Hello I'm Kirstie Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

The program was originally broadcast in 1981 and the presenter was Roy Plumlee. I'm delighted that our cast away this week is Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret,

Countess of Snowden.

Ma'am, have you a big collection of records? Princess Margaret, Countess of Sloban.

Ma'am, have you a big collection of records?

Yes, quite.

Have you kept your old 78?

Oh yes, they're all very carefully preserved.

They're very heavy of course.

You've got them down in the cellar.

I have them up at the attic actually.

How old were you when you began to be interested in music when you began piano lessons?

Well, I wasn't interested in lessons, but I began when I was about five. You were put to it?

Yes. When did you begin to take an interest? When I was about 15 I suppose.

When you got past the... Well no fingers got strong I think. Do you play frequently for your own pleasure? Well sometimes just for singing. Do you compose yourself? Oh no, well I have

composed one or two things but very slight. What songs? Yes. Did you find it very? very difficult to choose just eight records that may have to last a long long time

yes I found it very difficult indeed.

How did you go about it?

Did you have any kind of plan?

Yes, I thought that one ought to have perhaps something of every category.

What's the first category?

What's the first record? Well, I suppose I thought back to my childhood

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