Meet the 'other Charles' in the Royal Family who has a title of his own
It's been over two years since King Charles III took over the throne, following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. However, he isn't the only Charles in the family with a royal title - there is also Charles Armstrong-Jones, the grandson of Princess Margaret. While Princess Margaret's grandchildren - of which there are four - often fade into the background, they do tend to appear at national events such as royal weddings, thanksgiving services and funerals outside of living their normal lives. Charles Armstrong-Jones, 25, rarely makes the headlines, however he is in fact the second cousin of King Charles and a great-nephew of the late Queen.
Charles is the only one of Princess Margaret's grandchild to have a title, with the musician known as Viscount Linley. Charles inherited the title following the death of his grandfather, Antony Armstrong-Jones, in 2017. Charles will one day become the 3rd Early of Snowdon, inheriting the role when his father David, 63, dies.
David Armstrong-Jones married the Hon. Serena Stanhope in 1993 and they went on to have their son, Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones, on July 1, 1999. The young royal was the third grandchild of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones and was born at the Portland Hospital in Marylebone.
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From 2000 to 2002, the couple and their son Charles lived at Kensington Palace with the ailing princess in her final years. On May 14, 2002 Charles’ younger sister was born at the same hospital, Lady Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones. Like many members of his family, Charles was educated at Eton College and was in the same year as his cousin, Arthur Chatto, the second son of Lady Sarah and Daniel Chatto.
In 2012, he was made the first Page of Honour to his great-aunt, the late Queen. This ceremonial role required him to carry the long train of the Queen’s robes at state occasions, such as the Order of the Garter service. Since he ceased to carry out that role in 2015, he has lived largely under the radar.
Upon the death of his grandfather, the 1st Earl of Snowdon in 2017, his father inherited the title and became the 2nd Earl of Snowdon. This gave Charles the right to use his father’s subsidiary title of Viscount Linley. In 2018, it was revealed that the 26th in line to the throne was studying product design engineering at Loughborough University.
After 27 years of marriage, his parents the Earl and Countess of Snowdon announced they had separated in February 2020 and had filed a case for divorce. Ever since the death of Princess Margaret in 2002, it is well-known that the late Queen stayed in close contact with her nephew and niece - with the families still being invited to spend Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham.
While Charles studied product design engineering, he has since become a musician. Last year, Charles' sister Lady Margarita - who was a bridesmaid at Prince William and Princess Kate's wedding in 2011 - said of her brother: "He is very into his orchestral music. He is self-taught and he can sing, play the piano and the guitar. It’s wonderful. Somehow he combines it all together – including online choirs – on his laptop into one piece of music."
