Snowdon: The BiographyThe parents of Antony Armstrong-Jones (he was given the title Earl of Snowdon in 1961) were very different. He was Welsh to his fingertips, she an exotic mixture of English and Jewish. They divorced when he was five and Tony's relationship with his aloof glittering mother never recovered. His inventiveness was soon apparent, at Eton and then Cambridge, where as cox in 1950 he designed a new rudder for his (winning) Boat Race crew. The engagement of this motorbike-riding freelance photographer in 1960 to Princess Margaret was a bombshell. Friends privately predicted disaster, and so it proved. But meanwhile in the 1960s, mixing with actors, artists, and pop stars, they were the epitome of stylish and unstuffy arts-loving Royals. Along with John and Jackie Kennedy or Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, they were one of the iconic glamorous couples of that era. Tony continued to work and both began to have affairs. They divorced in 1978, the first royal divorce since Henry VIII divorced Anne of Cleves in 1540. Snowdon married again but this marriage collapsed after the birth of a secret love-child in 1998 and the suicide in 1996 of his mistress of 20 years, Anne Hill. His low boredom threshold and waspish cruelty are balanced by his fabled charm and genuine concern for the disabled and underprivileged. One of the great British photographers, up there with Beaton, Bailey, and Parkinson, at 76 he now suffers from a recurrence of childhood polio and needs sticks or wheelchair to get around. But by any standards he has had an extraordinary life.Will throw new light upon many areas of his lifehis difficult childhood, his relationship with Margaret, his many affairs, his cruelty, his creativity and achievements. His story here is based on wide range of sources: friends, courtiers, servants, girlfriends and ex-mistresses." |
Contents
The Other Son | 1 |
Between pages 84 and 85 | 2 |
Tony in his mothers arms | 3 |
Copyright | |
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affair Andy Garnett Angela Huth Anne Rosse Anthony Barton Armstrong-Jones arrived asked beautiful became Buckingham Palace called camera Castle Cecil Beaton Clarence House darling daughter David designed dinner disabled divorce door drawing room dress drink father February felt film Frayling friends garden guests holiday husband Jackie Jacqui Jeremy Jeremy Fry Jocelyn Stevens Kensington Palace knew later Launceston Launceston Place letter lived London look Lord Snowdon Lucy lunch Marjorie Wallace marriage married Melanie morning Mustique Nanny Napier never Nymans Old House Oliver Messel once party Peter Peter Sellers photograph portraits Prince Princess Margaret Private Secretary Queen Mother realised relationship replied Roddy Roddy Llewellyn Ronnie round royal family Royal Lodge Sarah Sellers sitting Snowdon Award someone sometimes stay studio Susan talking telephone Tennant thought told Tony Tony's took Townsend usually wanted wedding weekend wheelchair wife wrote