David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley
| Viscount Linley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones 3 November 1961 Clarence House, London |
| Title | Viscount Linley (of Nymans) |
| Spouse(s) | Hon. Serena Stanhope (m. 1993) |
| Issue |
Hon. Charles Armstrong-Jones Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones |
| Parents |
Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon 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, is 18th in line to succeed Queen Elizabeth II, his maternal aunt, and is the heir-apparent to the Earldom of Snowdon.[1]
Education
At the age of five, Linley started lessons in the Buckingham Palace schoolroom with his cousin, Prince Andrew.[2] He went to several independent schools: first, to Gibbs Pre-Preparatory School in Kensington in London,[3] followed by the pre-preparatory section of Ashdown House School, East Sussex, then on to Millbrook House School, near Abingdon, in Oxfordshire,[4] and finally to Bedales School, where he developed a passion for arts and crafts. From 1980 to 1982, he studied at Parnham College in the small town of Beaminster in Dorset, for craftsmen in wood.
Professional life
Linley 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.[5] His work is sold in retail stores in Belgravia, Harrods and overseas including the Bespoke Collection.[6]
On 1 December 2006, Linley took up the post of chairman of Christie's UK, having joined the board in 2005 as a non-executive director.[5]
Personal life and family
On 8 April 2002, Linley, along with the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex, stood guard at the lying-in-state of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.[7] This was a mark of respect unofficially known as the Vigil of the Princes, which had taken place only once before, during the lying-in-state of King George V in 1936.
Linley had romances with Susannah Constantine, Kate Menzies and Nicola Formby. On 8 October 1993, he married the Hon. Serena Stanhope, a daughter of Viscount Petersham (later the 12th Earl of Harrington) at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster.
Viscount Linley and his wife have two children:
- The Hon. Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones (born 1 July 1999, now aged 17)
- The Hon. Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones (born 14 May 2002, now aged 14)
Linley has one full sister, Lady Sarah Chatto (née Armstrong-Jones); and one paternal half-sister, Lady Frances von Hofmannsthal (née Armstrong-Jones). Viscount Linley also has a half-brother, Jasper Cable-Alexander, son of his father and Melanie Cable-Alexander, an editor at Country Life magazine.
From 2000–2002, Linley, his wife and son lived in Kensington Palace with his mother, Princess Margaret, in her declining years.[8]
In 2011, Linley's daughter, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, was a bridesmaid at the wedding of the Duke of Cambridge.
The Linleys have three homes: a flat in Chelsea, London; a cottage on the Daylesford estate in Gloucestershire;[9] and the Chateau d'Autet[10] in the Luberon, Provence.
Ancestry
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. At the time of his birth he was fifth in the line of succession to the British throne; he is currently in eighteenth place and is the first person in the line of succession who is not a descendant of the Queen.[1]
References
- 1 2 He is the only nephew of Queen Elizabeth II. "The Royal Family – Succession". The Royal Family. 17 December 2007.
- ↑ Viscount Linley Publisher: Mandy's Royalty. Org. retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ↑ Viscount Linley in school uniform, Gibbs School, Kensington, London, 4 October 1968. Publisher: Heritage Images. Com. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ↑ Archive - Tuesday, 6 May 2003 - Prep school set to close Publisher:The Oxford Mail. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- 1 2 "David Linley appointed chairman of Christie's UK" (PDF) (Press release). Christie's. 3 November 2006.
- ↑ Schneider, Sara (February 2012). "Northern California Weekend" (PDF). Sunset: 20. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ↑ Bates, Stephen (9 April 2002). "Grandsons hold vigil as public files past". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
- ↑ Syal, Rajeev (10 February 2002). "Children spent much of last years with mother". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ↑ Tyzack, Anna (24 November 2011). "My perfect weekend: David Linley". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ↑ Purnell, Sonia (29 June 2003). "My passion for Provence". The Daily Telegraph. London.
External links
- Linley website
- Linley designed suites at the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow
- Linley designed suites at Claridge's
- David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (1961–), Son of Princess Margaret Rose and 1st Earl of Snowdon (National Portrait Gallery photographs)
| David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley Born: 3 November 1961 | ||
| Lines of succession | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mia Tindall |
Line of succession to the British throne 18th position |
Succeeded by Charles Armstrong-Jones |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Peter Phillips |
Gentlemen | Succeeded by The Duke of Gloucester |