Royal Profile: David Armstrong-Jones, The 2nd Earl of Snowdon

David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, The 2nd Earl Snowdon was born 3 November 1961, the eldest child of Princess Margaret & Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon {Source}. He has a younger full sister, a paternal half sister and a paternal half-brother, as well as two brothers-in-law, and three nephews and two nieces{Source}{Source}:

1. The Lady Sarah Chatto (1964)
1. Daniel St. George Chatto (1957, m. 1994)
1. Samuel David Benedict Chatto (1998)
2. Arthur Robert Nathaniel Chatto (1999)
2. The Lady Frances von Hofmannsthal(1979, from his father's second marriage)
1. Rodolphe von Hofmannsthal{Source}
1. Rex Antony Octavian von Hofmannsthal (2008)
2. Maud Dolores Diamond von Hofmannsthal (2009)
3. Sybil Sabrina Ernestine von Hofmannsthal (2013)
3. Jasper William Oliver Cable-Alexander (1998, from his father's affair with Melanie Cable-Alexander)

When he turned 5, he began attending lessons at the Buckingham Palace school room, alongside his cousin Andrew{Source}. When he was 7 years old in 1968, he began attending the Gibbs Pre-Prepatory School {Photo}, he also attended pre-prepatory classes at Ashdown House School, Millbrook House School, and Bedales School{Source}. From 1980-1982, he attended Parnham College, where he studied craftsmenship in woodmaking.


As for his professional life, he opened a workshop where he designed an made furniture for several years before opening his own comapny, which is now known as LINLEY. He is also a published author and lecturer{Source}. In December 2006, he took up the post of chairman at Christie's UK after joining the board the year before as non-executive director {Source}.


Presently, he is 18th in line for the British throne (at birth, he was 5th) after the immediate family of the current monarch {Source}. He is the present British Monarch's nephew, but does not perform any official royal functions on her behalf. However, he and his family are always invited to events such as The Trooping of Colour, and Christmas at Sandringham. In 2002, after the death of his grandmother The Queen Mother, he and his cousins The Prince of Wales, The Duke of York & Earl of Wessex stood guard at her lying-in-state {Source}. The Viscount Linley is Patron of the Greenpower Education Trust.


In the 1980s, he had many girlfriends, but in 1993, he finally settled down with The Lady Serena Stanhope. They were married on 8 October 1993 at St. Margaret's Church in Westminster, and have two children{Source}:

1. Charles Armstrong-Jones, The Viscount Linely (1999)
2. The Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones (2002)

He and Lady Serena announced their intentions to divorce in early 2020 {Source}.

During the early part of his marriage and declining years of his mother, he and his young family resided with her at Kensington Palace from 2000-2002 {Source}. After her death, he and his family moved out, and now own three homes:

1. a flat in Chelsea, London
2. a cottage on the Daylesford Estate in Gloucestershire {Source}
3. the Chateau d'Aytet in Luberon, Provence {Source}