Despite the fact that Queen Elizabeth II is the most prominent figure, her sister, Princess Margaret made sure her name remains unforgettable. Her party life, love for alcohol and cigarettes left Princess Maraget distinctive from the rest of the members of the royal family. Anthony Armstrong-Jones, known as Lord Snowdon also contributed to Princess Margaret’s reputations.
Snowdon and the royal family
Vanity Fair stated that Lord Snowdon was taking portraits of the queen and many other members of the royal family in 1957 before he met Princess Margaret. They started their romance in 1958. The magazine also published that Lord Snowdon had a very rough childhood and a very complicated relationship with his mother, who supposedly called him “my ugly son.” Royal family loved him, and despite the scandals between him and Margaret, and their divorce, he was still taking portraits for them.
Queen and the queen mother loved him
Anne de Courcy’s book, Snowdon: The Biography, the author revealed that after Margaret and Snowdon married in 1960, the royal family became fond of him. “The Queen quickly became fond of her brother-in-law. He was meticulous about following the correct etiquette, always calling her ‘ma’am’ (his children were to know her as Aunt Lilibet), bowing before kissing her on the cheek, and inquiring through an equerry when it would be convenient to telephone Her Majesty (although if she rang him, she would say, ‘Oh, Tony, it’s Lilibet’).” Queen Mother was also very fond of him. She even threw a party for the couple in 1959, even though it was disguised as a party for the homecoming of Princess Alexandra. Prince Philip and Prince Charles were also often seen in Snowdon’s company.
After his death
Snowdon died in 2017 when he was 86 years old. Despite the fact that Princess Margaret died many years before him, Snowdon had a good relationship with the royal family until his last day. Town & Country revealed that Snowdon was the first to photograph Prince William, and he was even among the first ones to take pictures of Princess Diana and her two sons, Prince William, and Prince Harry. As The Independent notes, “He was the trusted ‘black sheep’ of the Royal Family.”
The Telegraph stated how Alexander Shulman, the editor of Vogue said, “He was a fantastic portrait photographer and unlike a lot of portrait photographers, who just shoot what’s in front of them, he did manage to get inside his subjects.” When Snowdon passed away, Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury said, “The fact the Queen and the Royal Family attended this service is a real tribute to the man and his career.”
Source: www.cheatsheet.com
