David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley

Viscount Linley
Born	David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones 3 November 1961 (1961-11-03) (age 50) Clarence House, London
Title	Viscount Linley (of Nymans)
Spouse(s)	Lady Serena Stanhope
Parents	Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon The Princess Margaret
Occupation	Furniture maker

David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (born 3 November 1961), known professionally as David Linley, is an English furniture maker and chairman of the auction house Christie's UK. The son of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, he is a grandson of King George VI, and is 14th in the line of succession to the British Throne and heir-apparent to the Earldom of Snowdon.^[1]

Family

Born at the Royal property, Clarence House, in London, Linley was educated at Bedales, where he developed a passion for arts and crafts. From 1980 to 1982 he studied at Parnham College for craftsmen in wood. He 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.^[2]

On 1 December 2006 he took up the post of chairman of Christie's UK, having joined the board in 2005 as a non-executive director.^[2]

After romances with Susannah Constantine, Kate Menzies, and Nicola Formby, Lord Linley married The Hon. Serena Stanhope, a daughter of Viscount Petersham (now Earl of Harrington), on 8 October 1993 at St. Margaret's Church.

His sister is Lady Sarah Chatto (née Armstrong-Jones), born 1 May 1964. He has a half-sister, Lady Frances von Hofmannsthal (née Armstrong-Jones), born 17 July 1979, who is a daughter of the 1st Earl of Snowdon by his second wife, Lucy Lindsay-Hogg. Viscount Linley has a half-brother, Jasper Cable-Alexander (born 30 April 1998), who is a son of the 1st Earl of Snowdon with Melanie Cable-Alexander, an editor at Country Life magazine.

Viscount Linley and his wife have two children:

Name	Birth	Notes
The Hon. Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones	1 July 1999	Born in London, second in line to the Earldom of Snowdon. Named in honour of the Prince of Wales; Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, the birthplace of his mother; and 17th century English architect and designer Inigo Jones. Six godparents: Lady Bruce Dundas (aka Ruth Kennedy), Nigel Harvey, Nick Powell, Orlando Rock, Lucinda Cecil and Rita Konig (lifestyle writer, Vogue columnist, and daughter of royal-family decorator Nina Campbell).
The Hon. Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones	14 May 2002	Named for her paternal grandmother, the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and great-aunt, Elizabeth II. Rose was, according to her father in an interview with Majesty Magazine, selected by her brother Charles. Alleyne is also one of her mother's middle names.

Titles, styles, and arms

Title

• 3 November 1961 – present: Viscount Linley

Succession

Lord Linley 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. Though his mother was a princess, in the United Kingdom royal titles and styles are passed only from the father. Similarly, the children of Princess Anne do not hold titles. He does not hold the title Viscount Linley in his own right; rather, it is a courtesy title used by the eldest son and heir general of the Earl of Snowdon. If he outlives his father, Viscount Linley will assume the title, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, in his own right. At the time of his birth he was fifth in the line of succession to the British throne; he is currently in fourteenth place and is the first person in the line of succession who is not a descendant of the Queen.^[1]

Arms

Ancestry

References

1. ^ ^{a b} He is the only nephew of Queen Elizabeth II. "The Royal Family – Succession". The Royal Family. 17 December 2007. http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page5655.asp. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "David Linley appointed chaiman of Christie's UK" (Press release). Christie's. 3 November 2006. http://www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/11032006/155215.pdf. 
3. ^ "marks of cadency in the British royal family". Heraldica.org. http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/cadency.htm. Retrieved 17 October 2008. 

External links

• Linley website
• Linley designed suites at the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow
• Linley designed suites at Claridge's
• David Albert Charles Armstong-Jones, Viscount Linley (1961–), Son of Princess Margaret Rose and 1st Earl of Snowdon (National Portrait Gallery photographs)

British royalty
Preceded by Zara Phillips	Line of succession to the British throne 14th position	Succeeded by The Hon Charles Armstrong-Jones
First heir apparent	Line of succession to the Earldom of Snowdon
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Peter Phillips	Gentlemen Viscount Linley	Succeeded by The Duke of Gloucester

Persondata
Name	Viscount Linley, David Armstrong-Jones
Alternative names	Armstrong-Jones, David Albert Charles; Viscount Linley; Linley, David
Short description	Member of the British royal family, furniture designer, chairman of Christie's UK, the international auction house
Date of birth	3 November 1961
Place of birth	Clarence House, London, England, UK
Date of death
Place of death