‘Proper English rose bombshell’: Royal flower girl Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones models for Tatler
She was once the adorable little girl that stole the show at the Wales’ wedding, but now Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones is a cover girl. See the pictures.
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Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones’s smile and violet eyes are unmistakably those of her famous grandmother as she graces the cover of Tatler for her 21st birthday.
Yet while the erstwhile Princess Margaret cultivated a reputation as the original royal party girl, Lady Margarita, who is 26th in line to the throne, prefers a quieter existence working as a jewellery designer in a central arrondissement of Paris.
The keen photographer and great-niece of Queen Elizabeth agreed to pose for the glossy magazine ahead of her birthday in May, striking an “inquisitive” pose described by the publication as “a proper English rose bombshell.”
Adorned in expensive jewels for the photo shoot, the aristocrat admits her late royal grandmother still holds an influence over her life.
The daughter of David Armstrong-Jones, the 2nd Earl of Snowdon, a carpenter and luxury goods designer, and his estranged wife Serena, an amateur sculptor, says she has inherited her grandmother’s tastes.
“She is such an influence, she was very creative herself,’ Lady Margarita said, referring to a “beautiful” brooch Princess Margaret commissioned society jeweller Andrew Grima to make from a piece of lichen she picked up at Balmoral.
“That was an influence, because I love more natural pieces,” she said.
Margaret bought her wedding tiara at auction, had gifts remodelled to her quirky taste, and once designed a coral and diamond necklace.
“I like nothing too factory-made or straight. I like a little character,” Lady Margarita told the magazine.
The aristocrat, a shy bridesmaid given the starring role at the wedding of Catherine Middleton and Prince William, made her debut last year in classic 1950s chic glamour at Tatler’s exclusive Little Black Book soirée.
Sipping champagne and cocktails with London’s elite until the early hours, she bore a striking resemblance to her grandmother that night she marked her first foray into the city’s socialite scene.
She has since retreated to her life in a quiet corner of Paris to study her two passions – jewellery and photography.
She tells Tatler that her sharp eye for a picture was honed by her father who learned his passion for photography from his father, renowned portrait photographer Antony, Earl of Snowdon, who was married to Margaret from 1960 to 1978.
“He (her father) is also a great photographer,” she said adding he was keen to pass down her late grandfather’s love of photography with Charles (her brother) and me.
“He [has always] encouraged us to take photos.
“The three kept in contact over lockdown by sending each other a photo a day of ‘anything’. “Just weird and random things [that we] found interesting. It became a little bit competitive,” she said.
Of her life in Paris, she said she relishes the anonymity and cycling around the city.
“I speak a little bit of French and I just loved the idea of being in Paris,” she said.
The May issue of Tatler is available on newsstands and via digital download from Thursday 30 March.
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