THE EARL and COUNTESS OF SNOWDON

The Queen was last week facing another marriage split in the family as her nephew the 2nd Earl of Snowdon announced that he and his wife the Countess are to divorce. David and Serena Linley’s spokesman released a statement saying that the couple had decided to end their 26-year marriage.

It read: “The Earl and Countess of Snowdon have amicably agreed that their marriage has come to an end and that they shall be divorced.” T h e n e w s , w h i c h D a v i d reportedly broke to his aunt the Queen just after Christmas, came six days after the monarch’s eldest grandson Peter Phillips announced he and wife Autumn are to divorce. David, who is 21st in line to the throne, is the son of the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret and the renowned society photographer Lord Snowdon, whose title he inherited after his father’s death three years ago.

He and Serena married in October 1993 and have two children, Viscount Linley, 20, and Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, 17. Serena, who was born Lady Serena Stanhope, is the daughter of landowner the 12th Earl of Harrington and his first wife, Virginia Freeman-Jackson.

Their wedding, at St Margaret’s church next to Westminster Abbey, graced the cover of hello! and was attended by more than 650 guests, including the Queen, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret. The newly sep t d Princess of Wales also joi family, along with the P Royal, Prince Edward, th and Duchess of Glouces the groom’s sister Lady Armstrong-Jones, while c guests included model Je and David’s former gir Susannah Constantine. parated n e d th e P rincess h e Du ke ter an d y Sara h e le b rity rr y Ha ll l frien d

CARVING OUT A CAREE Known as the “royal carp David, 58, founded his up furniture and interior business The David Linl y now known as just Linley –in 1985 and his clients range from Sir Elton John to Valentino Garavani. He is also honorary chairman for auction house Christie’s in Europe, the Middle East, Russia and India and has written books about furniture and home styling. V R p enter ” , p market d esign ey Co –

Close: David shares a carriage at Royal Ascot with the Queen (above) and aunt and nephew exchange fond smiles outside St Margaret’s after the Service o f Thanksgiving for his father Lord Snowdon in 2017 (right). David (left in a charming portrait with his mother Princess Margaret and sister Sarah, taken b y Norman Parkinson) poses (below) with his photographer father Lord Snowdon a t his portrait exhibition, held in David’s furniture shop in 2002

52 He enjoys a close relationship with the Queen and his cousin the Prince of Wales, who appointed him as deputy of his charity The Prince’s Foundation in 2018. Irish-born Lady Serena, 49, also has a passion for art and was a trainee at Sotheby’s before she married David. She later set up a perfume shop in London’s Chelsea. The couple first crossed paths when Serena’s father commissioned David to design some furniture. They were photographed enjoying a romantic holiday in Monte Carlo in 1992. When they announced their engagement the

following year, David’s father Lord Snowdon said: “Both David and Serena are very lucky, especially as they share so many common interests, from their love of the arts generally to the enjoyment of outdoor sports, from architecture to ballet and from fashion to furniture design.”

DRIFTING APART But they’re said to have drifted apart recently, in part because David’s work often took him abroad. While David has been living at his flat in London’s Kensington, Serena is said to have been spending most of her time in Gloucestershire. David also owns a house in Provence, bought with the proceeds from the sale of his mother’s home o n the Caribbean island o f Mustique, which may be part of discussions as the pair decide how to divide their assets. H