'We wanted to see what a punk rocker looks like': Toyah Willcox had 'fabulous' tea with Princess Margaret
Toyah Willcox had tea with the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret because they wanted "to see what a punk rocker looks like".
The 66-year-old singer-and-actress recalled a "bizarre" moment when she was "summoned" to see the late royals - who were the mother and younger sister of the late Queen Elizabeth - but they had an enjoyable afternoon, and she found the princess in particular to be "fabulous" company.
Toyah told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "One of the most bizarre moments of my life was in the middle of recording 'Anthem' and I was summoned to St James’s Palace with Katharine Hamnett, who is an all-time rebel, to have tea with the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret. I was wearing a Willy Brown dress, and my hair was bright orange with yellow streaks.
"We were told we had to say ma’am and curtsey, and the Queen Mother entered and sat on one sofa with another guest and Margaret sat on my sofa with me and Katharine and said, 'Oh Hello… we want to see what a punk rocker looks like, ,which was just fabulous, especially as I realised later that Princess Margaret was probably the original punk rocker as she just rebelled and rebelled and rebelled. "
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Margaret was "fascinated" by how punk was creating opportunities for women.
Toyah added: "We talked about the philosophy of punk rock and how it was opening doors for women, and she was fascinated, and I met her many times after that and she was a wicked and very sharp woman."
The 'Quadrophenia' actress also had a surreal encounter with former Phillippines First Lady Imelda Marcos, who wanted her to take her daughter under her wing.
She said: "I was friends with a Kuwaiti princess and once day she said, 'Can you come over as someone wants to talk to you,' so I went over to her house and suddenly found myself sitting opposite Imelda Marcos.
"My immediate thought was, “'What do I say to a woman who has 2,000 pairs of shoes?' but it turned out that she wanted me to introduce her very gorgeous daughter to other celebrities and the upper middle classes.
"Obviously, I was aware of her reputation, but I have to say that she was respectful and kind, and I just knew it was one of those situations where you don’t ask questions.
"I think I introduced her daughter, who was a delicate flower and very well educated, to Lady Rothermere, and took her to a few parties."