Serena Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon

Serena Alleyne Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon (née Stanhope; born 1 March 1970) is an Anglo-Irish aristocrat and the daughter-in-law of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and a niece-by-marriage of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The Right Honourable
The Countess of Snowdon
Countess of Snowdon
BornSerena Alleyne Stanhope
(1970-03-01) 1 March 1970
Limerick, Ireland
Spouse(s)
Issue
Parents

Early life and education

The Hon. Serena Alleyne Stanhope[1] was born in Limerick, Ireland, the daughter of the then Viscount Petersham and his wife Virginia Freeman-Jackson, a debutante. Her parents divorced when she was 13 years old. She has one older brother. Through her father, she is a descendant of King Charles II of England's illegitimate child, Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, which makes her a distant cousin of Diana, Princess of Wales, and of other members of the British royal family.[2]

Stanhope spent most of her childhood between Chelsea with her father and her father's girlfriend and later wife Anita Howard, Countess of Suffolk, and Monaco with her mother.[3]

She went to St Mary's School, Wantage, where she was described as being "more interested in lacrosse than Latin".[3] After leaving St Mary's School, she went on to study art in Italy. She also attended a finishing school in Switzerland.[4]

Career

In 1989, she joined Sotheby's as a trainee. She then worked as a publicist for Giorgio Armani until August 1993, two months before marrying Viscount Linley.[4]

The Countess, then Viscountess Linley, had her own shop called "Serena Linley Provence".[5] The store closed in 2014.

Marriage and children

Stanhope married David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, son of Princess Margaret and only nephew of Queen Elizabeth II, on 8 October 1993 at St Margaret's Church, Westminster. They met when her father commissioned Linley to design a walnut dining table for his Chelsea house.[3]

There were 650 guests in attendance, including Elton John, Diana, Princess of Wales, Jerry Hall, the Aga Khan, and ex-King Constantine of Greece.[6] In addition, there were an estimated 5,000 spectators in the streets.[3] Her diamond engagement ring and wedding band are from Wartski.[7] She wore a $9,000 dress designed by Bruce Robbins, noted for its resemblance to Princess Margaret's 1960 Norman Hartnell wedding dress, and "The Lotus Tiara", which was on loan from her mother-in-law, Princess Margaret.[8][9] Her going-away outfit was designed by Robinson Valentine.[10]

The Earl and Countess of Snowdon have two children:

When Viscount Linley became the Earl of Snowdon on the death of his father in 2017, she became the Countess of Snowdon.

In February 2020, she and the Earl of Snowdon separated and a spokesperson confirmed they will be getting a divorce.[13]

Titles and styles
  • 1 March 1970 – 8 October 1993: The Honourable Serena Alleyne Stanhope
  • 8 October 1993 – 13 January 2017: Viscountess Linley
  • 13 January 2017 – present: The Right Honourable The Countess of Snowdon
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References
  1. Syal, R. (10 February 2002). "Children spent much of last years with mother". UK Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2019. He married the Hon. Serena Stanhope, the daughter of the landowner Viscount Petersham, in 1993
  2. Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 1796.
  3. Green, Michelle. "Windsor Knot". People Magazine. Time Warner. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  4. Brozan, Nadine. "Chronicle". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  5. "Serena Linley Provence Chelsea SW3". Jonathan Clark Architects. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  6. "Serena Stanhope and Viscount Linley's wedding". Tatler. 10 January 1994. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  7. "British engagement rings". The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  8. "Top 10 Best Royal Wedding Dresses: #6. HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon". The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  9. "Royal wedding dresses through the years". The Telegraph. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  10. Rumbold, Judy (8 July 2007). "The sainted Valentine". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  11. "Queen Appoints Pages of Honour". Royal News. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  12. Walker, Tim (1 March 2012). "The Queen turns a page for Viscount Linley's son". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  13. Mackelden, Amy (17 February 2020). "Princess Margaret's Son, the Earl of Snowdon, Is Getting Divorced". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
    Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
    Preceded by
    Zara Tindall    		 Ladies
    The Countess of Snowdon    		 Followed by
    Lady Sarah Chatto
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