Isolation is the perfect excuse to embrace Princess Margaret's indulgent morning routine

If you can't get away with indulging in a two-hour breakfast in bed in the era of self-isolation, when can you?

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, most of us are spending significantly more time cooped up at home than we're accustomed to.

Those beloved weekend rituals of picnics with friends or simple BBQs with extended family are on hold indefinitely, as efforts to slow the spread of the virus have led to restrictions on movement and contact with others.

With hours upon hours of indoor time stretched out ahead of us, perhaps it's time we followed the lead of the late Princess Margaret, the unofficial queen of living it up at home.

Back in 2017, social media went bananas for a book excerpt detailing the alleged morning routine of Queen Elizabeth's younger sister circa 1955, when she was 25.

Documented by Craig Brown in his book Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, Margaret's daily to-do list was the very definition of indulgent:

In the context of our pre-coronavirus lives, such a relaxed routine would have seemed completely laughable.

Who had the time to spend two hours in bed and then a further hour in the bath? We had brunches to get to! Windows to shop! People to be in close physical contact with!

Now, however, you could argue it's the perfect blueprint for a weekend day in lockdown. Well... minus the chain smoking and continual dr.

If you have no reason to leave the house this weekend (and you're not desperately trying to keep kids entertained — parents, we see you), what's stopping you from soaking in a mid-morning bath, or sitting down to a delicious multi-course lunch?

Sure, you mightn't have a royal lady's maid to fill the tub or chefs to cook for you, and you probably can't be bothered to apply a full face of makeup (...makeup? What is that?) before lunch.

However, the principle remains: this could be your opportunity to give in and revel in life's small pleasures. After all, staying home is your civil duty now.

That said, wearing a new outfit for each appearance seems a little excessive in the current climate, and as for the drinks... something tells us Princess Margaret would have wholeheartedly embraced the quarantini.