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Snowdon
'The most sensational book on the Royal Family in recent times' Sunday Telegraph
'Offers a fascinating insight into not just his life but the social mores of the day' Evening Standard
How did a photographer who was a relentless playboy, an unashamed womaniser and a leather-clad motorcyclist marry the Queen's sister and become the Establishment figure Lord Snowdon? The brilliantly talented Antony Armstrong-Jones often humiliated Princess Margaret, yet he was compassionate to the causes he cared about. Since his death in 2017, Snowdon still hasn't escaped the limelight, as more and more is revealed about his wild and intriguing life.
Written with exclusive access to Snowdon and the people closest to him, this book uncovers the real man and his times. Addressing the facts behind the myths - the secret courtship of Margaret, the love child born just weeks after the royal marriage, the affairs on both sides, the suicide of one mistress and the birth of an illegitimate son to another - this balanced yet no-holds-barred account of Snowdon's life is essential reading for fans of The Crown and Ma'am Darling .
'Offers a fascinating insight into not just his life but the social mores of the day' Evening Standard
How did a photographer who was a relentless playboy, an unashamed womaniser and a leather-clad motorcyclist marry the Queen's sister and become the Establishment figure Lord Snowdon? The brilliantly talented Antony Armstrong-Jones often humiliated Princess Margaret, yet he was compassionate to the causes he cared about. Since his death in 2017, Snowdon still hasn't escaped the limelight, as more and more is revealed about his wild and intriguing life.
Written with exclusive access to Snowdon and the people closest to him, this book uncovers the real man and his times. Addressing the facts behind the myths - the secret courtship of Margaret, the love child born just weeks after the royal marriage, the affairs on both sides, the suicide of one mistress and the birth of an illegitimate son to another - this balanced yet no-holds-barred account of Snowdon's life is essential reading for fans of The Crown and Ma'am Darling .
456 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2008
127 people are currently reading
344 people want to read
About the author
Anne de Courcy
24 books209 followersBorn in 1927, Anne de Courcy is a well-known writer, journalist and book reviewer. In the 1970s she was Woman’s Editor on the London Evening News until its demise in 1980, when she joined the Evening Standard as a columnist and feature-writer. In 1982 she joined the Daily Mail as a feature writer, with a special interest in historical subjects, leaving in 2003 to concentrate on books, on which she has talked widely both here and in the United States.
A critically-acclaimed and best-selling author, she believes that as well as telling the story of its subject’s life, a biography should depict the social history of the period, since so much of action and behaviour is governed not simply by obvious financial, social and physical conditions but also by underlying, often unspoken, contemporary attitudes, assumptions, standards and moral codes.
Anne is on the committee of the Biographers’ Club; and a past judge of their annual Prize. Her recent biographies, all of which have been serialised, include THE VICEROY’S DAUGHTERS, DIANA MOSLEY and DEBS AT WAR and SNOWDON; THE BIOGRAPHY, written with the agreement and co-operation of the Earl of Snowdon. Based on Anne’s book, a Channel 4 documentary “Snowdon and Margaret: Inside a Royal Marriage”, was broadcast.
Anne was a judge for the recent Biography section of the Costa Award in 2013, and is also one of the judges on the final selection panel judging the best of all the genres.
A critically-acclaimed and best-selling author, she believes that as well as telling the story of its subject’s life, a biography should depict the social history of the period, since so much of action and behaviour is governed not simply by obvious financial, social and physical conditions but also by underlying, often unspoken, contemporary attitudes, assumptions, standards and moral codes.
Anne is on the committee of the Biographers’ Club; and a past judge of their annual Prize. Her recent biographies, all of which have been serialised, include THE VICEROY’S DAUGHTERS, DIANA MOSLEY and DEBS AT WAR and SNOWDON; THE BIOGRAPHY, written with the agreement and co-operation of the Earl of Snowdon. Based on Anne’s book, a Channel 4 documentary “Snowdon and Margaret: Inside a Royal Marriage”, was broadcast.
Anne was a judge for the recent Biography section of the Costa Award in 2013, and is also one of the judges on the final selection panel judging the best of all the genres.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 14, 2017
Dishy, gossipy and well-researched, Snowden is a surprisingly revealing story of the late Princess Margaret's husband who was both self-centred and generous, hospitable and petulant, sexually driven but a devoted and loving father. At boarding school Anthony Armstrong Jones demonstrated early creativity by making and selling wireless sets when radios were forbidden. He nearly died of polio which left him with a life-long slight limp and a devotion to improving the lives of people with disabilities. His photography led to meeting Princess Margaret at a dinner party. While the pair had a passionate courtship and early marriage he also fathered a daughter (unknown to him until her 40s) while he was engaged to the Princess. While cruel to Margaret during their divorce proceedings, he was her staunchest defender when anyone criticized her. He married again and had multiple affairs but his primary passion was his work. From his Snowden Award Scheme to assist with education costs of students with disabilities, to designing more humane facilities for the London Zoo to his iconic photographs, Snowden's legacy is much more than marrying a royal.
January 22, 2018
Snowdon has had much more interesting, important, influential and complex a life than I had imagined. I picked up this biography because the person I saw portrayed on The Crown intrigued me. A very satisfying read - due to the subject matter and the way it was written- if I had had the time I would have finished this in two days. An incredibly interesting guy. He could be just awful to Princess Margaret, but he loved her deeply until she died and would not have anyone say anything bad about her in his presence. He was faithless to his wives and mistresses and two children were born to women he had affairs with. On the other hand, Snowdon, who had polio and later in life became increasingly immobile, fought and fought hard for the disabled. A groundbreaking photographer, an inventor, a rebel, a contrarian, a terrible husband, a demanding restaurant patron, a challenging friend, kind of a jerk, a fighter for those who couldn’t fight well on their own. What a complex fella.
December 27, 2023
I always enjoy Anne de Courcy's books because she includes the wider social context for her subjects. In her biography of Lord Snowdon, she discusses how the challenges faced by Britons with disabilities in the 1960s, 1970s and beyond provided the impetus for Snowdon's advocacy for accessible train cars, educational opportunities and events over the course of his public life. Snowdon was a polio survivor himself, which allowed him to connect with people who experienced mobility challenges. de Courcy also places Snowdon in the context of the history of photography, discussing the innovations he popularized in Britain including realist photography in the theatre and comparatively informal photos of weddings and royal events. The breakdown of his marriage to Princess Margaret is well known and described in detail in the middle chapters of this book but the most fascinating chapters for those already familiar with royal history are the ones that concern his career and philanthropy.
December 27, 2022
British biographer Anne De Courcy, a great writer, "sort of" received cooperation from Armstrong-Jones in the writing of this "unauthorised" biography, "Snowdon: The Biography".
I had known the bare bones of Armstrong-Jones/Lord Snowdon's life from reading biographies of other members of the Royal Family. De Courcy does a great job at fleshing out his life, work, and personal life, without sensationalising it too much. However, what can you say about a man with three legitimate children and two illegitimate ones to his credit. This is a man who seems never to be without a woman (and a "spare") in his life at all times. I suppose his womanising can be blamed on his rotten relationship with his mother, a social-climbing snob without much in the way of maternal feelings.
The book details his life with Princess Margaret and how his association with her does aid his ascent into the upper ranks of society. But his superb skills at photography were just as important as his relationships in his rise. He's a man of many talents and manifest personal charm.
A well-written bio of a particularly interesting subject.
I had known the bare bones of Armstrong-Jones/Lord Snowdon's life from reading biographies of other members of the Royal Family. De Courcy does a great job at fleshing out his life, work, and personal life, without sensationalising it too much. However, what can you say about a man with three legitimate children and two illegitimate ones to his credit. This is a man who seems never to be without a woman (and a "spare") in his life at all times. I suppose his womanising can be blamed on his rotten relationship with his mother, a social-climbing snob without much in the way of maternal feelings.
The book details his life with Princess Margaret and how his association with her does aid his ascent into the upper ranks of society. But his superb skills at photography were just as important as his relationships in his rise. He's a man of many talents and manifest personal charm.
A well-written bio of a particularly interesting subject.
March 21, 2018
I can't finish it. They're such annoying people. And I think the author could have written it in a less gossipy style. I got no insight into him.
July 4, 2018
Picked this up in my laundry room and though it was something else Not being British, I knew nothing about this person, so cool.
I would agree with the "dishy" gossipy feel to the book, particularly the front chapters which appear to say nothing really at all, IMO. It's very hard to really grasp what the writer is trying to say about the man up front. It gets better as you go though.
The accounts of how he interweaved with Princess Margaret were interesting, as was this idea that the only home she knew before marriage was Buckingham Palace. Wow.. to live in a palace. I kind of get it. Here, she could have elaborated more on the difference between Snowdon's home of privilege and how much of a step down it was, though it might have been insulting to the man. I still think the public would have enjoyed understanding the circumstances. I think she also lost the opportunity to say something about the couple.
I thought it funny how several people are referred to as having veracious sexual appetites. Tells me more about the writer and how this book might be a bit dated.
Glad I read, though it wasn't my particular cup of tea. Well-researched and quite factual.
I would agree with the "dishy" gossipy feel to the book, particularly the front chapters which appear to say nothing really at all, IMO. It's very hard to really grasp what the writer is trying to say about the man up front. It gets better as you go though.
The accounts of how he interweaved with Princess Margaret were interesting, as was this idea that the only home she knew before marriage was Buckingham Palace. Wow.. to live in a palace. I kind of get it. Here, she could have elaborated more on the difference between Snowdon's home of privilege and how much of a step down it was, though it might have been insulting to the man. I still think the public would have enjoyed understanding the circumstances. I think she also lost the opportunity to say something about the couple.
I thought it funny how several people are referred to as having veracious sexual appetites. Tells me more about the writer and how this book might be a bit dated.
Glad I read, though it wasn't my particular cup of tea. Well-researched and quite factual.
January 21, 2018
Painfully boring
October 20, 2015
Interesting biography, not authorized by Lord Snowdon but he and many people close to him were interviewed, and he did not ask for any changes to what had been written.
Antony Armstrong-Jones married Princess Margaret in 1960, and while they were happy at first, both began straying from the marriage and finally divorced about 20 years later. Throughout and after the marriage, Lord Snowdon maintained his work as a magazine and portrait photographer, and an excellent one. Despite their parents' many problems, the couples' two children, David and Sarah, have grown into well mannered and thriving adults by all accounts. He went on to remarry two more times following the divorce and although he has had many health problems to deal with, he is still with us as of this writing.
**#71 of 100 books pledged to read/review during 2015**
Antony Armstrong-Jones married Princess Margaret in 1960, and while they were happy at first, both began straying from the marriage and finally divorced about 20 years later. Throughout and after the marriage, Lord Snowdon maintained his work as a magazine and portrait photographer, and an excellent one. Despite their parents' many problems, the couples' two children, David and Sarah, have grown into well mannered and thriving adults by all accounts. He went on to remarry two more times following the divorce and although he has had many health problems to deal with, he is still with us as of this writing.
**#71 of 100 books pledged to read/review during 2015**
October 18, 2011
I wavered over whether to give this three or four stars, and finally settled on three.
A fascinating picture of a man who is endearing and exasperating in pretty much equal measure. From a safe distance the former wins, but like many of my favourite fictional characters I really wouldn't want to spend too much time with him. Illustrated with a wonderful selection of photographs, and just misses out on a higher level of praise because some facts were repeated a little too often for my liking.
A fascinating picture of a man who is endearing and exasperating in pretty much equal measure. From a safe distance the former wins, but like many of my favourite fictional characters I really wouldn't want to spend too much time with him. Illustrated with a wonderful selection of photographs, and just misses out on a higher level of praise because some facts were repeated a little too often for my liking.
August 21, 2018
Well written and interesting book about a fascinating man.
August 25, 2025
Equal time for the other side.
Although not a royalist, I recently read and enjoyed Theo Aronson's chatty biography of Princess Margaret, younger sister of the late Queen Elizabeth II. I thought it only fair to read a bio giving equal time to the man in her chaotic marriage, Anthony Armstrong-Jones. The marriage was short-lived, but while it lasted, they were an exotic couple and a hot news item
Their marriage in 1960 was a bombshell. A royal marrying a commoner! It just wasn't DONE. The Queen's uncle (King Edward VIII, then the Duke of Windsor) married a commoner, but he had to renounce his throne to do so and then was tossed out of the country permanently. His siblings married a duke, a Greek princess, and daughters of two Scottish earls.
You would have thought Margaret picked her husband out of the gutter; the product of a union between a brick-layer and a cleaning woman. In reality, his father was a well-connected Welsh lawyer and his mother was from a wealthy family of German Jews who converted to Church of England when they settled in London. Both families sent their sons to the proper public schools, while their daughters were "finished" and presented to the King and Queen as debutantes.
At the same time, his childhood was different from most of his schoolmates. His parents were divorced when Anne Armstrong-Jones realized her husband didn't share her ambition to dominate London High Society. He was a countryman who loved hunting and fishing.
Anne remarried the wealthy Count of Rosse, who could finance her rise in the social world. She had two sons with him and those boys were her favorites. She ignored (or savagely criticized) her daughter and oldest son from her first marriage. Was his mother's rejection the source of her son's cruel streak? He loved woman and they loved him, but his relationships went south quickly and dramatically.
He also suffered from childhood polio, which left him with one leg shorter than the other and unable to compete in the sports so vital at Eton, Harrow, etc. One of Anne's brothers was a gay theatre designer so he was exposed early to the free-wheeling sexuality of the creative world. He would later brag, "I've never been in love with a man, but several have been in love with me." His charm crossed gender lines and he took advantage of his male admirers as well as his female ones.
On the plus side, the was intelligent and creative. He made popular a less formal style of photography. He was a talented designer of furniture and an excellent mechanic. He inherited his mother's drive and energy, which captivated those caught in his spell.
Being disabled himself, he was a powerful, fearless advocate for the disabled at a time when they were largely ignored. He pointed out to one municipal entity that having a handcapped-accessible restroom was a nice gesture, but not if it was located at the bottom of a steep flight of stairs. He boldly shone light on the horrors the disabled endured on a daily basis and it's shocking reading.
He fought discrimination against gays and was one of the first to visit AIDS patients and educate the public about the disease. He got along with a wide variety of people in many different cultures, being genuinely interested in and accepting of differences that made some people uncomfortable.
On the flip side, he could be mean as hell. De Courcy pulls no punches when she lets her readers know that she considers his treatment of Princess Margaret unforgivable, especially the fact that he managed to convince her sister and mother that SHE was at fault for the marriage break-up. He used people, chewing them up and spitting them out when they were no longer of value to him.
His marriage into the royal family gained him his mother's approval (for the first and only time in his life) and he loved the perks of being a royal. He hated the hypocrisy and the restrictions, which he seems not to have noticed before he married. Prince Philip was a Greek Prince himself, understood royal life, and was willing to endure it to be married to the Queen. Tony Armstrong-Jones quickly decided the candle wasn't worth the game and took his anger out on his wife.
This is the third book I've read by this author and I'm a fan. In addition to being a lively writer, she's a meticulous researcher and she tells her stories clearly and even-handedly. It's a good read.
Although not a royalist, I recently read and enjoyed Theo Aronson's chatty biography of Princess Margaret, younger sister of the late Queen Elizabeth II. I thought it only fair to read a bio giving equal time to the man in her chaotic marriage, Anthony Armstrong-Jones. The marriage was short-lived, but while it lasted, they were an exotic couple and a hot news item
Their marriage in 1960 was a bombshell. A royal marrying a commoner! It just wasn't DONE. The Queen's uncle (King Edward VIII, then the Duke of Windsor) married a commoner, but he had to renounce his throne to do so and then was tossed out of the country permanently. His siblings married a duke, a Greek princess, and daughters of two Scottish earls.
You would have thought Margaret picked her husband out of the gutter; the product of a union between a brick-layer and a cleaning woman. In reality, his father was a well-connected Welsh lawyer and his mother was from a wealthy family of German Jews who converted to Church of England when they settled in London. Both families sent their sons to the proper public schools, while their daughters were "finished" and presented to the King and Queen as debutantes.
At the same time, his childhood was different from most of his schoolmates. His parents were divorced when Anne Armstrong-Jones realized her husband didn't share her ambition to dominate London High Society. He was a countryman who loved hunting and fishing.
Anne remarried the wealthy Count of Rosse, who could finance her rise in the social world. She had two sons with him and those boys were her favorites. She ignored (or savagely criticized) her daughter and oldest son from her first marriage. Was his mother's rejection the source of her son's cruel streak? He loved woman and they loved him, but his relationships went south quickly and dramatically.
He also suffered from childhood polio, which left him with one leg shorter than the other and unable to compete in the sports so vital at Eton, Harrow, etc. One of Anne's brothers was a gay theatre designer so he was exposed early to the free-wheeling sexuality of the creative world. He would later brag, "I've never been in love with a man, but several have been in love with me." His charm crossed gender lines and he took advantage of his male admirers as well as his female ones.
On the plus side, the was intelligent and creative. He made popular a less formal style of photography. He was a talented designer of furniture and an excellent mechanic. He inherited his mother's drive and energy, which captivated those caught in his spell.
Being disabled himself, he was a powerful, fearless advocate for the disabled at a time when they were largely ignored. He pointed out to one municipal entity that having a handcapped-accessible restroom was a nice gesture, but not if it was located at the bottom of a steep flight of stairs. He boldly shone light on the horrors the disabled endured on a daily basis and it's shocking reading.
He fought discrimination against gays and was one of the first to visit AIDS patients and educate the public about the disease. He got along with a wide variety of people in many different cultures, being genuinely interested in and accepting of differences that made some people uncomfortable.
On the flip side, he could be mean as hell. De Courcy pulls no punches when she lets her readers know that she considers his treatment of Princess Margaret unforgivable, especially the fact that he managed to convince her sister and mother that SHE was at fault for the marriage break-up. He used people, chewing them up and spitting them out when they were no longer of value to him.
His marriage into the royal family gained him his mother's approval (for the first and only time in his life) and he loved the perks of being a royal. He hated the hypocrisy and the restrictions, which he seems not to have noticed before he married. Prince Philip was a Greek Prince himself, understood royal life, and was willing to endure it to be married to the Queen. Tony Armstrong-Jones quickly decided the candle wasn't worth the game and took his anger out on his wife.
This is the third book I've read by this author and I'm a fan. In addition to being a lively writer, she's a meticulous researcher and she tells her stories clearly and even-handedly. It's a good read.
November 3, 2020
I'll admit that I probably would not have been drawn to this one had it not been for The Crown, but the show had me intrigued. Last season ended with the end of his marriage to Princess Margaret (PM) and after googling a bit I read somewhere that even though they divorced and it was bitter and acrimonious, Tony never stopped loving her and never let a person speak a bad word of her in his presence, until the day he died. That caught me, so I went out in search of a book about him.
This book had a good flow; very readable, not a dull history book. I was concerned it might get boring or focus on other British glitterati/socialites that I'm not familiar with, but there wasn't too much of that.
Anthony Armstrong Jones, aka Lord Snowdon, was a very interesting, complex character; he did good and kind things, but could also be very cruel. Like most people, he just wanted to be loved, and his approach to romantic relationships, at least early on, was informed by his childhood. His emotionally distant, social-climbing mother remarried when he was young, and had two more children who would thereafter always come before Tony and his sister Susan. Of course, once he married into the royal family, she was pretty thrilled.
I found the background about how he got into photography and the risks he took very interesting. The portion of the book that focused on his relationship with PM was of course the most fascinating part, because, gossip and royals! But it was also tragic, and I found myself rooting for them even though I knew how it would turn out. I loved being able to learn about PM (I haven't come across any interesting-looking biographies about her yet); the description of her personality, and her attitudes and perspective on life were endlessly fascinating. She was sharp tongued and witty, but deep down very insecure and another soul who just wanted to be loved.
Reading about Tony's later life was similarly fascinating. If this is a topic that interests you, I recommend it.
This book had a good flow; very readable, not a dull history book. I was concerned it might get boring or focus on other British glitterati/socialites that I'm not familiar with, but there wasn't too much of that.
Anthony Armstrong Jones, aka Lord Snowdon, was a very interesting, complex character; he did good and kind things, but could also be very cruel. Like most people, he just wanted to be loved, and his approach to romantic relationships, at least early on, was informed by his childhood. His emotionally distant, social-climbing mother remarried when he was young, and had two more children who would thereafter always come before Tony and his sister Susan. Of course, once he married into the royal family, she was pretty thrilled.
I found the background about how he got into photography and the risks he took very interesting. The portion of the book that focused on his relationship with PM was of course the most fascinating part, because, gossip and royals! But it was also tragic, and I found myself rooting for them even though I knew how it would turn out. I loved being able to learn about PM (I haven't come across any interesting-looking biographies about her yet); the description of her personality, and her attitudes and perspective on life were endlessly fascinating. She was sharp tongued and witty, but deep down very insecure and another soul who just wanted to be loved.
Reading about Tony's later life was similarly fascinating. If this is a topic that interests you, I recommend it.
July 29, 2022
The Queen's sister, Margaret, married Tony Snowdon after "they" broke her heart about Peter Townsend and sent the love of her life away. Margaret was a party girl and yet an iconoclast as she also wanted her due as a Royal to be paid. If you watched Helena Bonham Carter play Margaret on "The Crown" you get a sense of what Tony and his set had to deal with. BUT - this is a story about HIM - maverick, photographer, favorite of The Queen Mum even after the divorce - Tony was still required to walk 3 paces behind and he didn't much like it after a time.
July 28, 2020
Interesting
I never knew much about Anthony Armstrong Jones beyond his marriage to Princess Margaret. Anne de Courcy's book changed that. Snowdon was a gifted artist in many different concentrations. But his picture of Princess Diana will remain forever the image the world had of the tragic princess.
Lord Snowdon was complex, hedonistic, snobbish, sympathetic in many ways and a thoroughly complex character. De Courcy captures him perfectly. A very readable biography.
I never knew much about Anthony Armstrong Jones beyond his marriage to Princess Margaret. Anne de Courcy's book changed that. Snowdon was a gifted artist in many different concentrations. But his picture of Princess Diana will remain forever the image the world had of the tragic princess.
Lord Snowdon was complex, hedonistic, snobbish, sympathetic in many ways and a thoroughly complex character. De Courcy captures him perfectly. A very readable biography.
November 8, 2024
My first biography of Lord Snowdon, courtesy the Audible Plus catalog. Pretty good at portraying what a complex man he was. I remember the awful stories of how he treated Princess Margaret when their marriage broke down, yet afterwards, he was quick to defend her. Anthony Armstrong Jones was more than just a man who married royalty; he was a man full of contradictions, a man with great talents, and a man who championed those with disabilities.
January 14, 2023
Very generous to Tony. He was a very complex character but too much repetition about his charitable and humanitarian work. Every time his alter ego appeared it was smoothed over by a return time and again to his community work.
March 13, 2018
Interesting Man
A very well written book of a great man! Both Princess Margaret and Tony sound like they were always in love!!
A very well written book of a great man! Both Princess Margaret and Tony sound like they were always in love!!
April 13, 2019
A fascinating read with surprisingly private revelations about the extramarital affairs of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowden. A very captivating read.
October 4, 2019
An interesting background story to the ever-fascinating impact of royalty on our daily lives through media of various sorts and where it leads.
Read
February 4, 2020Amazingly detailed account of a life enmeshed in 60s culture, the Royal Family and the artistic crowds of the time. Inspite of its length I was gripped to the end.
May 4, 2020
Excellent read about royal life in Great Britain. This is my fourth book by this author.
August 1, 2020
I knew nothing about Lord Snowden. What a surprise!
January 7, 2018
Page-turning, as you would expect.
December 23, 2024
He was a charmer. Just look at those eyes. Trouble.
January 3, 2013
This is a well-written biography of a man whose driving motivations are to do challenging work and to satisfy his voracious libido. de Courcy appears to have done an admirable job of showing both sides of this exceedingly brilliant and damaged human being. Snowdon is a creative genius whose most appealing qualities appear to be his artistic talent, compassion for disabled people, sense of fun, bravery, thoughtfulness and generosity to the people to whom he chooses to be kind, and devotion to providing high quality services when he takes on a job. These stellar qualities are at best balanced by those that are much less attractive--dishonesty, unfaithfulness, haughtiness, and unkindness. At bottom, according to the author, Snowdon is a man who never has been whole, due in large part to his beautiful, self-absorbed mother's poisonous influence on his life.
July 20, 2009
According to the author, Snowdon was a significant source in writing the book. Assuming this to be so, he was quite open on both the positive and negative aspects of his personality, and what this meant for his relationships, particularly with women.
Growing up with two divorced parents both of whom preferred their second families, Armstrong-Jones (later made Lord Snowdon) grew up both ambitious, with a mercurial personality, and a need to test relationships. He climbed to the heights of fame in photography, was well known for his design skills, led a profligate sexual life, became a celebrity, married and divorced Princess Margaret, worked tirelessly for people with disabilities, and had children, in and out of wedlock.
Growing up with two divorced parents both of whom preferred their second families, Armstrong-Jones (later made Lord Snowdon) grew up both ambitious, with a mercurial personality, and a need to test relationships. He climbed to the heights of fame in photography, was well known for his design skills, led a profligate sexual life, became a celebrity, married and divorced Princess Margaret, worked tirelessly for people with disabilities, and had children, in and out of wedlock.
March 26, 2018
A dishy biography - fun to read but also quite insightful.
It has lots of good info on Snowdon's tempestuous relationship with Princess Margaret and his many infidelities. The book tells us about the passions and demons that drove him, and the contributions he made with his photography and strong advocacy for people with disabilities.
Snowdon does gets bogged down a bit in detail, but it's still an interesting read that also gives us a lot of insight into the troubled Princess Margaret, one of the most interesting characters in the hit Netflix series The Crown.
It has lots of good info on Snowdon's tempestuous relationship with Princess Margaret and his many infidelities. The book tells us about the passions and demons that drove him, and the contributions he made with his photography and strong advocacy for people with disabilities.
Snowdon does gets bogged down a bit in detail, but it's still an interesting read that also gives us a lot of insight into the troubled Princess Margaret, one of the most interesting characters in the hit Netflix series The Crown.
July 21, 2012
Interesting look at the lives of the English and the Royals.
June 28, 2015
Fascinating. I had no idea about whom this book was written, I just saw it at the library and decided to give it a go. Glad I did.
February 17, 2023
Tough for me to le\
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews