The rise of Lady Sarah Chatto: how Princess Margaret’s artist daughter has stepped up to support her cousin King Charles
Born on 1st May 1964, Lady Sarah is the second child and only daughter of the Queen’s younger sister, Princess Margaret, and her then-husband, society photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones (who became the 1st Earl of Snowdon after his marriage). At the time of her birth, she was 7th in line to the British throne. She is now 29th.
Like Prince William and Prince Harry, Sarah and her brother David, Viscount Linley (now Lord Snowdon), spent much of their childhood at Kensington Palace. Although they had a nanny, as is customary in the Royal Family, their parents were said to be a strong presence in their lives. Lord Snowdon, a bohemian society photographer, helped foster their creativity in art and design, with Lady Sarah and her brother going on to become an artist and furniture maker, respectively.
Queen Elizabeth II with her niece, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, circa 1980
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Princess Margaret’s divorce took place when Sarah was 14, following two turbulent years of separation between her parents. Family holidays to the royal estates of Sandringham and Balmoral must have provided some solace for the budding young artist, however, where Sarah would spend time with her cousins and enjoy the outdoors, honing her talents at landscape painting.
Despite living largely out of the public eye, Lady Sarah stepped into the spotlight in 1973, when she was a nine-year-old bridesmaid for her cousin, Princess Anne at her wedding to Captain Mark Phillips; and again for that of King Charles III (then Prince Charles), and the late Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981 . She also joined her mother and brother for an official royal trip in 1987, when Princess Margaret visited Hong Kong with her two children.
