Along with other members of the royal family, the Queen‘s nephew escorted the late monarch’s casket through London. The eldest child of Princess Margaret, the late sister of the Queen, and famed photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones is The Earl of Snowdon, formerly Viscount Linley. The Earl, 60, owns his own business and creates custom furniture for opulent residences.
Thousands of mourners lined the streets as King Charles, Prince William, and Harry, the Duke of York, Princess Royal, and the Earl of Wessex followed the coffin on foot for the 38-minute trek through the heart of London. They were followed by some of the Queen’s most adored relatives, including the Earl of Snowdon, the Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips, Princess Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, and the Queen’s cousin the Duke of Gloucester.
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Who is Antony Armstrong-Jones, The Earl of Snowdon?
Lord Snowdon and his sister, Lady Sarah Chatto, have a very strong bond with the monarch. The 60-year-old is the oldest child of Anthony Armstrong-Jones, a photographer and filmmaker, and Princess Margaret.
When his father, the Earl of Snowdon and famous photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, passed away in 2017, he succeeded him as the second Earl of Snowdon.
The Earl, also known as David Linley, is a premium British accessory manufacturer who has purportedly designed the interiors of a number of upscale properties in central London.
David, who is 24th in line for the throne, has given talks and published books about furniture and interior design all throughout the world.
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In 2006, he was named honorary chairman for Christie’s Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and India. He launched his company in 1985.
As a sign of his personal bond with his uncle, he was one of the 30 mourners who attended Prince Philip’s funeral.
He stood watch at the Queen Mother’s casket alongside King Charles III, the Duke of York, and the Earl of Wessex after her passing.
He spent his childhood vacations with Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. He began lessons in the Buckingham Palace schoolroom with his cousin Prince Andrew, who is two years older, when he was five years old. He was born in Clarence House and christened in Buckingham Palace’s Music Room, with the Queen as his godmother.
The furniture designer lives in Dorking and runs a workshop there, but he is still seen at royal events, particularly sporting events like the Royal Ascot.
Snowdon was born in Clarence House, where his parents were living at the time, in 1961, and was christened in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace, with the Queen as his godmother.
In the early 2000s, he lived at Kensington Palace with his family and his mother, Princess Margaret, as his mother’s health deteriorated, until she died in 2002 at the age of 71.
Snowdon told the Daily Telegraph in 2019 that his parents were supportive of his decision to pursue his artistic interests.
“My parents were put under pressure from their friends, who asked, ‘When is he going to get a proper job?'” he recalled. “However, when you made things and brought them back from school, that was outstanding.”
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His daughter, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, now 20 years old, was a bridesmaid at Prince William’s wedding, and he continues to maintain close ties to the royal family. He attended the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as well.
In 2020, the same year he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, it was revealed that he had split from his wife Serena after 26 years of marriage.
Two children, Viscount Linley, Charles Armstrong-Jones, and Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, were born to the couple after their October 1993 wedding.
