Serena Armstrong-Jones, Viscountess Linley

Serena Alleyne Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon (née Stanhope; born 1 March 1970) is an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, and by marriage, a niece-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Family

Serena Stanhope was born in Limerick, Ireland. She is the daughter of Charles Stanhope, 12th Earl of Harrington, and the former Virginia Freeman Jackson. Her parents divorced when she was 13 years old. Through her father, she descends from Charles II of England's illegitimate child, Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, which makes her a distant cousin of Diana, Princess of Wales and her husband.

Marriage and children

The marriage between Serena Stanhope and David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon (at that time Viscount Linley), son of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, was held on 8 October 1993 at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster. The bride's diamond engagement ring and wedding band are from Wartski. She wore a dress designed by Bruce Robbins, noted for its resemblance to Princess Margaret's 1960 Norman Hartnell wedding dress. Her going-away outfit was designed by Robinson Valentine.

The Earl and Countess of Snowdon have two children:

• Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (born 1 July 1999)
• Lady Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones (born 14 May 2002)

Career

In 2010, she opened Serena Linley Provence, a shop selling soaps, scent and candles using lavender from Provence, where the Linleys have a home, the Chateau d'Autet in the Luberon. The shop closed in late 2014.

Titles

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