Townsend was appointed Comptroller of Margaret's mother's restructured household

After the king's death, Townsend was appointed Comptroller of Margaret's mother's restructured household. During the war, the king suggested choosing palace aides who were highly qualified men from the military, instead of only aristocrats. Told that a handsome war hero had arrived, the princesses met the new equerry on his first day at Buckingham Palace in 1944; Elizabeth reportedly told her sister, 13 years old, "Bad luck, he's married".