Anthony Armstrong-Jones, later known as Lord Snowdon, led a life marked by glamour, scandal, and tragedy.

Best remembered as the husband of Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II’s younger sister, his story is one of incredible highs and devastating lows.

From his rise as a celebrated photographer to his tumultuous marriage and numerous affairs, Armstrong-Jones’s life reveals the complexities behind royal glamour and the personal costs of living in the spotlight.

Born into an upper-class family, Anthony Armstrong-Jones was not born into nobility but quickly found himself entwined with aristocracy.

His father was a barrister, and his mother a socialite who later married Lawrence Parsons, the sixth Earl of Ross.

This marriage elevated Anthony’s social status, but his childhood was far from idyllic.

He felt like an outsider in his own family, treated as inferior by his mother and stepfather compared to his half-siblings born of noble blood.

 

His early years were marred by hardship.

Contracting polio during a holiday in Wales left him with a limp and months of hospitalization, during which only his sister visited him.

His parents’ absence deepened his sense of isolation.

Despite these challenges, Anthony attended prestigious schools, including Eton and Cambridge University, though he struggled academically and changed courses multiple times before eventually failing his second exams.

Anthony’s passion for photography emerged early, and by the 1950s, he had built a reputation for capturing fashion and stage personalities.

His connections from his elite background helped him gain access to London’s high society, where he mingled with celebrities and aristocrats alike.

His studio on Pimlico Road became a hub for lively parties and social gatherings.

 

Despite rumors swirling around his personal life—including both heterosexual and homosexual affairs—Anthony remained focused on his career.

His talent and unconventional style earned him royal commissions, including photographing Queen Elizabeth II and her family.

His relationship with the royal family grew, but so did the scrutiny of his private life.

 

Anthony’s relationship with Princess Margaret began as a friendship but soon blossomed into romance.

Margaret, recently heartbroken from a public breakup, found solace in Anthony’s company.

Their relationship was delicate, complicated by royal protocols and media attention.

To marry Margaret, Anthony agreed to give up his flourishing photography career, a sacrifice that foreshadowed the difficulties ahead.

 

Their engagement announcement in 1960 surprised many, including the royal press.

While much of the public celebrated the union, Anthony’s father expressed doubts, fearing the constraints of royal life would stifle his son.

The wedding itself was historic—the first royal ceremony to be televised, watched by millions worldwide.

 

Life as part of the royal family proved challenging for Anthony.

Despite his noble title, he was often seen as an outsider and faced snobbery from some quarters, including palace staff.

His relationship with Prince Philip was strained, with clashing personalities and interests.

 

The pressures of royal life, combined with Anthony’s artistic temperament and desire for independence, created tension.

Princess Margaret felt neglected, turning increasingly to alcohol and public displays of frustration.

Their marriage, once seen as a fairy tale, began to unravel amid growing distance and dissatisfaction.

 

Both Anthony and Margaret engaged in numerous extramarital affairs, reflecting the swinging London culture of the 1960s.

Anthony’s relationships included showgirls, Vogue editors, and other high-profile figures, while Margaret’s rumored liaisons with celebrities like Mick Jagger and Peter Sellers fueled tabloid speculation.

 

One notable episode involved Anthony intercepting a letter from Margaret’s lover, Robin Douglas-Home, to the Queen Mother, demanding Margaret end the affair.

This move shifted blame onto Margaret and allowed Anthony more freedom, but it deepened the bitterness between them.

 

Their constant cheating and public spats made their marriage a subject of gossip and scandal.

Anthony’s immature behavior included leaving hurtful notes for Margaret and publicly embarrassing her at social events.

Despite his flaws, Anthony remained likable to many within the royal family, who hoped the couple could maintain a façade of stability.

 

By the mid-1970s, the marriage was effectively over.

A gift of land on the Caribbean island of Mustique became a sanctuary for Margaret, where she began a relationship with a younger man, Roddy Llewellyn.

The affair was exposed by the press after Rupert Murdoch sent a journalist undercover to capture photos, delivering a final blow to the already fragile marriage.

Anthony sought legal separation and publicly announced it without consulting Margaret or the royal family, causing further embarrassment.

Though divorce was initially unthinkable due to royal protocol, the couple eventually divorced in 1978.

 

Anthony quickly remarried, tying the knot with production assistant Lucy Lindsay-Hogg just months after his divorce.

However, his history of infidelity continued, including a 20-year affair with journalist Anne Hills that ended tragically when she took her own life in 1996.

The revelation of this long-term affair shocked the public and strained his marriage to Lucy.

 

Further scandal emerged when Lucy discovered Anthony had fathered a child with magazine editor Melanie Cable-Alexander, nearly 30 years his junior.

Despite attempts to maintain multiple relationships, Anthony’s personal life grew increasingly complicated, leading to his eventual separation from Lucy.

Anthony Armstrong-Jones passed away peacefully in 2017 at his Kensington home, aged 86.

He was buried in his family plot in Wales, outliving Princess Margaret by 15 years.

Despite the chaos of his personal life, he remained a significant figure in British cultural history, known for his photographic talent and his complex role within the royal family.

 

Speculation about his sexuality persisted, with rumors of bisexuality and relationships with men, though these claims remain unverified.

Throughout his life, Anthony embodied contradictions—charming yet flawed, successful yet troubled, royal yet an outsider.

In 2004, a DNA test revealed one of Anthony’s most shocking secrets: he fathered an illegitimate daughter, Paulie Higson, born during his honeymoon with Princess Margaret.

The scandal deepened when it was revealed that the mother was Camilla Fry, the wife of Anthony’s best friend, exposing the extent of his betrayals.

 

Anthony Armstrong-Jones’s life was a rollercoaster of triumphs and tragedies, love and betrayal, loyalty and deception.

His story offers a rare glimpse behind the polished veneer of royalty, revealing the human frailties that can threaten even the most revered institutions.

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