The Earl of Snowdon, the son of the late Princess Margaret, and his wife the Countess of Snowdon, have announced that they are separating. The royal couple – who have been married for 25 years – revealed that it was an amicable decision. A spokesperson for the couple said: "The Earl and Countess of Snowdon have amicably agreed that their marriage has come to an end and that they shall be divorced. They ask that the press respect their privacy and that of their family." The Earl – David Armstrong-Jones, and wife Serena tied the knot in 1993, and share two children, Viscount Linley, Charles Armstrong-Jones and Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones. While the children tend to stay out of the public eye, Margarita was one of the bridesmaids at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's royal wedding in 2011, and more recently was pictured with the rest of her family at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's royal wedding in 2018.
The Queen's nephew David Armstrong-Jones has announced his separation from wife Serena
The Queen has a close relationship with her beloved sister's children. In 2018, royal biographer Christopher Warwick gave an insight into their lives away from the spotlight in the documentary, Princess Margaret: The Rebel Royal. Discussing how the Queen would take care of Margaret's children, David and Lady Sarah Chatto, he said: "Margaret and Tony had no compunction about going off on holiday and leaving the children behind. Very often, they were left in the care of the Queen – the Queen had David and Sarah, you know - and they loved it." He added: "Princess Margaret was a good mother, but more especially when the children were growing older. She wasn't really the most maternal of women, so she wasn't particularly interested in babies and toddlers."
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David and Serena revealed the decision was amicable
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The news comes just after the Earl's second cousin, Peter Phillips, announced his separation from wife Autumn Phillips. The royal couple made their decision public last week, but reportedly informed their families of their split last year. Autumn did not join Peter and the rest of the royal family for Christmas at Sandringham in December, nor did she appear at her husband's annual shoot on the Queen's Norfolk estate last month. The couple share daughters Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven, and they will continue to live in Gloucestershire so that they can both be near their children.
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