Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones's marriage is well-documented throughout The Crown, and viewers are likely wondering about the finer details of the couple's love story after watching Season 3.
From their wedding in 1960, to their separation in 1976, here's everything you need to know about Princess Margaret's relationship with Antony Armstrong-Jones.
1958: Anthony Armstrong-Jones is commissioned to photograph Princess Margaret.
Princess Margaret first met photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones at a party in 1958, but apparently nothing happened until he was commissioned to create a portrait of the royal (a storyline viewers will remember from Season 2).
Biographer Anne de Courcy told Town & Country, "Nobody knew about their relationship, there wasn't a whisper about it." The writer continued, "She would see him in secret at his studio and yes, he would join her at parties, but no one could pinpoint which man she was interested in. The press focused more on the ones who were seen to be eligible. They didn't think of Tony who was often in the background."
As a commoner, Armstrong-Jones wasn't considered to be a real prospect for Margaret, which is why their romance went undetected for so long.
February 1960: Margaret and Antony announce their engagement.
Town & Country reported that, per biographer de Courcy, the royal family approved of the union, despite Armstrong-Jones not being a member of the aristocracy. The biographer explained, "They all liked him very much... He felt devotion to the royal family, to the queen, who he admired immensely. He got on very well with Prince Charles and he adored the Queen Mother."
While some of members of the public reportedly initially disproved of Margaret marrying a "commoner," Queen Elizabeth was allegedly a fan of the photographer from the start.
May 1960: Their royal wedding is the first to be televised.
Princess Margaret, then 29, married Anthony Armstrong-Jones on May 6, 1960 at Westminster Abbey in London (an event covered in Season 2 of The Crown). As The Telegraph reported, "The wedding, the first to be televised, was followed by a Caribbean honeymoon aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia." According to the BBC, the wedding was watched by over 20 million viewers.
Because Princess Margaret's father, King George VI, sadly passed away in 1952, she was walked down the aisle by her brother-in-law, Prince Philip. Armstrong-Jones was given the title the Earl of Snowdon following his marriage to Margaret.
November 1961: The couple welcomes their first child.
Margaret and Antony welcomed a son, David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon (also known as Viscount David Linley), on November 1961.
May 1964: Their second child is born.
Lady Sarah Frances Elizabeth Armstrong-Jones (now Chatto) was born on May 1, 1964.
1966: The marriage was plagued by affair rumors.
Despite appearing to be happily married, Margaret and Antony's love story was marred by reports of multiple affairs. The Telegraph reported, "Those close to the couple suggest Lord Snowdon was the first to be unfaithful," because, as a photographer, he took long business trips abroad. However, Margaret was also reportedly connected to several men while she was married.
Per The Telegraph, "In 1966, while Lord Snowdon was in India, Margaret embarked on her first extra-marital affair, a brief dalliance with Antony Barton, a Bordeaux wine producer and a godfather to Lady Sarah." She was also linked to pianist Robin Douglas-Home, and other extra-marital dalliances were rumored, but many remain unconfirmed.
The Telegraph confirmed in 2008 that, following decades of rumors, a DNA test revealed that Snowdon had fathered a child called Polly Fry just before his marriage to Margaret. His daughter was born on May 28, 1960, while Armstrong-Jones was on his honeymoon with the princess. (It was later revealed that after his divorce from Margaret, and while married to second wife Lucy Lindsay-Hogg, Lord Snowdon had another affair and fathered a son, Jasper Cable-Alexander.)
Despite Margaret's own affairs, according to biographer de Courcy (via Town & Country), "The flings used to upset her a lot."
1973: Margaret meets Roddy Llewellyn and begins a relationship with him.
Possibly Princess Margaret's most significant affair, which is documented in Season 3 of The Crown, was with 25-year-old gardener Roddy Llewellyn, the son of an Olympian and 17 years younger than the princess.
According to the BBC, "The couple first met in Scotland in September 1973 at the Café Royal in Edinburgh when traveling to a house party in Peebleshire hosted by Margaret's old friend, Colin Tennant." Despite their age gap, the pair embarked upon what would be an eight-year romance, which continued after Margaret's eventual separation from her husband.
Their affair came to the media's attention when photos of the gardener on vacation in Mustique with Margaret came to light. In 2002, Llewellyn told the News of the World (per The Telegraph), "I was just following my heart." While Llewellyn went on to marry someone else, he and Margaret remained firm friends.
March 1976: Margaret and Anthony announce their separation.
Princess Margaret announced her separation from Lord Snowdon on March 19, 1976, the the BBC reported. Her husband was allegedly blindsided, and reportedly described himself as "desperately sad" about the news, according to the outlet.
Buckingham Palace's statement, per BBC, read: "HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and the Earl of Snowdon have mutually agreed to live apart. The Princess will carry out her public duties and functions unaccompanied by Lord Snowdon. There are no plans for divorce proceedings."
October 1993: Margaret and Antony reunite for their son's wedding.
The co-parents arrived in unison at the wedding of their son, Viscount Linley to Serena Stanhope.
July 1994: Margaret and Antony reunite at their daughter's wedding.
Margaret and Anthony were photographed together at the wedding of their daughter, Lady Sarah, to Daniel Chatto.
2002: Princess Margaret passes away.
While Lord Snowdon remarried in 1978, soon after his divorce from Margaret was finalized, his second marriage ended in divorce, too. Margaret never remarried, but she remained close with her ex-husband until her death in 2002. According to biographer de Courcy (via Town & Country), "They always maintained a solid friendship, once the bitterness of the divorce was over."
Armstrong-Jones passed away in 2017 at the age of 86, which Buckingham Palace confirmed.
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Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper's BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.
