Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl Of Snowdon

Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, was born on 7 March 1930 at Eaton Terrace in Belgravia, London. He was the second child and only son of Ronald Armstrong-Jones, a Welsh barrister, and Anne Messel, who later became Countess of Rosse. His paternal grandfather was Sir Robert Armstrong-Jones, a Welsh psychiatrist, and his paternal grandmother was Lady Margaret Roberts, a daughter of Welsh educationalist Sir Owen Roberts. His maternal family was of German-Jewish descent; notable relatives include stage designer Oliver Messel, Punch cartoonist Linley Sambourne, and architect Alfred Messel.

His parents divorced in early 1935, and his mother remarried the same year, having two additional children. During a holiday in Wales at age 16, Snowdon contracted polio, which resulted in a permanent limp and a withered left leg, with one inch of shortening.

Snowdon attended Sandroyd School in Surrey, first in 1938 and then at its Wiltshire campus until 1943, before transferring to Eton College in 1943. At Eton, he participated in boxing and coxed the college's boat. He then enrolled at the University of Cambridge, studying architecture at Jesus College; however, he failed his second-year exams. He did cox the winning Cambridge boat in the 1950 Boat Race.

Following university, Snowdon pursued a career in photography, initially working as an apprentice to Baron, a photographer known for fashion and theatrical portraits. His early work included theatrical portraits and society photographs, many published in Tatler, which also credited him with captions. He became renowned for his portraits of prominent figures, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip during their 1957 Canadian tour. Snowdon was an early contributor to Queen magazine and later served as artistic adviser to The Sunday Times Magazine.

In 1960, he married Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II. The wedding, held at Westminster Abbey, was the first royal wedding televised. In recognition of his marriage into the royal family, he was granted the peerage of Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley in October 1961. They resided at Kensington Palace and had two children: David (born 1961) and Sarah (born 1964). The marriage was publicly strained and ended in divorce in 1978.

Snowdon became a member of the House of Lords in 1962 and was active in parliamentary debates, particularly on disability issues. He was created a life peer as Baron Armstrong-Jones in 1999, allowing him to retain a seat after reforms reduced hereditary peers' influence.

Throughout his photography career, Snowdon captured images of notable individuals, including Marlene Dietrich, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, David Bowie, Elizabeth Taylor, and Diana, Princess of Wales. Over 280 of his photographs are held by the National Portrait Gallery. His work extended into documentary filmmaking, with titles such as Don't Count the Candles (1968), which earned multiple awards, including two Emmys.

In addition to photography, Snowdon contributed to design, co-creating the Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo and participating in the physical arrangements for Prince Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales. He held a patent for an electric wheelchair in 1971.

As a dedicated advocate for disabled individuals, Snowdon used his platform to influence policy and infrastructure reforms across the United Kingdom. His efforts included serving on the Polio Research Fund, founding the Snowdon Trust to support disabled students, and presiding as president of the International Year of Disabled Persons in 1981.

He also engaged in arts patronage, serving as patron of several cultural organizations and as provost of the Royal College of Art from 1995 to 2003.

Snowdon was awarded several honors, including Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 1969, the Progress Medal of the Royal Photographic Society in 1985, and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Bath in 1989.

He was married twice: firstly to Princess Margaret (1960–1978), with whom he had two children, and secondly to Lucy Mary Lindsay-Hogg (1978–2000), with whom he had a daughter. Snowdon fathered a son with Melanie Cable-Alexander in 1998, whom he acknowledged after her death.

Antony Armstrong-Jones died on 13 January 2017 in Kensington, aged 86. His funeral was held at St Baglan's Church near Caernarfon, where he was buried in the family plot.