Who is musician Charles Armstrong-Jones? And how is he related to Princess Margaret?
Raised in the public eye – and rarely shy about asserting her royal status – Princess Margaret seems to have wanted a very different childhood for her son and daughter.
“My kids aren’t royal, they just happen to have the Queen for an aunt,” she once said.
And it seems that her grandchildren enjoy the same low-key approach to life.
Charles Armstrong Jones at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on May 6
In March 2012, Charles — pictured here with father Earl Snowdon — was appointed as the first page of honor to his great-aunt, Queen Elizabeth. He has not taken on any royal responsibilities since then
Charles (far right) is pictured with his father, the Earl of Snowdon (far left), sister Lady Margarita (centre left) and his mother Serena, Countess of Snowdon
For example, few members of the public would recognize Charles Armstrong-Jones, even though he is the Queen’s second cousin and an important part of the extended royal family.
Charles, who has just turned 24, holds the title of Viscount Linsley, but leads a private life as a musician – displaying an artistic streak that perhaps reflects something of his grandmother, Princess Margaret, his furniture-maker and artist father, aunt, Lady Sarah Chatto.
His cousin Sam Chatto, meanwhile, is an artist and yoga teacher.
Princess Margaret’s four grandchildren usually only appear for important national events such as royal weddings, funerals, the coronation or Trooping the Colour.
The eldest child of David Armstrong-Jones and his ex-wife, Serena, Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones, 24, was born at Portland Hospital in Marylebone on July 1, 1999.
A year later in 2000, Lord Snowdon moved to Kensington Palace with his then wife and his son Charles to look after Princess Margaret before she passed away in May 2002.
Just three months after her death, Charles’ younger sister was born in the same hospital, Lady Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones.
The family then remained in London, with occasional weekends in Gloucestershire at the Bamfords’ Daylesford estate.
The Queen kept in close contact with her cousin and always invited his family to celebrate Christmas with the rest of the Royal Family at Sandringham.
Like other relatives, including Princes William and Harry, Charles was educated at Eton College and, in the same year as his cousin Arthur Chatto, was the second son of Princess Margaret’s daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto.
Charles then went on to study product design engineering at Loughborough University.
Unlike his younger sister, Charles played no part in the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in April 2011.
In March 2012, the 12-year-old royal was appointed as the first page of honor for his great-aunt, Queen Elizabeth.
Like many members of his family, including Princes William and Harry, Charles was educated at Eton College and was in the same year as his cousin Arthur Chatto, second son of Lady Sarah Chatto (right)
Charles was born in 1999 and moved to Kensington Palace in 2000 with his mother and father
It was a ceremonial role holding the long train of the Queen’s gown on formal occasions, including the State Opening of Parliament and the service of the Order of the Garter.
Speaking of his appointment as page of honour, a courtier told The Telegraph: ‘Charles never worried about not becoming a pageboy, but the Queen was keen to make sure he didn’t feel left out.’
Charles remained in office until 2015, since then he has lived free of royal responsibilities.
He will graduate in 2021 and now works as a musician. His sister Margarita told Tatler: ‘He really likes his orchestral music. He is self-taught [and he] can sing, play piano and guitar.
‘One way or another he combines everything – including online choirs – into one piece of music on his laptop.’
Charles’s father, David, became Earl of Snowdon upon the death of his own father, Antony Armstrong-Jones, in 2017.
Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley is the eldest child of Princess Margaret’s son, David Armstrong-Jones
Princess Margaret’s grandchildren, Arthur Chatto, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Charles Armstrong-Jones and Samuel Chatto (L-R), were photographed at a thanksgiving service for the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret in 2012
Charles in turn became Viscount Linley.
Today, he is the only one of Princess Margaret’s grandchildren to hold a title. He is now the heir to the Earldom of Snowdon and 26th in line of succession to the British throne, after his father.
His parents, David and Lady Sarah, are regulars at major royal events, seen at weddings, Royal Ascot, Trooping the Colour, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and last year’s state funeral.
In May, David attended the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla with his two children by his side. The royals were behind a line of royals including Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Prince Harry.
King Charles has a close relationship with his cousins from his late mother’s side of the family – David Armstrong-Jones and his sister, Lady Sarah Chatto.
He assumed his father’s title, Viscount Linley, when his grandfather died. His father, David Armstrong-Jones, became 2nd Earl of Snowdon (pictured with David Walliams, right)
His parents, David Armstrong-Jones and Serena Stanhope met when her father, the 12th Earl of Harrington, asked David to design furniture for him.
Their 1993 wedding at St Margaret’s Westminster was attended by 650 guests, including Elton John, the Aga Khan and King Constantine II of Greece, and the British Royal Family.
But after being married for almost 30 years, David and Serena announced their divorce in 2020. A spokesperson said the couple had ‘amicably agreed that their marriage has come to an end’.