Antony Armstrong-Jones: Lord Snowdon, Photographer & Royal Marriage

Antony Armstrong-Jones lived an unlikely life: a society photographer with a withered leg from childhood polio who somehow won the hand of Princess Margaret, the most eligible woman in Britain. The marriage made him Lord Snowdon and a peer of the realm—yet the fairy tale had sharp edges. He died in January 2017 at 86, leaving behind a photographic legacy, two children from his royal marriage, and a biography marred by questions that have never quite settled.

Born: 7 March 1930 · Died: 13 January 2017 · Occupation: Photographer · Spouse: Princess Margaret · Children: 3 known

The key biographical data for Antony Armstrong-Jones spans his birth, noble titles, and major life events.

Why Did Princess Margaret’s Marriage To Lord Snowdon Break Down?

The union between Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones ended in divorce in 1978 after eighteen years of marriage. By most accounts, the breakdown had roots in mutual infidelity, incompatible temperaments, and the crushing weight of royal life on two people who were fundamentally ill-suited to its demands. The marriage produced two children—David, born in November 1961, and Sarah, born in 1964—but those children did not keep the couple together.

Infidelity rumors

Both parties reportedly had affairs throughout the marriage. According to Biography.com, Lord Snowdon fathered two illegitimate children during his marriages, a claim that would later fuel paternity disputes. Princess Margaret reportedly grew close to Group Captain Peter Townsend in the years after her sister’s coronation, though the relationship did not develop into something that directly caused the divorce. What is clearer is that Lord Snowdon’s affairs were flagrant enough that they could not be ignored or tolerated indefinitely within the royal household.

Compatibility issues

Their backgrounds could hardly have been more different. He was the son of a Welsh barrister who had grown up in a household marked by divorce—his parents separated when he was five—and a stepfather who was the Sixth Earl of Rosse. She was the daughter of King George VI and sister of Queen Elizabeth II. The Guardian obituary, cited by Town & Country, described his childhood as “loveless and emotionally starved,” a description that suggests a young man ill-prepared for the emotional demands of life inside a palace.

The pattern that emerges from biographical accounts is of two people who captivated each other initially but found that the initial electricity could not survive proximity, royal scrutiny, and the mundane attrition of shared life. He was ambitious, creative, and restless; she was emotionally complex, accustomed to privilege, and burdened by the expectations that came with being a princess.

Was Anthony Unfaithful to Margaret?

The evidence suggests he was. Multiple biographical sources, including Anne de Courcy’s 2008 biography, allege that Lord Snowdon had affairs throughout his marriage to Princess Margaret. According to Biography.com, he fathered two illegitimate children during his marriages, a claim that points to sexual relationships outside the marriage that produced lasting consequences.

Known relationships

The most documented relationship outside the marriage was with Lucy Mary Lindsay-Hogg, an American-born woman whom he married in December 1978, just weeks after his divorce from Princess Margaret was finalized. Daughter Frances was born in 1979. The timeline suggests this relationship began before the divorce was complete.

Public perceptions

Royal biographers have generally been more willing to name Lord Snowdon’s infidelities than Princess Margaret’s, possibly because her alleged affairs were more circumspect or because the cultural standards of the era treated male infidelity as less scandalous. What is clear is that the perception of his unfaithfulness became sufficiently widespread that it appeared in multiple biographical treatments without contradiction from his camp.

Who Did Tony Leave Margaret For?

Lord Snowdon remarried Lucy Mary Lindsay-Hogg in December 1978, just after his divorce from Princess Margaret was finalized. Lindsay-Hogg was American by birth and had been present in his life during the final years of his marriage to Margaret, raising questions about whether the relationship began before the divorce.

Lucy Lindsay-Hogg

Lucy Lindsay-Hogg bore Lord Snowdon a daughter, Frances, born in 1979. The marriage was his second and lasted until his death in 2017. She occupied the position of Countess of Snowdon for nearly four decades, though she never achieved the public profile of her predecessor.

Other partners

Biographical sources mention other women in Lord Snowdon’s life during and after his marriage to Margaret, but none with the prominence or documented longevity of his relationship with Lindsay-Hogg. The pattern that emerges from limited sources is of serial relationships rather than a single dramatic departure.

What Was Antony Armstrong-Jones’s Disability?

Antony Armstrong-Jones contracted polio at age 16 in 1946 while on holiday in Wales, according to Wikipedia. He spent six months recuperating at Liverpool Royal Infirmary. During that recovery period, his sister Susan was his only family visitor—his mother sent him a camera as a gift. That camera, in some accounts, sparked the creative impulse that would define his career.

Polio contraction

Polio struck in 1946, leaving permanent damage. According to Wikipedia, the disease left him with a withered left leg, one inch shorter than the other, and a permanent limp. He would use crutches for the rest of his life.

Impact on life

The disability did not prevent him from building an accomplished life. He became a society photographer, a film director, a peer of the realm, and—most importantly to him, by some accounts—a fierce advocate for disabled people. According to Birr FAN Trail, he served on the Polio Research Fund council in the 1960s and, in June 1980, founded the Snowdon Award Scheme (now the Snowdon Trust), which supports disabled students in higher education. He became Provost of the Royal College of Art from 1995 to 2003, per Wikipedia.

Did Antony Armstrong-Jones Have a Baby Before Marrying Margaret?

This is the murkiest question in Lord Snowdon’s biography. According to Biography.com, he fathered two illegitimate children during his marriages. One alleged pre-marriage child, a daughter named Polly Fry, reportedly born in 1960 before his wedding to Princess Margaret, has been cited in some biographical sources.

Polly Fry claim

The claim that Lord Snowdon fathered a daughter named Polly Fry before marrying Princess Margaret circulated in royal circles for decades. The specifics of the claim—that a child was born in 1960 before his May wedding that year—would represent a significant secret if true.

Paternity dispute

A DNA test reportedly conducted in 2004 confirmed his paternity of at least one alleged illegitimate child, per biographical accounts. However, the details of this test—its methodology, who commissioned it, and whether its results were ever made public—remain unclear. The balance of available evidence suggests the claim has some basis in fact, but the research confidence for this specific claim is lower than for most others in his biography.

Summary

Antony Armstrong-Jones was a man of contradictions: a disabled photographer who became a royal consort, a Welsh-named earl without Welsh ancestry, and a man who won the hand of Britain’s most-watched woman only to spend the marriage looking elsewhere. His greatest legacy may not be the photographs at the National Portrait Gallery or even the peerage that elevated him—it may be the Snowdon Trust, which has quietly funded disabled students since 1980. For readers curious about royal marriages, his story is a useful reminder that fairy tales rarely survive proximity to real life. The marriage to Margaret ended not because he was an imposter or a cad, but because the demands of a royal marriage are specific and unforgiving, and he was never entirely willing to meet them.