

Who plays Derek ‘dazzle’ Jennings in the Crown? Born in 1960, Tom was educated at Eton College where he became friends with Prince Andrew (later Duke of York), before attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
#DAZZLE JENNINGS PRINCESS MARGARET TV#
Tom Burke is an English actor best known for his roles in the TV series, The Crown and Sherlock. Tom has been married twice so far in his life – he’s been divorced twice – but he wouldn’t mind having another go at marriage if the right woman came along…įrequently asked questions Who is Derek “dazzle” Jennings? He grew up wanting to go into politics like his father before him he even wrote his thesis on prime minister Winston Churchill’s wartime speeches. They would get along famously! Tom is a huge fan of the Royal Family, but he also has an interest in government and public service. They share a love for the arts, a sarcastic sense of humor, and a love for London. Tom Burke and Princess Margaret would be the best of friends. Burke trained as a theatre performer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. The London-born actor has also starred in films including Everest, Testament of Youth, War Horse and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He is best known for his portrayal of King George VI in the Netflix drama The King’s Speech. Tom Burke played a civil servant and friend of the royal family on The Crown (TV series). But soon, in a truly indelible scene, it's made clear that Jennings is, in fact, gay.How he became so popular with the royal family and beyond.

When Jennings declines to kiss her, she assumes it's because of the church and his vow of abstinence. It's an intimate exchange, and Margaret is clearly interested in Jennings as more than a close friend.

In The Crown, we're introduced to Jennings as he breaks the news to Margaret that he's about to take Holy Orders. Per the Catholic Leader, Jennings said Margaret described the evening as "one of the most rewarding, fascinating and satisfying nights of her life.” Was Princess Margaret romantically interested in Jennings? Queen Elizabeth is the head of the Church of England, so Margaret converting would have been seen as a potentially devastating snub.īotham also described a dinner party in 1988 where Jennings brokered a meeting between Margaret and the Catholic Cardinal George Basil Hume. Biographer Noel Botham claimed in his 2002 book Margaret: The Last Real Princess (per Radio Times) that Jennings believed Margaret wanted to convert, but Margaret felt unable to go through with it because it would be a betrayal of her sister. According to several reports, Jennings really did try to convert Margaret-and in at least some versions of the story, she considered it. There's no evidence that Margaret and Jennings ever had such a falling out in real life-in fact, she was one of the last people to see him before he died in 1995.īut the rest of this storyline comes from the truth. Onscreen, Margaret and Jennings' relationship comes to a dramatic close when he tries to convince her to convert to Catholicism, and she refuses out of loyalty to her family, before telling him she never wants to see him again. Upon his death in 1995, The Times wrote in its obituary (per Radio Times) that Jennings' death "deprives London's religious life of one of its most eccentric comets…he would turn up at country house dinners, theatre festivals, auction houses and modest student gatherings, always yearning to argue the toss, always with an admonitory finger at the ready, always loyal."ĭid Princess Margaret consider converting to Catholicism? After completing his training in Rome, Jennings returned home and ultimately became the chaplain at King's College London, per Metro. He was a notorious and popular figure in London, with a wide circle of friends including the actor Alec Guinness and Princess Margaret. In 1984, he quit his job to take the Holy Orders and become a Catholic priest. Who was Derek Jennings?ĭerek Jennings was born in 1946 and worked as a senior civil servant in the British Government’s Department of the Environment. Here's the true story of Dazzle and his relationship with the princess. For reasons that soon become clear, she's barking up the wrong tree. But before any of that, she endures a major romantic disappointment in her relationship with Derek "Dazzle" Jennings (Tom Burke), a young priest she's developed feelings for. Poor Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) has a rough time of it in the new season of The Crown, in particular in the seventh episode, "The Hereditary Principle." In the space of that single episode, Margaret has a medical scare that requires lung surgery, is demoted from her royal duties, and discovers a devastating secret about her family.
