David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon

The Earl of Snowdon
Born David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones
(1961-11-03) 3 November 1961
Clarence House, London
Title Earl of Snowdon
Spouse(s) Hon. Serena Stanhope (m. 1993)
Issue Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley
Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones
Parents Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Occupation Furniture maker

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 an English furniture maker and the former chairman of the auction house Christie's UK.[1] The son of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and of Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, he is a grandson of King George VI and is 18th in line of succession to the British throne, the first in line who is not a descendant of Queen Elizabeth II.[2]

Education

At the age of five, Snowdon started lessons in the Buckingham Palace schoolroom with his cousin Prince Andrew.[3] He went to several independent schools: first, to Gibbs Pre-Preparatory School in Kensington in London,[4] followed by the pre-preparatory section of Ashdown House School, East Sussex, then on to Millbrook House School, near Abingdon, in Oxfordshire,[5] 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.[6]

Professional life

Linley store, Burlington Arcade, London

Snowdon 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.[7] His work is sold in retail stores in Belgravia, Harrods and overseas including the Bespoke Collection.[8]

On 1 December 2006, Snowdon took up the post of chairman of Christie's UK, having joined the board in 2005 as a non-executive director.[7]

Personal life and family

On 8 April 2002, Snowdon, 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.[9] 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.

Snowdon had romances with Susannah Constantine, Kate Menzies and Nicola Formby. On 8 October 1993 he married the Hon. Serena Stanhope, a daughter of Viscount Petersham (later the 12th Earl of Harrington) at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster.

Lord Snowdon and his wife have two children:

Snowdon has one full sister, Lady Sarah Chatto (née Armstrong-Jones); and one paternal half-sister, Lady Frances von Hofmannsthal (née Armstrong-Jones). Lord Snowdon also has a half-brother, Jasper Cable-Alexander, son of his father and Melanie Cable-Alexander, an editor at Country Life magazine.

From 2000 until 2002, Snowdon, his wife and son lived at Kensington Palace with his mother, Princess Margaret, in her declining years.[10]

In 2011, Snowdon's daughter, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

The Snowdons have three homes: a flat in Chelsea, London; a cottage on the Daylesford estate in Gloucestershire;[11] and the Chateau d'Autet[12] in the Luberon, Provence.

His father, Antony Armstrong-Jones, the 1st Earl of Snowdon, died on 13 January 2017 and he assumed the title, thus becoming the 2nd Earl of Snowdon.

Ancestry

Snowdon 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. At the time of his birth he was fifth in the line of succession to the British throne; he is currently in eighteenth place and is the first person in the line of succession who is not a descendant of the Queen.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "www.christies.com". Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  2. 1 2 He is the only nephew of Queen Elizabeth II."The Royal Family – Succession". The Royal Family. 17 December 2007.
  3. ↑ Viscount Linley Publisher: Mandy's Royalty. Org. retrieved 22 May 2013.
  4. ↑ Viscount Linley in school uniform, Gibbs School, Kensington, London, 4 October 1968. Publisher: Heritage Images. Com. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Archive - Tuesday, 6 May 2003 - Prep school set to close Publisher:The Oxford Mail. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "Architecture: The school that got lost in the woods - Peter Dunn on". 12 January 1994.
  7. 1 2 "David Linley appointed chairman of Christie's UK" (PDF) (Press release). Christie's. 3 November 2006.
  8. ↑ Schneider, Sara (February 2012). "Northern California Weekend" (PDF). Sunset: 20. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  9. ↑ Bates, Stephen (9 April 2002). "Grandsons hold vigil as public files past". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  10. ↑ Syal, Rajeev (10 February 2002). "Children spent much of last years with mother". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  11. ↑ Tyzack, Anna (24 November 2011). "My perfect weekend: David Linley". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  12. ↑ Purnell, Sonia (29 June 2003). "My passion for Provence". The Daily Telegraph. London.
David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon
Born: 3 November 1961
Lines of succession
Preceded by
Mia Tindall		 Line of succession to the British throne
18th position 		Succeeded by
Viscount Linley
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Peter Phillips		 Gentlemen Succeeded by
The Duke of Gloucester
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Antony Armstrong-Jones		 Earl of Snowdon
2017–present 		Incumbent
Heir:
Viscount Linley
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