David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley

Viscount Linley
Born David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones
3 November 1961 (1961-11-03) (age 50)
Clarence House, London
Title Viscount Linley (of Nymans)
Spouse(s) Lady Serena Stanhope
Parents Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon
The Princess Margaret
Occupation Furniture maker

David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (born 3 November 1961), known professionally as David Linley, is an English furniture maker and chairman of the auction house Christie's UK. The son of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, he is a grandson of King George VI, and is 14th in the line of succession to the British Throne and heir-apparent to the Earldom of Snowdon.[1]

Contents

Professional life

Born at the Royal property, Clarence House, in London, Linley was educated at Bedales, where he developed a passion for arts and crafts. From 1980 to 1982 he studied at Parnham College for craftsmen in wood. He opened a workshop in Dorking where he designed and made furniture for three years before setting up his own company David Linley Furniture Ltd, 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.[2]

On 1 December 2006 he took up the post of chairman of Christie's UK, having joined the board in 2005 as a non-executive director.[2]

Royal duties

As the Queen's nephew, Linley takes part in royal family events such as the Trooping of the Colour and Christmas celebrations at Sandringham. He does not have an official royal role.

On April 8 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.[3] This was a mark of respect unofficially known as the Vigil of the Princes, which had taken place only once before, during the lying-in-state of King George V in 1936.

Linley's daughter, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, was a bridesmaid at the wedding of the Duke of Cambridge in 2011.

Personal life

After romances with Susannah Constantine, Kate Menzies, and Nicola Formby, Lord Linley married The Hon. Serena Stanhope, a daughter of Viscount Petersham (now Earl of Harrington), on 8 October 1993 at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster.

Viscount Linley and his wife have two children:

Name Birth Notes
The Hon. Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones 1 July 1999 Born in London, second in line to the Earldom of Snowdon. Named in honour of the Prince of Wales; Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, the birthplace of his mother; and 17th century English architect and designer Inigo Jones. Six godparents: Lady Bruce Dundas (aka Ruth Kennedy), Nigel Harvey, Nick Powell, Orlando Rock, Lucinda Cecil and Rita Konig (lifestyle writer, Vogue columnist, and daughter of royal-family decorator Nina Campbell).
The Hon. Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones 14 May 2002 Named for her paternal grandmother, the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and great-aunt, Elizabeth II. Rose was, according to her father in an interview with Majesty Magazine, selected by her brother Charles. Alleyne is also one of her mother's middle names.

His sister is Lady Sarah Chatto (née Armstrong-Jones), born 1 May 1964. He has a half-sister, Lady Frances von Hofmannsthal (née Armstrong-Jones), born 17 July 1979, who is a daughter of the 1st Earl of Snowdon by his second wife, Lucy Lindsay-Hogg. Viscount Linley has a half-brother, Jasper Cable-Alexander (born 30 April 1998), who is a son of the 1st Earl of Snowdon with Melanie Cable-Alexander, an editor at Country Life magazine.

From 2000-2002, Viscount Linley, his wife and baby son lived in Kensington Palace with his mother, Princess Margaret in her declining years.[4]

The Linleys have three homes: a flat in Chelsea, London, a cottage on the Daylesford estate in Gloucestershire [5], and the Chateau d'Autet [6] in the Luberon, Provence.

Titles, styles, and arms

Title

Succession

Lord Linley is the son of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and the 1st Earl of Snowdon; thus he is the nephew of Queen Elizabeth II, and a grandson of George VI. Though his mother was a princess, in the United Kingdom royal titles and styles are passed only from the father. Similarly, the children of Princess Anne do not hold titles. He does not hold the title Viscount Linley in his own right; rather, it is a courtesy title used by the eldest son and heir general of the Earl of Snowdon. If he outlives his father, Viscount Linley will assume the title, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, in his own right. At the time of his birth he was fifth in the line of succession to the British throne; he is currently in fourteenth place and is the first person in the line of succession who is not a descendant of the Queen.[1]

Arms

Arms of David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley
Notes
The Viscount's personal coat of arms are those of his father quartered with those of his mother.
Escutcheon
Quarterly 1st and 4th his de sable, au chevron d'argent à quatre pals de gueules, accompagné en chef de deux fleurs-de-lis d'or et en pointe d'une aiglette d'or (Snowdon), 2nd and 3rd being the royal arms, differenced with a label argent of three points, the outer points bearing Tudor roses, and the central bearing a thistle proper.
Other elements
Quarterly 1st and 4th differenced with a three-point label sinople, 2nd and 3rd differenced with a three-point label argent, first and third charged with a Tudor rose the second with a thistle proper[7]
Symbolism
The 1st and 4th quarters are those of his father, the Earl of Snowdon, differenced for the heir apparent of the earldom. The 2nd and 3rd quarters are the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom, differenced for the Princess Margaret.

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ a b He is the only nephew of Queen Elizabeth II. "The Royal Family – Succession". The Royal Family. 17 December 2007. http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page5655.asp. 
  2. ^ a b "David Linley appointed chaiman of Christie's UK" (Press release). Christie's. 3 November 2006. http://www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/11032006/155215.pdf. 
  3. ^ "Grandsons hold vigil as public files past". The Guardian. 9 April 2002. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/apr/09/queenmother.monarchy2. Retrieved 12 December 2011. 
  4. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1384370/Children-spent-much-of-last-years-with-mother.html
  5. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/my-perfect-weekend/8913057/My-perfect-weekend-David-Linley.html
  6. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/4815256/My-passion-for-Provence.html
  7. ^ "marks of cadency in the British royal family". Heraldica.org. http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/cadency.htm. Retrieved 17 October 2008. 

External links

British royalty
Preceded by
Zara Phillips		 Line of succession to the British throne
14th position		 Succeeded by
The Hon Charles Armstrong-Jones
First
 Line of succession to the Earldom of Snowdon
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Peter Phillips		 Gentlemen
Viscount Linley		 Succeeded by
The Duke of Gloucester
England and Wales

The Sovereign • HRH The Duke of Edinburgh • HRH The Prince of Wales • HRH The Duke of York • HRH The Earl of Wessex • HRH The Duke of Cambridge • HRH Prince Harry of Wales • Viscount Severn • Mr Peter Phillips • Viscount Linley • HRH The Duke of Gloucester • HRH The Duke of Kent • HRH Prince Michael of Kent • The Most Rev and Rt Hon Rowan Williams • The Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP • The Most Rev and Rt Hon John Sentamu • The Rt Hon David Cameron MP • The Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP • The Rt Hon John Bercow MP • The Rt Hon The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers QC PC • The Rt Hon The Lord Judge QC PC • The Rt Hon Sir George Young, Bt MP • The Most Hon The Marquess of Cholmondeley KCVO • His Grace The Duke of Norfolk DL • His Grace The Duke of Abercorn KG • The Rt Hon The Earl Peel GCVO PC DL • The Rt Hon The Lord Vestey DL
Scotland
Northern Ireland

The Sovereign • HRH The Duke of Edinburgh • HRH The Prince of Wales • HRH The Duke of York • HRH The Earl of Wessex • HRH The Duke of Cambridge • HRH Prince Harry of Wales • Viscount Severn • Mr Peter Phillips • Viscount Linley • HRH The Duke of Gloucester • HRH The Duke of Kent • HRH Prince Michael of Kent • His Eminence Cardinal Seán Brady • The Most Rev Alan Harper, OBE  • The Most Rev Diarmuid Martin • The Most Rev John Niell • The Rt Rev Stafford Carson • The Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP • The Rt Hon David Cameron MP • The Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP • The Rt Hon John Bercow MP • The Rt Hon The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers QC PC • The Rt Hon Sir George Young, Bt MP • The Most Hon The Marquess of Cholmondeley KCVO • His Grace The Duke of Norfolk DL • The Rt Hon The Earl of Dalhousie
not including short-term appointments, visiting dignitaries and most peers
Severn · Linley · Mandeville · Drumlanrig · Raynham · Cranborne · Weymouth · Castlereagh · Erleigh · Ingestre · Andover · Fielding · Maidstone · Hinchingbrooke · Woodstock · Bury · Strathallan · Maitland · Garnock · Dupplin · Reidhaven · Kelburn · Tamworth · Chewton · Petersham · Lymington · Folkestone · Althorp · Stormont · Chelsea · FitzHarris · Dungarvan · Moore · Forbes · Duncannon · Ikerrin · Boyle · Stopford · Pollington · Kinsborough · Kirkwall · Jocelyn · Vaughan · Dunluce · Carlow · Crichton · Corry · Stuart · Suirdale · Alexander · Marsham · Grey de Wilton · Glentworth · Clive · Somerton · Sandon · Lascelles · Melgund · Grimston · Boringdon · Newport · Encombe · Curzon · Dunwich · Newry · Emlyn · Anson · Northland · Lambton · Coke · Campden · Enfield · Dangan · Ednam · Tarbat · Carlton · Garmoyle · Knebworth · Wolmer · St Cyres · Errington · Windsor · Hawkesbury · Borodale · Dawick · Elveden · Asquith · Glenapp · Cranfield · Corvedale · Ruthven of Canberra · Gwynedd · Macmillan of Ovenden · Ipswich · Strabane · Slane · Savernake · Aithrie
*Current courtesy viscounts, listed by precedence, from highest to lowest