Serena Alleyne Armstrong-Jones, Viscountess Linley (née Stanhope; born 1 March 1970) is an Anglo-Irish aristocrat and a member, by marriage, of the extended British Royal Family. She was born in Limerick, Ireland.
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She was born The Hon. Serena Stanhope and is the wife of Viscount Linley, the son of the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. She is the daughter of Charles Stanhope, 12th Earl of Harrington and the former Virginia Freeman Jackson [1]. Viscountess Linley's parents divorced when she was 13 years old. Through her father she descends from Charles II of England through his illegitimate child Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton by Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland. She also descends from Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester through the 2nd Duke of Grafton's wife, Lady Henrietta Somerset and the portrait painter, William Armfield Hobday.[2]
Stanhope married Lord Linley on 8 October 1993 at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster.
She wore a dress designed by Bruce Robbins[3], noted for its resemblance to Princess Margaret's 1960 Norman Hartnell wedding dress [4]. Her wedding make-up was by Maggie Hunt[5]. Her going-away outfit was designed by Robinson Valentine[6].
Lord and Lady Linley have two children, The Hon. Charles Armstrong-Jones, born in 1999, and The Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones, born in 2002.
As a member of the extended royal family, Lady Linley has no official role, but attends family events such as royal weddings, the Trooping of the Colour, and Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.
At the time of her engagement, Serena Stanhope was working in public relations for Giorgio Armani.
In 2010, she opened Serena Linley Provence, a shop selling soaps, scent and candles using lavender from Provence[7], where the Linleys have a home, the Chateau d'Autet in the Luberon [8].
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by Savannah Phillips |
Ladies Viscountess Linley |
Succeeded by Lady Sarah Chatto |
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