David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley

Viscount Linley
Born	David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones 3 November 1961 (1961-11-03) (age 48) Clarence House, London
Title	Viscount Linley
Spouse(s)	Lady Serena Stanhope
Issue	Charles Armstrong-Jones Margarita Armstrong-Jones
Parents	Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom

David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (born 3 November 1961), known professionally as David Linley, a bespoke furniture maker and chairman of Christie's UK, the international auction house. The son of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon; he is thirteenth in the line of succession to the British Throne and heir 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 the Hon. Charles Stanhope (now Earl of Harrington), on 8 October 1993.

They have two children:

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, Lord 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, now he is in thirteenth place and is the first person in the line of succession who is not a descendant of the Queen.^[1]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Arms

Arms of David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley Notes The Viscount's personalized coat of arms are those of his father quartered with those of his mother. Escutcheon Quarterly 1st and 4th his de sable, au chevron d'argent à quatre pals de gueules, accompagné en chef de deux fleurs-de-lis d'or et en pointe d'une aiglettes d'or (Snowdon), 2nd and 3rd being the royal arms, differenced with a label argent of three points, the outer points bearing Tudor roses, and the central bearing a thistle proper. Other elements Quarterly 1st and 4th differenced with a three-point label sinople, 2nd and 3rd differenced with a three-point label argent, first and third charged with a Tudor rose the second with a thistle proper[3] Symbolism The 1st and 4th quarters are those of his father, the Earl of Snowdon. The 2nd and 3rd quarters are the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom.

Ancestry

LINLEY Company

The LINLEY company is based in London although it has an international client base. There are two shops, LINLEY Belgravia (60 Pimlico Road) and LINLEY Mayfair (46 Albemarle Street). From these shops, the core retail collections are sold encompassing furniture, upholstery and home accessories. In addition to this the company offers a bespoke design service and an interior design service. LINLEY also operates an e-commerce business selling gifts and home accessories on-line.

LINLEY Collaborations

In 2009, LINLEY Company collaborated with Grosvenor Group and Jonathan Myles-Lea to provide furniture by Linley and art by Myles-Lea in the launch of a recently renovated Grosvenor property in Lower Belgrave Street.

References

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)