Snowdon: The Biography

Description

How did a photographer who was a relentless playboy, an unashamed womaniser and a leather-clad motorcyclist marry the Queen's sister and become the Establishment figure Lord Snowdon? The brilliantly talented Antony Armstrong-Jones often humiliated Princess Margaret, yet he was compassionate to the causes he cared about. Since his death in 2017, Snowdon still hasn't escaped the limelight, as more and more is revealed about his wild and intriguing life. Written with exclusive access to Snowdon and the people closest to him, this book uncovers the real man and his times. Addressing the facts behind the myths - the secret courtship of Margaret, the love child born just weeks after the royal marriage, the affairs on both sides, the suicide of one mistress and the birth of an illegitimate son to another - this is a balanced yet no-holds-barred account of Snowdon's life.

Anne de Courcy is a well-known writer and journalist. In the 1970s she was Woman's Editor on the London Evening News and in the 1980s she was a regular feature-writer for the Evening Standard. She is also a former feature writer and reviewer for the Daily Mail. Her recent books include THE VICEROY'S DAUGHTERS and DEBS AT WAR. Go to www.annedecourcy.com for more information.

The most sensational book on the Royal Family in recent times * Sunday Telegraph * Offers a fascinating insight into not just his life but the social mores of the day * Evening Standard * An onslaught of revelation, a dizzyingly switchback ride of mixed emotions, pomp and sleaze ... very true to life -- Duncan Fallowell * Daily Telegraph * How refreshing to read a biography in which the author is half in love with her subject. There are none of the usual patronising putdowns, envious backbiting or mean-spirited cavilling in Anne de Courcy's portrait of the Earl of Snowdon -- Richard Davenport-Hines * Sunday Times * [A] juicy biography ... it is impossible here to convey the combination of high society and low morals, of firghtfully good taste and awful cheese that de Courcy has managed to dish up * Observer * Step forward, Snowdon. You're nicked ... Full of eye-popping revelations * Mail on Sunday * Has anyone not slept with Lord Snowdon? The priapic Earl's multi-layered love life is the dominant theme of this chatty and penetrating biography, packed as it is with love affairs, love-children ... and love-struck mistresses, often several at one time ... Snowdon makes a glamorous, capricious, selfish and surprisingly philanthropic subject for this lively account of a man and his era * Daily Mail Summer Reading * [A] commendably unvarnished portrait of a charismatic, contradictory individual * Good Book Guide * Offers unprecedented insight into the life of Princess Margaret's husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones. Anne de Courcy spoke with Lord Snowdon for the book (along with several others close to him), and it's a no-holds-barred look at both his art and his often-scandalous relationships * Town & Country, 18 Books About the Royal Family *