Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Ronald Owen Lloyd Armstrong-Jones, (''né'' Jones; 18 May 1899 – 27 January 1966) was a British

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and soldier. He was the father of

Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, (7 March 1930 – 13 January 2017), was a British photographer and filmmaker. He is best known for his portraits of world notables, many of them published in ''Vogue'', '' Vanity Fa ...

, and father-in-law of

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

, younger daughter of

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

Early life and education

Born Ronald Owen Lloyd Armstrong Jones in Ilford, Essex, he was the only son of Sir Robert Jones, an eminent psychiatrist, and Margaret Roberts, daughter of Sir Owen Roberts. In 1912, his father legally changed the family surname to Armstrong-Jones by deed poll to distinguish himself from another Robert Jones. He was educated at

Sandroyd School Sandroyd School is an independent co-educational preparatory school for day and boarding pupils aged 2 to 13 in the south of Wiltshire, England. The school's main building is Rushmore House, a 19th-century country house which is surrounded by the ...

and

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

. He had two sisters, Elaine Margaret Wauchope (1895–1965) and Gwendolen Jane Buckley (1905–1985), who married

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

Denys Buckley Sir Denys Burton Buckley, MBE (6 February 1906 – 13 September 1998) was an English barrister and judge, rising to become a Lord Justice of Appeal. Personal life Denys Burton Buckley was born in Kensington, the son of Henry Burton Buckley ...

Career

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Armstrong-Jones was commissioned as a

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

into the

Royal Regiment of Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

from 1917–19. After the war, he continued his education at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

. While at Oxford he distinguished himself as a rower, helping the Magdalen crew to win the

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing cl ...

at Henley in 1921. He graduated in 1922, then became a

at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

. In 1936, Armstrong-Jones served as

High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Caernarvonshire (or Carnarvonshire). The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in a county but over the centuries most of the responsibi ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he returned to the army and served as a

in the

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...

; he was invalided out in 1945, after serving as Deputy Judge Advocate to Montgomery's staff in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

and being appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

1945 New Year Honours The 1945 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1945 for the British ...

in recognition of his service. During the war, his home, Stream House at

Henley Park Henley Park is a country house and landscape garden in Bix and Assendon civil parish in the Chiltern Hills of South Oxfordshire, England. The house is about north of Henley-on-Thames. The park adjoins the county boundary with Buckinghamshire. ...

, was requisitioned to the British Army. He

took silk In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1954. The following year, he was appointed a

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

's Legal Visitor, whose function is to visit mental patients in hospitals and at home to ensure they are properly cared for and money allocated by the Court of Protection is properly applied and managed for their care. He was a liveryman of the

Worshipful Company of Clothworkers The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1528, formed by the amalgamation of its two predecessor companies, the Fullers (incorporated 1480) and the Shearmen (incorporated 1508). It succeeded to the position of t ...

and from 1955–59 he was a member of the Industrial Disputes Tribunal. He also served as a Governor of

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died ...

. He retired from his post as Legal Visitor in 1963, upon medical advice. The Lord Chancellor's office issued a statement on Armstrong-Jones's retirement: "His doctors have advised him that the constant travelling involved in the duties of the office is likely to be inimical to his health in the future."

Personal life and death

Armstrong-Jones was married three times. Firstly, on 22 July 1925, to Anne Messel (8 February 1902 – July 1992), with whom he had two children: * Susan (1927–1986), who married John Vesey, 6th Viscount de Vesci * Antony (1930–2017), married to

in 1960 (divorced 1978) and created

Earl of Snowdon Earl of Snowdon is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1961, together with the subsidiary title of Viscount Linley, of Nymans in the County of Sussex, by Queen Elizabeth II for her then brother-in-law, Antony Armstron ...

in 1961 by his sister-in-law, Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

Armstrong-Jones' first marriage ended in divorce in 1934, and Anne later married the 6th Earl of Rosse. On 18 June 1936, Armstrong-Jones married secondly Australian Carol Akhurst, daughter of Sir Thomas Melrose Coombe. There were no children from this marriage. They divorced in 1959, and Carol was killed in a car crash in 1966. He married thirdly Jenifer Unite Monro on 11 February 1960. Jenifer Unite, an air hostess, was the daughter of Basil Unite, a major fruit importer. They had one son: *Peregrine John Walter Thomas Owen Llewelyn Armstrong-Jones (born 1960), married Caroline Therese Bloy Armstrong-Jones underwent an operation in mid-1965 but never recovered from his illness. He returned to the hospital at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington in October 1965, and returned to his home, Plas Dinas, in

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is ...

, before Christmas. He died there in late January, at the age of 66.

References

External links

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

Owen Lloyd Armstrong-Jones
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong-Jones, Ronald 1899 births 1966 deaths People educated at Sandroyd School People educated at Eton College Royal Artillery officers King's Royal Rifle Corps officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Members of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford High Sheriffs of Caernarvonshire

Ronald Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse ''Rögnvaldr'',#H2, Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; #H1, Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English ''Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised ...

Welsh barristers Members of the Middle Temple Welsh King's Counsel Military personnel from Essex English barristers