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In more royal family heartache, the Queen’s nephew the Earl of Snowdon has announced his separation from his wife of 26 years, Serena.
The heartbreaking news comes just days after the Queen’s eldest grandchild Peter Phillips confirmed his divorce from his wife Autumn.
A spokesperson for the earl, who is the son of Queen Elizabeth’s sister, the late Princess Margaret, said: “The Earl and Countess of Snowdon have amicably agreed that their marriage has come to an end and that they shall be divorced.
“They ask that the press respect their privacy and that of their family.”
The late Princess Margaret’s son, the 2nd Earl of Snowdon has announced he and his wife Serena are filing for divorce. (Image: Getty)
David Armstrong-Jones, 58, married Serena Stanhope, 49, the daughter of an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, in 1993 at St Margaret’s Church in Westminster.
The couple has two children, Charles, 20, and Margarita, 17, with the family spending Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham, walking to church with the other members of the Royal Family.
The Earl of Snowdon and Countess Serena with their children Lady Margarita and Charles, Viscount Linley. (Image: Getty)
According to a source who spoke to Express, David and Serena had agreed that their marriage had broken down and had been living separate lives for some time.
“But they are determined to handle their separation in a civilised manner,” the source says.
“There is no blame or acrimony on either side. They have simply reached a point at which they both feel they have to move on.”
Earl Snowdon and his sister Lady Sarah Chatto have never undertaken official engagements as working members of the Royal Family on behalf of the Queen, who also happens to be one of his godparents; however, at the time of his birth, he was fifth in line to the throne.
Young David with his mother Princess Margaret and sister Lady Sarah. (Image: Getty)
The news comes just days after Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips confirmed he and his wife Autumn Phillips were separating after 12 years of marriage and is just the latest in a string of bitter blows for the Queen and the Royal Family.
In her Christmas address last year the 93-year-old monarch admitted that 2019 had been a “bumpy” year after a number of scandals and rumours had enveloped the family, however, 2020 is already looking rather ‘bumpy’ already.
From the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepping back from the Royal Family to Prince Andrew again being thrown into the spotlight over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, it’s been a rocky start to the year for The Firm.
The Queen referred to 2019 as a “bumpy” year, but 2020 is already looking pretty rocky too. (Image: Getty)
Thankfully, it’s not all bad news with Princess Beatrice recently announced the date of her wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi for May 29, set to take place in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace.
According to close sources the Queen has high hopes that her granddaughter’s wedding will be the happy occasion that lifts the family’s spirits and brings them back together.
