Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, died on February 9, 2002, at the age of 71. Her health had deteriorated in the last twenty years of her life, and she had a history of heavy smoking, lung operation, pneumonia, and strokes. Her last public appearances were in August and December 2001. She died in King Edward VIIs Hospital, London, three days after the 50th anniversary of her fathers death. The cause of her death was a stroke, and she had developed heart problems. Princess Margarets divorce received much negative publicity, and her private life was for many years the subject of speculation by media and royal watchers. Her separation from Lord Snowdon, her husband, was finalized in May 1978, and they completed their divorce, the first by a British royal couple in 400 years. In her later years, Princess Margaret withdrew into private life as the tabloids focused on Princess Diana and a younger generation of royals.