Lord Snowdon: Princess Margaret's former husband passes away at 86

Lord Snowdon, the former husband of Princess Margaret, died peacefully at his home on Friday aged 86, the photographic agency he worked with has said.

The photographer, born Anthony Armstrong-Jones, died peacefully at his home on Friday, said Camera Press.

Lord Snowdon photographed some of the most famous faces of the 20th century, from Diana, Princess of Wales to Jack Nicholson and Elizabeth Taylor, in a career that lasted more than six decades.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen had been informed, but did not comment further.

Camera Press said in a short statement: "The Earl of Snowdon died peacefully at home on 13th January 2017."

The Earl of Snowdon will largely be remembered for the failure of his marriage to the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret.

The couple had two children and it is said Lord Snowdon remained close to the monarchy, and is the only photographer to have had sittings with the Queen throughout her long reign.

A celebrity photographer who rode a motorbike, had divorced parents and was born without a title, Lord Snowdon was dubbed the "first royal rebel" for his dislike of convention.

He was the first real commoner to wed a king's daughter for 450 years.

But he was also an acclaimed photographer and a passionate campaigner for the disabled.

Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, paid tribute to Lord Snowdon, saying: “It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Lord Snowdon, whose contribution to photography has been profound and far-reaching.

"Lord Snowdon was also a frequent visitor to the Gallery, whose warmth, good humour, and gentleness will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”

With his legendary charm and a string of lovers over the years, his tangled affairs of the heart often hit the headlines.

He was a slightly Bohemian character who, in the anything-goes Swinging Sixties, married into the Royal Family, becoming Princess Margaret's handsome groom at a grand wedding in Westminster Abbey.

He was the son of barrister Ronald Armstrong-Jones QC and society beauty Anne Messel, who separated when he was young.

At 16 he contracted a form of polio, called poliomyelitis, but overcame his disability by making a study of leg muscles and then devising exercises.

The experience made him a life-long campaigner against the discrimination of disabled people.