To match the power and speed and especially the prestige of the London and North Eastern Railway's express Pacific locomotives, Stanier designed the Princess Royal class almost as soon as he was appointed to the LMS.

When originally built, they were used to haul the famous Royal Scot train between London Euston and Glasgow Central.

Although 'generally similar' to the rest of the Princess Royals,[4] and 'not all that much different',[7] it used a larger 40 element superheater to give a higher steam temperature, more suitable for turbine use.

The continuous exhaust of the turbine, rather than the sharper intermittent blast of the piston engine, also required changes to the draughting and the use of a double chimney.

[11] This Turbomotive was rebuilt in 1952 with conventional 'Coronation' cylinders and named Princess Anne, but was soon destroyed in the Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash.

Later examples of 4-6-2 express passenger locomotive built by the LMS were of the related but larger, Coronation Class.

'Princess Margaret Rose' is owned by The Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust and is on static display at the West Shed Museum, Midland Railway-Butterley, Ripley, Derbyshire.