several more days of engagements in 1992 through what were described as "feverish colds" and "feverish infections".

In the following year she spent some time in a London hospital suffering from pneumonia. Then, in February 1998 came the most serious threat to her health to that date when she suffered a stroke

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