Though Princess Margaret‘s marriage to photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960 may not have been a happily ever after (since her older sister, Queen Elizabeth II, forbade her from marrying divorcee Peter Townsend), it did result in her beloved children, David and Sarah.
Why are Princess Margaret’s children not Prince and Princess?
Though they were children of a Princess, neither were able to retain the title of Prince or Princess themselves.
According to the Letters Patent of 1917 issued by King George V, the titles of Prince and Princess in the royal family were limited to the the children and male-line grandchildren of the sovereign, as well as the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales.
READ MORE: Four words Luritja woman Jess Beck is sick of hearing every NAIDOC Week
Margaret’s children were grandchildren of the sovereign through the female line and thus were not entitled to the Prince or Princess styling.
This later changed in 2012 when Queen Elizabeth issued a Letters Patent to change the rule, allowing Prince William and Catherine’s children to be styled as Prince or Princess, regardless of gender – but this did not retroactively apply to Margaret’s children.
Armstrong-Jones was instead especially created Viscount Linley and Earl of Snowdon by Queen Elizabeth in 1961 so Margaret’s children’s could still have a title that would be passed down from their father.
For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.
Other ‘spares’ from royal families across the world
Margaret was also styled as Countess of Snowdon since her marriage, even though it ended in 1978.
She once said, “My children are not royal; they just happen to have the Queen for their aunt.”
David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon
Both David and Sarah grew up in Apartment 1A of Kensington Palace, with David living there with his family during his mother’s ailing years, until her death in 2002 after suffering her fourth stroke.
READ MORE: Best-selling cookbooks to inspire your next meal
The 62-year-old inherited an artistic streak from his parents, training to be a craftsman in his youth and eventually launching his own custom furniture company called David Linley Furniture Ltd, now simply LINLEY – a reference to his former title before he inherited the Earldom of Snowdon upon his father’s death.
“I inherited my love of design from my father, the Earl of Snowdon, who was always fascinated by pushing the boundaries of an object – working out how to make it touch the ground in two places rather than three,” he told The Telegraph in 2011.
READ MORE: Family or duty? This year William proved he can do both
“I was pretty bad at making things as a child but he was an excellent teacher.”
The title of Viscount Linley now belongs to his son, Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones, 25, who he shares with ex-wife Hon. Serena Alleyne Stanhope. They wed in 1993 and split in 2020.
They also share daughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, 22, who is a jewellery designer with her bespoke label, Matita. In 2023, she modelled for the May issue of Tatler.
READ MORE: Everything you need to do on a trip to the NSW Central Coast
David is also the honorary chairman of auction house Christie’s EMERI (Europe, Middle East, Russia, and India.
It is through this that it is assumed he met his current girlfriend, Isabelle de La Bruyere, who was once a senior director for the Christie’s chairman’s office across the Middle East. The pair have been seen recently on dates around Mayfair with reports that things are getting serious.
Lady Sarah Chatto
Sarah also inherited her parents’ penchant for art. Now 60, she’s talented painter whose work has been displayed in London’s The Redfern Gallery since 1995, and has won the Winsor & Newton Prize in 1988 and the Creswick Landscape Prize in 1990.
Growing up, Sarah accompanied her mother on royal appearances and events such as on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, as well as on royal tours, including to Canada and Hong Kong.
She was also a bridesmaid at the weddings of Princess Anne and Prince Charles to Princess Diana.
It seems that Margaret would keep her children cultured, with royal author Ingrid Seward writing, “As Margaret’s children grew older, she began to take pleasure in sharing in their interests. She nurtured their musical tastes, which range from classical works to rock.
READ MORE: Special way Lady Sarah Chatto honours her late mother Princess Margaret 22 years after her death
“It was she who instilled in her children their love of beautiful things and encouraged their interest in art.”
After studying at the Camberwell School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools, she accompanied her father in India for two years where he was employed to photograph the production of A Passage to India (1984), and where she had an internship assisting the wardrobe department.
All the royals with hidden artistic talents
It was during this fateful trip that she would end up meeting her future husband, actor Daniel Chatto, who was there working on another British film, Heat and Dust.
They wed in 1994 and share two sons, Samuel, 27 and Arthur, 25.
READ MORE: How Princess Anne’s husband Timothy Laurence has been her rock through tough times
Though she’s not a working royal, Chatto has often joined the royal family at many events – both public and private – including the funeral of her aunt, the late Queen Elizabeth in 2022, family Christmases at Sandringham, and more recently at Royal Ascot and at Wimbledon.
Though Margaret may not have been the most involved mother, it is undeniable that she loved her children very much.
Seward said that at one point in her later years, Margaret turned to her older sister and told Elizabeth, ”I may not have achieved very much – but I at least feel my life has not been wasted because I have produced two happy and well-adjusted children.”
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.