Ronald Armstrong-Jones

Major Ronald Owen Lloyd Armstrong-Jones, born Jones, was a British barrister and military officer. He was born on 18 May 1899 in Ilford, Essex, and died on 27 January 1966. He is known primarily as the father of Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, and as the father-in-law of Princess Margaret, the younger daughter of King George VI.

Early Life and Education

Ronald Owen Lloyd Jones was the sole male child of Sir Robert Jones, a prominent psychiatrist, and Margaret Roberts, daughter of Sir Owen Roberts. In 1912, his father changed the family surname to Armstrong-Jones by deed poll to distinguish himself from another individual named Robert Jones. He attended Sandroyd School and subsequently Eton College. He had two sisters: Elaine Margaret Wauchope (1895–1965) and Gwendolen Jane Buckley (1905–1985), who married Sir Denys Buckley.

Military Service and Education

During the First World War, Armstrong-Jones was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Royal Regiment of Artillery, serving from 1917 to 1919. After the war, he pursued higher education at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a notable rower; he contributed to Magdalen's victory in the Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in 1921. He graduated in 1922 and became a barrister at the Inner Temple.

Career

In 1936, Armstrong-Jones served as High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire. During the Second World War, he returned to military service, attaining the rank of Major in the King's Royal Rifle Corps. His wartime service included a role as Deputy Judge Advocate to Montgomery's staff in Normandy. He was invalided out of service in 1945 and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours of that year, recognizing his wartime contributions. His residence during the war, Stream House at Henley Park, was requisitioned for military use.

He was called to the bar as a Queen's Counsel (taking silk) in 1954. In 1955, he was appointed a Lord Chancellor's Legal Visitor, a role involving oversight of the care of mental patients and the proper management of funds allocated for their welfare. He was also a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers and served on the Industrial Disputes Tribunal from 1955 to 1959. Additionally, he was a Governor of St Bartholomew's Hospital.

He retired from his role as Legal Visitor in 1963 due to health concerns. The Lord Chancellor's Office issued a statement on his retirement, citing medical advice about the health risks associated with travel.

Personal Life

Armstrong-Jones was married three times. His first marriage was on 22 July 1925 to Anne Messel (1902–1992). They had two children: Susan Vesey, Viscountess de Vesci (1927–1986), and Antony Armstrong-Jones, who became the 1st Earl of Snowdon (1930–2017). Antony married Princess Margaret, daughter of King George VI, in 1960; the marriage ended in divorce in 1978.

His first marriage ended in divorce in 1934. Subsequently, Anne Messel married the 6th Earl of Rosse. On 18 June 1936, Armstrong-Jones married second, Australian Carol Akhurst, daughter of Sir Thomas Melrose Coombe. This marriage produced no children and ended in divorce in 1959; Carol was killed in a car accident in 1966.

His third marriage occurred on 11 February 1960 to Jenifer Unite Monro, an air hostess daughter of Basil Unite, a major fruit importer. They had one son, Peregrine John Walter Thomas Owen Llewelyn Armstrong-Jones, born on 15 November 1960. Peregrine married Caroline Therese Bloy and had two children.

Health and Death

In mid-1965, Armstrong-Jones underwent surgery but did not recover. He was admitted to St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, in October 1965. Following his hospitalization, he returned to his home at Plas Dinas, Caernarfon, where he died on 27 January 1966, aged 66.