Serena Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon

The Hon. Serena Alleyne Stanhope[1] was born in Limerick, Ireland, the daughter of the then Viscount Petersham and his wife Virginia Freeman-Jackson, a debutante. Her parents divorced when she was 13 years old. She has one older brother. Through her father, she is a descendant of King Charles II of England's illegitimate child, Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton.[2]

Stanhope spent most of her childhood between Chelsea with her father and her father's girlfriend and later wife Anita Howard, Countess of Suffolk, and Monaco with her mother.[3]

She went to St Mary's School, Wantage, where she was described as being "more interested in lacrosse than Latin".[3] After leaving St Mary's School, she went on to study art in Italy. She also attended a finishing school in Switzerland.[4]

In 1989, she joined Sotheby's as a trainee. She then worked as a publicist for Giorgio Armani until August 1993, two months before marrying Viscount Linley.[4]

The Countess, then Viscountess Linley, had her own shop called "Serena Linley Provence".[5] The store closed in 2014.

Stanhope married David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, son of Princess Margaret and only nephew of Queen Elizabeth II, on 8 October 1993 at St Margaret's Church, Westminster. They met when her father commissioned Linley to design a walnut dining table for his Chelsea house.[3]

There were 650 guests in attendance, including Elton John, Diana, Princess of Wales, Jerry Hall, the Aga Khan, and ex-King Constantine of Greece.[6] In addition, there were an estimated 5,000 spectators in the streets.[3] Her diamond engagement ring and wedding band are from Wartski.[7] She wore a $9,000 dress designed by Bruce Robbins, noted for its resemblance to Princess Margaret's 1960 Norman Hartnell wedding dress, and "The Lotus Tiara", which was on loan from her mother-in-law, Princess Margaret.[8][9] Her going-away outfit was designed by Robinson Valentine.[10]

The Earl and Countess of Snowdon have two children:

• Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (born 1 July 1999 at Portland Hospital in London), a former page of honour to Queen Elizabeth II.[11][12]
• Lady Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones (born 14 May 2002 at Portland Hospital in London).

When Viscount Linley became the Earl of Snowdon on the death of his father in 2017, she became the Countess of Snowdon.

In February 2020, she and the Earl of Snowdon separated and a spokesperson confirmed they will be getting a divorce.[13]

• 1 March 1970 – 8 October 1993: The Honourable Serena Stanhope
• 8 October 1993 – 13 January 2017: Viscountess Linley
• 13 January 2017 – present: The Right Honourable The Countess of Snowdon