david armstrong jones birthday© Photo: Getty Images

Princess Margaret's son David Armstrong-Jones celebrates milestone birthday

The Queen's nephew has remained close to his aunt

Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
November 3, 2021

Celebrations were in order for the Queen's nephew, the Earl of Snowdon, as he marked his 60th birthday on Wednesday.

The Earl, David Armstrong-Jones, is the son of the late Princess Margaret and photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones.

Born on 3 November 1961, he grew up in Kensington Palace with his younger sister, Lady Sarah Chatto, and their parents, who divorced when he was a teenager.

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When he was five, he started lessons in the Buckingham Palace schoolroom with his cousin Prince Andrew. He continued his education at several independent schools, including Gibbs Pre-Preparatory, Ashdown House, Millbrook House and Bedales.

David, who has his own bespoke furniture company, married Serena Stanhope in October 1993 at St Margaret’s Church in Westminster. They share two children, Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley and Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, born in 1999 and 2002.

© Photo: Getty Images

David and Serena on their wedding day in 1993

Lady Margarita was given a starring role as a bridesmaid at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011, when she was just eight-years-old. Joining her in the bridal party were Lady Louise Windsor, Grace van Cutsem, and Eliza Lopes, the then three-year-old granddaughter of the Duchess of Cornwall.

After 26 years of marriage, a spokesperson confirmed in February 2020 that David and his wife Serena had separated and would be getting a divorce.

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© Photo: Getty Images

David pictured with his mother Princess Margaret in Mustique in 1989

David and his younger sister, Lady Sarah Chatto, have remained close to their aunt, the Queen, since the death of their mother, Princess Margaret, in 2002. Their father and photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones passed away in 2017.

In recent years, David has accompanied the Queen at Royal Ascot and was part of the procession at the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in April.

He is currently 25th in line to the throne after Mike and Zara Tindall's youngest child, Lucas.

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