The seldom-seen new Earl of Snowdon: How the Archers-loving furniture maker who likes to cycle around London is a world away from his society photographer father

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His family has been thrust into the spotlight after the death of Lord Snowdon just three days ago.

Now David Armstrong-Jones, the son of the late Princess Margaret and the late society photographer, is poised to take on his father's earldom following his funeral on Sunday.

But just who is the 18th in line to the throne, set to step into his father's shoes? FEMAIL looks at the family man who has lived his life away from the royal circus and prefers listening to The Archers to glittering galas at Buckingham Palace. 

David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, at a Reggae night with his wife Serena. David is understood to live a decidedly ordinary life, cycling home from work to listen to The Archers

David and his wife Serena attend the funeral of the 1st Earl of Snowdon at at St Martin's Church Fitcham Norfolk. Following the funeral, David is set to take on his late father's title

Royal beginnings 

The new Earl of Snowdon and his glamorous heiress wife, Serena, Countess of Snowdon (née Stanhope), 46, are parents to Charles, Viscount Linley, 17, and Margarita, 14 - who was a bridesmaid at the 2011 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge thanks to the family's royal ties.

Born at Clarence House in 1961, the Earl spent much of his early life at Buckingham Palace where he was schooled alongside his cousin, Prince Andrew.

David, 55, was in his late teens when his parents finalised their acrimonious split in 1978, but his father remained close to the royals and even shot the Queen's official 80th birthday portrait.

Unlike his cousin, David eschewed a military career to carve out a path in furniture design, setting up his own company and later joining Christie's where he now works as a chairman.

With his parents, Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret, in 1964. Born in 1961, David spent much of his early life at Buckingham Palace where he was schooled alongside Prince Andrew

Princess Margaret with her children Viscount Linley (now Earl of Snowdon) and Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones. Margaret split with their father in 1978 and later died in 2002

An ordinary life 

The Queen's nephew has penned a string of books about furniture and interiors, and his pieces are stocked at luxury retailer Harrods with Elton John and Mick Jagger said to be fans.

He is believed to have inherited much of his mother's estimated £20million fortune alongside his sister Sarah in 2002, yet lives a decidedly ordinary life, cycling home from work on his 'slightly camp' bicycle to listen to The Archers.

Describing his perfect Sunday in an interview with The Telegraph, he said: 'We have a cooked breakfast and then, if we’re in Gloucestershire, we’ll clamber into the back of an old Land Rover with the dogs and go for another walk. 

'Afterwards we’ll roast a delicious piece of meat or do some baking. I’m a very methodical cook – it appeals to the logical side of my brain. There’s never any washing up to do afterwards: I do it as I go along.' 

While he does not have an official royal role, David stood guard at the lying-in-state of the Queen Mother, his grandmother, and occasionally takes part in events such as Trooping the Colour and Christmas at Sandringham.

David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, with his wife Serena at Royal Ascot in 2014. The family divide their time between Chelsea, Gloucestershire and a Chateau in Provence

The couple in 2005. Serena, an heiress, opened her own fragrance shop, Serena Linley Provence, selling soaps and candles from the French region, but it closed in 2014

A match fit for a Viscount 

He has been romantically linked to Susannah Constantine and Nicola Fornby in the past, but in 1993 David married Serena Stanhope, daughter of landowner the Earl of Harrington and a distant cousin of Princess Diana, at St Margaret's Church in Westminster.

The new Viscountess was praised for her Bruce Robbins gown, noted for its resemblance to Princess Margaret's 1960 Norman Hartnell wedding dress.

Serena, who now boasts the title of Countess of Snowden, opened her own fragrance shop, Serena Linley Provence, selling soaps and candles from the French region, but it closed in 2014. 

In 1993 David married Serena Stanhope. The new Viscountess was praised for her Bruce Robbins gown, noted for its resemblance to Princess Margaret's 1960 wedding dress

The couple at a premiere at the BAFTA headquarters in 1994, a year after their wedding. Serena is the daughter of landowner the Earl of Harrington and a cousin of Princess Diana

A ROYAL BRIDESMAID 

David's daughter Margarita, then eight, earned a place in history when she served as bridesmaid at the 2011 royal wedding.

Margarita, then eight, was a bridesmaid at the royal wedding in April 2011

William and Kate picked Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Miss Eliza Lopes, Miss Grace van Cutsem, Lady Louise Windsor, Master Tom Pettifer, Master William Lowther-Pinkerton as their bridesmaids and page boys, with the youngsters joining them on the balcony at Buckingham Palace.

While the Duke's three-year-old goddaughter Grace van Cutsem famously went viral after covering her ears to shut out the din of the crowd, Margarita was all smiles and even made it into the official wedding portraits shot by Hugo Burnand.

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Family man 

According to the Daily Mail's royal writer Michael Thorton, Serena receives a 'generous' trust fund from her father, Viscount Petersham, who was worth in the region of £250million as of 2006. 

The family are believed to divide their time between a flat in London's Chelsea, a 'tiny' cottage in Gloucestershire and the Chateau d'Autet in Provence.

They have spent many happy holidays at the Chateau, a 19th-century French hunting lodge, which they bought in 1998 - the same house where the Duchess of Cambridge was staying at when she was photographed sunbathing topless.

Serena with Margarita and Charles at Royal Ascot in 2012. The family have spent many holidays at the Chateau, a 19th-century French hunting lodge, which they bought in 1998

David, far left, with his children Margarita and Charles, and nephews at a thanksgiving service in memory the Queen Mother and Princess Margaretat St George's Chapel in Windsor, 2012

Serena - then Viscountess Linley - with their daughter, Margarita, at a Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee at St Paul's Cathedral in June 2012