The youngest daughter of Lord Snowdon, the former husband of Princess Margaret, has a daughter who works as a busy waitress in a restaurant near King’s Cross in central London. To her partner, and co-owner of their restaurant, The Yellow Bittern, she’s simply known as Frances, but to those familiar with royal connections, she is Lady Frances von Hofmannsthal.
Lady Frances née Armstrong-Jones is Lord Snowdon and Lucy Hogg’s daughter, the woman he married after finalising his divorce. Princess Margaret and Snowdon separated in 1976, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1978.
Known as an avid photographer, Antony Armstrong-Jones was given the peerage of Lord Snowdon in 1961, a year after marrying the late Queen’s younger sister. Lady Frances is the half-sibling of David Armstrong-Jones and Lady Sarah Chatto – the only maternal cousins of King Charles and his three siblings.
The Yellow Bittern, where Frances works, is a restaurant on the busy Caledonian Road, and the menu consists of a chalkboard with a short list of dishes that is changed daily.
The spot opened in October 2024 by Lady Frances with co-owners, chef Hugh Corcoran, 35, and bookseller Oisín Davies, 33, and is reported to be a cash-only establishment.
Despite her working in a restaurant, Lady Frances grew up in the heart of British high society and official photos show her at her older half-sister Lady Sarah Chatto’s wedding alongside bridesmaid Zara Tindall and posing next to the late Queen Mother, Charles and Edward.
Reviews of The Yellow Bittern vary greatly, with Time Out stating: “..it’s expensive but cash-only, and proudly displays two portraits of Lenin. The food itself has been painted as a sort of spartan, St John-ish take on meat pies, luxe gruel and many, many stews.”
Hot Dinners writes: “We’re in slightly two minds about The Yellow Bittern. Cash payments only aside, we love the idea of bringing back long boozy lunches over plenty of comfort food. The cooking on show was also great in places and the wine was good too.”
Whereas, The Londoner writes: “The general character of the food is ‘rustique’, if we’re using contemporary gastronomical parlance, or ‘peasant food’, if we’re feeling less polite.”