David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon

Last updated


The Earl of Snowdon
Procession to Lying-in-State of Elizabeth II at Westminster Hall - 86 - David Armstrong-Jones (cropped).jpg
Snowdon in the procession to the lying in state of his aunt Elizabeth II in 2022
BornDavid Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones
(1961-11-03) 3 November 1961 (age 62)
Clarence House, London, England
Spouse(s)
(m. 1993;sep. 2020)
Issue
Father Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon
Mother Princess Margaret
OccupationEntrepreneur
Education Bedales School

David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon (born 3 November 1961), styled as Viscount Linley until 2017 and known professionally as David Linley, is a member of the British royal family, an English furniture maker, and honorary chairman of the auction house Christie's UK. [1] He is the only son of Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon and Princess Margaret, and through his mother a grandson of King George VI and first cousin of King Charles III. When he was born, he was 5th in the line of succession to the British throne; as of May 2023, he is 25th, and the highest who is not a descendant of Queen Elizabeth II, his aunt.

Contents

Early life and education

David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones was born on 3 November 1961, in Clarence House, London, the son of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. He was baptised on 19 December 1961 in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace. [2] [3] [4] His godparents were his aunt Queen Elizabeth II, Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, Patrick Plunket, 7th Baron Plunket, Lord Rupert Nevill, and Simon Phipps. [2]

At the age of five, Linley began lessons in the Buckingham Palace schoolroom with his cousin Prince Andrew. [5] He went to several independent schools: first, to Gibbs Pre-Preparatory School in Kensington in London, now known as Collingham College. [6] Followed by the pre-preparatory section of Ashdown House School, East Sussex, then on to Millbrook House School, near Abingdon, in Oxfordshire, [7] and finally to Bedales School, where he developed a passion for arts and crafts. From 1980 to 1982 he studied at Parnham House in the small town of Beaminster in Dorset, for craftsmen in wood. [8]

He has one full sister, Lady Sarah Chatto (née Armstrong-Jones), and two paternal half-sisters, Lady Frances von Hofmannsthal (née Armstrong-Jones) and Polly Fry. [9] He also has a half-brother, Jasper Cable-Alexander, son of his father and Melanie Cable-Alexander, an editor at Country Life magazine.[ citation needed ]

Professional life

Linley store in Burlington Arcade, London, 2015 Linley, Burlington Arcade, London 01.jpg
Linley store in Burlington Arcade, London, 2015

Linley opened a workshop in Dorking, where he designed and made furniture for three years before setting up his own company, David Linley Furniture Limited (now known as Linley), where he makes bespoke furniture, upholstery, and interior design products known for their neoclassical appearance and use of inlaid woods. He has written numerous books and lectured around the world. [10] His work is sold in retail stores in Belgravia, Harrods, and overseas, including the Bespoke Collection. [11] He borrowed from his company by causing it to make loans, acquiring some £3 million in debts, a situation eventually resolved by the sale of controlling shares for £4 million in 2012; [12] he thereby lost control of the company. [13]

On 1 December 2006, Linley took up the post of chairman of Christie's UK, having joined the board in 2005 as a non-executive director. [10] In 2015, his position was changed to honorary chairman of Christie's EMERI (Europe, Middle East, Russia, and India). [14]

Linley dabbled in the restaurant business with his friend and second cousin Patrick Lichfield; they established a restaurant called Deals in Chelsea, London. [2] [15] According to Princess Margaret's biographer, Theo Aronson, Linley had a flair for the networking aspect of business and was successful in getting people to come through the doors. [2]

Candidacy for the House of Lords

Linley's father was originally a member of the House of Lords by virtue of his being granted an hereditary peerage. When the House of Lords Act 1999 unseated most hereditary peers, those whose peerage had been newly created for them (as opposed to inherited from a relative) were offered life peerages to allow them to remain in the Lords. Accordingly, the first Earl Snowdon was also created Baron Armstrong-Jones, and retained his seat in the Lords until his death in 2017, whereupon his son inherited the earldom but not the life peerage or the seat.

In 2018, Linley became a candidate in a by-election to fill a vacancy among the ranks of the crossbench peers. [16] Only hereditary peers are eligible to stand in this election, and only the 31 currently sitting in the Lords as crossbenchers are eligible to vote. Unlike other candidates, he did not write a statement accompanying his announcement of candidacy. [17] He later withdrew from consideration for the seat. Reportedly, his candidacy had "raised eyebrows" due to his relation to the royal family. [18]

Personal life and family

Pictured with his daughter in 2017 LadyMargaritaArmstrongJonesSandringham.jpg
Pictured with his daughter in 2017

In 1990, Linley took legal action against the Today newspaper for an article accusing him of "rowdy behaviour in a pub". He was eventually awarded £30,000 in damages. [19]

On 8 October 1993, Linley married the Hon. Serena Alleyne Stanhope (born 1 March 1970, Limerick, Ireland), daughter of Viscount Petersham (later the 12th Earl of Harrington) at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster. There were 650 guests in attendance. [20] Through her father, Stanhope descends from Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, one of the illegitimate children of Charles II of England. [21]

He and his wife have two children:

From 2000 until 2002, Linley, his wife and son lived at Kensington Palace with his mother, Princess Margaret, in her declining years. [22] On 8 April 2002, Linley, along with the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, and the Earl of Wessex, "stood guard" at the lying-in-state of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. [23] This Vigil of the Princes had taken place only once before, during the lying-in-state of George V in 1936.

In October and November 2007, rumours circulated on the internet suggesting that a member of the British royal family was the victim of blackmail. The first confirmation that the royal in the extortion attempt was Viscount Linley came from the journalist Nicholas Davies. [24] Ian Strachan and Sean McGuigan tried to extort £50,000 from Linley in September by threatening to release video footage showing sex acts and cocaine use (allegedly by Linley and a male royal aide) on a mobile phone. [24] Linley contacted the police. Strachan and McGuigan were arrested after showing their video footage to an undercover detective, [24] and at trial were sentenced to five years in prison. [25]

In 2011, Linley's daughter, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. In 2012, his son, styled by courtesy as Viscount Linley since January 2017, was appointed by the Queen as a page of honour. [26]

The family has three homes: a flat in Chelsea, London; a cottage on the Daylesford estate in Gloucestershire; [27] and the Château d'Autet [28] in the Luberon, Provence.

He and his wife separated in February 2020, and a spokesperson confirmed they are to obtain a divorce. [29]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

Honours

DateAppointmentRibbonNote
6 February 1977: Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal UK Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg
6 February 2002 Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg
6 February 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg
6 February 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal UK Queen EII Platinum Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg
6 May 2023 King Charles III Coronation Medal Coronation of Charles III Medal ribbon.png

Arms

Coat of arms of David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon
Coat of arms of Antony Armstrong-Jones as 1st Earl of Snowdon.png
Notes
Aside from the earl's coronet displayed here, he is also entitled to display the coronet of a child of a daughter of the sovereign. [31]
Crest
A stag statant Gules attired collared and unguled Or between two arms embowed in armour the hands Proper each grasping a fleur-de-lis Or.
Escutcheon
Sable on a chevron Argent between in chief two fleurs-de-lis and in base an eagle displayed Or four pallets Gules.
Supporters
Dexter a griffin and sinister an eagle each with wings elevated and addorsed Or. [32]
Motto
A Noddo Duw A Noddir (Welsh: "What God wills will be")

Published works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Edinburgh</span> Dukedom in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produce any revenue for the title-holder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon</span> British photographer and filmmaker (1930–2017)

Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon was a British photographer and filmmaker. He is best known internationally for his portraits of world notables, many of them published in Vogue, Vanity Fair, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Sunday Telegraph Magazine, and other major venues; more than 280 of his photographs are in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Snowdon</span> Earldom in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Earl of Snowdon is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1961, together with the subsidiary title of Viscount Linley, of Nymans in the County of Sussex, by Queen Elizabeth II for her then-brother-in-law, Antony Armstrong-Jones, who married Princess Margaret in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones</span> British jewelry designer and relative of the royal family (born 2002)

Lady Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones is a relative of the British royal family. She is the granddaughter of Princess Margaret and the grandniece of Queen Elizabeth II. As of 2023, she is 27th in the line of succession to the British throne. She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011 and accompanies members of the royal family to public events. Lady Margarita is a jewellery designer and the creator of the bespoke jewellery label Matita. In 2023, she was the cover girl for the May issue of Tatler.

Lady Sarah Frances Elizabeth Chatto is a member of the British royal family. She is the only daughter of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. She and her brother, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, are the only maternal first cousins of King Charles III. She is the youngest grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. At her birth, she was 7th in line to the British throne; as of May 2023, she was 28th. Though she does not undertake public duties, she frequently attends events and ceremonies with the wider royal family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Lords Act 1999</span> UK law removing hereditary peerage from the House of Lords

The House of Lords Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats ; the Act removed such a right. However, as part of a compromise, the Act allowed ninety-two hereditary peers to remain in the House. Another ten were created life peers to enable them to remain in the House.

The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of August 2023, there are 805 hereditary peers: 30 dukes, 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 110 viscounts, and 442 barons.

In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the Dukedom of Edinburgh awarded for life to Prince Edward in 2023, all life peerages conferred since 2009 have been created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 with the rank of baron and entitle their holders to sit and vote in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as age and citizenship. The legitimate children of a life peer appointed under the Life Peerages Act 1958 are entitled to style themselves with the prefix "The Honourable", although they cannot inherit the peerage itself. Prior to 2009, life peers of baronial rank could also be so created under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 for senior judges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Linley Sambourne</span>

Edward Linley Sambourne was an English cartoonist and illustrator most famous for being a draughtsman for the satirical magazine Punch for more than forty years and rising to the position of "First Cartoonist" in his final decade. He was also a great-grandfather of Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, who was the husband of Princess Margaret.

Charles Henry Leicester Stanhope, 12th Earl of Harrington, styled as Viscount Petersham from birth until his father's death in 2009, is the son of William Stanhope, 11th Earl of Harrington, and his wife, Eileen Grey.

Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, and the highest mountain in the UK outside of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Armstrong-Jones</span> Welsh barrister and soldier

Major Ronald Owen Lloyd Armstrong-Jones, was a British barrister and soldier. He was the father of Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, and father-in-law of Princess Margaret, younger daughter of George VI.

William Henry Leicester Stanhope, 11th Earl of Harrington, was a British army captain and peer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Parsons, Countess of Rosse</span> British socialite

Anne Parsons, Countess of Rosse, was an English socialite and one of the founders of The Victorian Society. She was the mother of Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon and Brendan Parsons, 7th Earl of Rosse.

Armstrong-Jones is a compound surname composed of Armstrong and Jones. Notable people with the surname include:

John Eustace Vesey, 6th Viscount de Vesci, was an Irish peer.

Serena Alleyne Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon is married to David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones</span> 1960 British royal wedding

The wedding of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones took place on Friday, 6 May 1960 at Westminster Abbey in London. Princess Margaret was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, while Antony Armstrong-Jones was a noted society photographer.

Anne Veronica Tennant, Dowager Baroness Glenconner is a British peeress and socialite. The daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester, Lady Glenconner served as a maid of honour at the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, and was extra lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II's sister, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, from 1971 until the Princess died in 2002. Her 2019 memoir, Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown, was a New York Times Best Seller.

References

  1. "Viscount Linley Appointed Hon. Chairman of Christie's EMERI". Christie's . Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Aronson, Theo (2013). Princess Margaret: A Biography. Thistle Publishing.
  3. "Princess Margaret and husband". Getty Images. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  4. de Courcy, Anne. "The Princess and the Photographer". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015.
  5. Viscount Linley Archived 2 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine Publisher: Mandy's Royalty. Org. retrieved 22 May 2013.
  6. Viscount Linley in school uniform, Gibbs School, Kensington, London, 4 October 1968 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine . Publisher: Heritage Images. Com. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  7. Archive - Tuesday, 6 May 2003 - Prep school set to close Publisher:The Oxford Mail. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  8. "Architecture: The school that got lost in the woods - Peter Dunn on". 12 January 1994.
  9. Reporter, Andrew Alderson, Chief (31 May 2008). "Lord Snowdon, his women, and his love child" . Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 via www.telegraph.co.uk.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. 1 2 "David Linley appointed chairman of Christie's UK" (PDF) (Press release). Christie's. 3 November 2006.
  11. Schneider, Sara (February 2012). "Northern California Weekend" (PDF). Sunset: 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  12. White, Anna (5 April 2012). "David Linley loses control of furniture business" . The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  13. Woods, Judith (3 July 2012). "Viscount Linley: 'Sure, I wheel and deal.'" . The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  14. "Corporate Announcements". Press Archive. Christie's website. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  15. "The Earl of Lichfield (obituary)" . The Daily Telegraph. 12 November 2005. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  16. "Crossbench hereditary peers' by-election" (PDF). House of Lords. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  17. "Queen's nephew seeks election to Lords". BBC News. 19 June 2018.
  18. Elgot, Jessica (4 July 2018). "Earl of Devon elected to the Lords in a poll of his hereditary peers". The Guardian.
  19. Higham, Nick (14 September 2012). "Analysis: The Royal Family's history of legal action". BBC. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  20. Green, Michelle. "Windsor Knot". People . Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  21. Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 1796. ISBN   0-9711966-2-1.
  22. Syal, Rajeev (10 February 2002). "Children spent much of last years with mother" . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  23. Bates, Stephen (9 April 2002). "Grandsons hold vigil as public files past". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  24. 1 2 3 May, Julia (November 2007). "Queen's nephew 'victim' of blackmail". The Age (Australia). Archived from the original on 1 November 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  25. Edwards, Richard (2 May 2008). "Royal blackmail plotters jailed for five years". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 December 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  26. Walker, Tim (March 2012). "The Queen turns a page for Viscount Linley's son" . The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  27. Tyzack, Anna (24 November 2011). "My perfect weekend: David Linley" . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  28. Purnell, Sonia (29 June 2003). "My passion for Provence". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 14 February 2011.
  29. Mackelden, Amy (17 February 2020). "Princess Margaret's Son, the Earl of Snowdon, Is Getting Divorced". Harper's Bazaar . Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  30. "No. 53385". The London Gazette . 28 July 1993. p. 12599.
  31. "Styles of the members of the British royal family Documents". Heraldica. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  32. Debrett's Peerage. 2019. p. 4406.
David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon
Born: 3 November 1961
Lines of succession
Preceded by
Lucas Tindall
Succession to the British throne
25th
Succeeded by
Viscount Linley
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded byas a member of the royal family
The Earl of Snowdon
Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Earl of Snowdon
2017–present
Incumbent
Heir apparent:
Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley