Lady Margaret Armstrong-Jones, only granddaughter of Princess Margaret, budding photographer and jeweler

In 1951, the renowned photographer and art director Cecil Beaton photographed Princess Margaret, Elizabeth II’s sister, dressed in Dior to celebrate her twenty-first birthday. 72 years later it is her only granddaughter, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, who poses for the cover of the British magazine Tatler to celebrate that on May 14 she will turn 21. Despite her heritage and lineage — she is the daughter of David, son of Princess Margaret and 2nd Earl of Snowdon, and Serena, Countess of Snowdon, and therefore 26th in the line of succession to the throne—Lady Marguerite Armstrong-Jones, although closely linked to the royal family, lives a quiet life in Paris, where she shares a flat in the Bastille area and studies fine jewelry at the prestigious Haute École de Joaillerie, a few studies that he combines with his interest in photography. “Probably, the photograph comes from my grandfather and my grandmother’s jewelry,” she reflects in the publication.

His grandfather was Anthony Armstrong-Jones, Lord Snowdon, a renowned photographer who published his portraits in media such as Vogue or, precisely, Tatler, and who married Princess Margarita on May 6, 1960. During the so-called swinging sixties (the happy sixties) both alternated with actors, artists and pop music stars. They also committed numerous infidelities and starred in several scandals. The marriage lasted 18 years. Time, however, has wanted to forget the screams, slamming doors and newspaper headlines and keep the halo of glamor that the couple aroused. When Lady Margarita was little, she remembers her grandfather taking family photographs: “she made us portraits. He always had amazing cameras. His backgrounds were always simple and he let you be yourself. She always wore the same color, so that became her style. Lighting, as any photographer would say, is the most important thing. It really captured the character of the people. It is definitely an inspiration ”, confesses her granddaughter in Tatler.

Despite sharing a name, Lady Marguerite never got to know her grandmother. Princess Margaret died in February 2002, followed by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in March of the same year; a month later and with the name of both, Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones was born. In the publication, they highlight that Lady Margarita has “the inquisitive look of her grandmother.” Also that she is an “artistic, fun and self-critical” person who prefers anonymity to the spotlight, proof of this is her quiet life outside of England and her absence of social media accounts. Regarding her grandmother, Lady Margarita acknowledges that she “is a great influence” since “she herself was very creative.” Her grandmother’s interest in the world of fashion and fine jewelry stands out. The princess bought her wedding tiara at auction and once designed a coral and diamond necklace. Her granddaughter shares these eccentricities: “I don’t like anything factory-made or very perfect. I like things with personality”.

Since childhood, she has been present at some of the most important events of the British monarchy: at the age of eight, 12 years ago, she was one of the little bridesmaids who walked Kate Middleton down the aisle with Prince William, and he even came out to say hello on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. She, too, has spent many Christmases at Sandringham, as tradition dictates. She has already attended the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh and, of course, that of her great-aunt, Elizabeth II.

The young woman has studied at the most prestigious private schools in London, such as Garden House, in the Chelsea neighborhood, Saint Mary’s Ascot Catholic boarding school or Tudor Hall. In the latter she took classes in photography, art history or jewelry design. Finally, after finishing school, she went to Oxford, where she also studied different artistic disciplines such as ceramics or watercolor. In September 2022, she moved to Paris, where she currently resides.