Facts About Antony Armstrong-Jones, The Earl Of Snowdon

Scandalous Facts About Antony Armstrong-Jones, The Earl Of Snowdon
HOME
EDITORIAL
LISTS
PEOPLE
ADVENTURERS
ACTORS & ACTRESSES
ARTISTS & WRITERS
MUSICIANS
ROYALTY
SCANDAL-MAKERS
SCIENTISTS & SCHOLARS
PLACES
CASTLES
CITIES & COUNTRIES
HAUNTED PLACES
THE ANCIENT WORLD
NATURE
THINGS
ENTERTAINMENT
MYSTERIES
HIDDEN HISTORIES
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
QUIZ
NEWSLETTER
VIDEO
ABOUT
✕
ADVERTISE
PARTNER
FAQ
CAREERS
PRIVACY
TERMS OF USE
CONTRIBUTE
ABOUT
HOME
EDITORIAL
LISTS
PEOPLE
ADVENTURERS
ACTORS & ACTRESSES
ARTISTS & WRITERS
MUSICIANS
ROYALTY
SCANDAL-MAKERS
SCIENTISTS & SCHOLARS
PLACES
CASTLES
CITIES & COUNTRIES
HAUNTED PLACES
THE ANCIENT WORLD
NATURE
THINGS
ENTERTAINMENT
MYSTERIES
HIDDEN HISTORIES
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
LGBTQ
QUIZ
NEWSLETTER
VIDEO
ABOUT
Scandalous Facts About Antony Armstrong-Jones, The Earl Of Snowdon
Aug 14
PEOPLE
Stewart Mior
There’s no doubt that Antony Armstrong-Jones led a charmed life—yet he also had a serious penchant for scandal. His success brought him into the stratosphere of the royal family, but he left a trail of broken hearts in his wake. The story of Antony Armstrong-Jones is one of both serious triumph and devastating tragedy.
1. He Was Born With A Silver Spoon
He may not have been born into the nobility, but no one could say that Antony Armstrong-Jones’ family was anything less than upper-class. His father was a barrister and his mother was a socialite. It seemed as though he was destined to live the charmed childhood like so many others whose parents held the same social status—but things didn’t exactly go as planned.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
2. Things Changed Fast
Children learn about relationships from their parents—and just before he turned five years old, young Antony got a lesson that would go on to color his later romances. That was when his parents divorced. Antony and his older sister lived with their mother, who wasted no time finding her next husband. Within a matter of months, Antony had a new stepfather— but that was just one major shake-up of many.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
3. They Shunted Him Aside
While his father’s career as a barrister was prestigious, his mother’s second marriage took them up to the next level. Her new husband was Lawrence Parsons, aka the 6th Earl of Rosse. Antony was now part of a noble family, and that meant a lot in 1930s England. However, his mother and stepfather certainly didn’t treat him like royalty.
His mother had two children with Parsons, and Tony felt that his mother treated him as inferior to his half-siblings. After all, he didn't actually have noble blood like them—but his rocky childhood would soon get even worse.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
4. He Was Sick And Alone
First, Antony’s family imploded in front of him— but the worst was yet to come.  He contracted polio during a holiday in Wales and had to spend a total of six months in the Liverpool Royal Infirmary. Being cooped up in a hospital was bad enough, but during that entire time, the only family member who visited him was his sister.
Neither his newly-remarried mother or  father made an appearance. Talk about adding insult to injury…
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
5. He Was Scarred
Antony’s parents didn’t exactly make a grand re-entrance into his life after he recovered. They shipped him off to a series of boarding schools. While at these schools, which included Eton, he took up photography, boxing, and rowing, though he still had to contend with a limp from his battle with polio.
While he might not have fit in with his stepfamily, he was going to the most elite schools in England—which led him to its most famous university as well.
Getty Images
Advertisement
6. He Was A College Dropout
Antony Armstrong-Jones next made his way to Cambridge University— but once again, things didn’t exactly go according to plan. (This would become a common theme in his life). He spent a total of 10 days studying natural history before switching his concentration to architecture. For a while, it seemed like he’d found his niche—until he failed his second year exams.
It seemed like a simple bump in the road, but it actually wound up changing the entire course of his life.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
7. He Was Lost
Though other members of his family encouraged him, his normally cold parents grew even more disapproving when he suggested that he become a career photographer. He had no path and didn’t seem to fit in anywhere. Things were made even worse when he experienced his first major heartbreak. He fell for a woman named Lady Barbara North, but she chose another, more successful man over him.
Three months later, he was relegated to taking their wedding photos. Ouch. He knew that the next time an opportunity like that came along, he wouldn’t let it pass him by.
Getty Images
Advertisement
8. He Was A Ruthless Climber
Armstrong-Jones initially took up photography as a hobby. But thanks to his upbringing, his noble step-family, and his years at England’s most prestigious schools, Antony Armstrong-Jones had friends in high places. And he thoroughly took advantage of those connections when it came to his career. Throughout the 50s, he made his name taking fashion photos and portraits of stage stars—and he also started to live it up.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
9. He Had A Scandalous Reputation
Antony Armstrong-Jones knew how to mix business with pleasure. It was no secret that, after taking photos of gorgeous young women in his studio on Pimlico Road, he’d invite them to stay for the raucous parties he held there— but even more scandalous rumors soon began to spread about him.  He had plenty of gay friends, and stories about his male affairs followed him for years afterward.
But even though he was partying hard, he still kept his eye on the prize.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
History's most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily.
SUBSCRIBE
Thank you!
Error, please try again.
10. He Got His Big Break
After conquering the worlds of fashion, theater, and studio photography, Antony came up with his next move—he wanted to take royal portraits. He was in the right place at the right time, and Queen Elizabeth II tapped him to take a number of photos of her family. Though his relaxed style was controversial, the Queen was thrilled with his work.
At that moment, the rakish and handsome young photographer seemed like a welcome addition to their circle. But, as we’ll see, they’d later come to regret letting him get so close.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
11. He Was Mysterious
As his success—and proximity to the royal family—intensified, Antony learned to keep his private life private. He was polite and charming, but tight-lipped about his romantic pursuits. The only relationship that he allowed the gossip writers to speculate on was his long on and off situation with showgirl Jacqui Chan—but by the late 50s, he was simply using her to cover up a much more scandalous romance.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
12. He Got Into A Complicated Situation
He was almost a household name in Great Britain— but Antony Armstrong-Jones was hiding a serious secret.  What had begun as a friendship with Princess Margaret , the Queen’s sister, was blossoming into something more. The situation was extremely fraught. Margaret was famously coming off a very public split from her one-time fiancé, Captain Peter Townsend.
In fact, that split was just one part of a greater crisis.
A Tale of Two Sisters (2015– ) Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, 3DD Productions
Advertisement
13. She Had Baggage
Princess Margaret’s life couldn’t have been, at that point, more different than Antony’s. While he’d struggled to get attention from his family and for his career, Margaret was exhausted by life in the public eye. After all, it had been one of the contributing factors that had led to the downfall of her last romance—and which had left her extremely heartbroken.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
14. It Was Painfully Slow
While…

Text scraped from the landing page for research purposes. © respective owners. This text is sourced from the advertiser's public landing page; for removal, contact dmca@luba.media.