Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Lord Snowdon a grandfather again


The Earl of Snowdon - the former Antony-Armstrong-Jones -- will have another stocking to fill on Christmas morning. The Earl's younger daughter, Lady Frances von Hoffmanstahl, gave birth to a daughter, Maud Dolores Diamond, on December 1. Maud joins her brother, Rex, who was born in 2008. Lady Frances is Lord Snowdon's only child by his second wife, Lucy Mary Davies, from whom he has lived apart for many years. She filed for divorce, but the divorce was never finalized.

Lord Snowdon is the acknowledged father of five children, three of whom are legitimate. He has two children, Viscount Linley, and Lady Sarah Chatto by his first wife, Princess Margaret, and Lady Frances.

He also has two children by women to whom he was not married. He has a son, Jasper by Country Life editor, Melanie Cable-Alexander. Jasper was registered with his mother's surname, and Lord Snowdon has limited contact with his younger son. Jasper was born in April 1998.

The fifth child -- or rather the first child - is Polly Fry, now Polly Higson, who was born May 28, 1960, while the newly married Antony Armstrong-Jones was on his honeymoon with Princess Margaret.
Jeremy Fry and his wife, Cosima, were very close friends of the future earl. In fact, Fry was Snowdon's first choice to be his best man, but he had to step down -- citing illness -- because he had been convicted of a "minor" homosexual offence, which was not made public at the time of the wedding.

The information about Polly was revealed in Anne de Courcy's "semi-authorized" biography, Snowdon: The Biography. She had known for some years that Snowdon could have been her father. In 2004, they had lunch and she asked for a DNA test. Snowdon reluctantly agreed, and the result was positive. Lord Snowdon is the father of Polly Fry Higson, who is married with five children.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/2059552/Lord-Snowdon-his-women-and-his-love-child.html

Thus, the Earl of Snowdon has five children and eleven grandchildren, although he does not have a relationship with Polly or her children.

(Alderson does get it wrong about the divorce. Lord and Lady Snowdon, although living apart, are not divorced. )

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Marlene. I was unaware of the other two children and five more grandchildren. Doesn't surprise me, however! Happy Holidays - jinja

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

Thanks, Jinja

I would be grateful if you would not post links in posts on R's boards to Royal Musings. Thanks

Merry Christmas