Lady Annabel Goldsmith, the high-society ‘It’ girl and close friend of Princess Diana during the troubled years of her marriage, left more than £5.6million in her will.
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Goldsmith → leave → will
The socialite, who died aged 91 last October, was the inspiration for the upmarket west London nightclub Annabel’s, which was founded by her first husband Mark Birley.
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which → die → husband
Probate records released today and seen by the Daily Mail show the widow of tycoon Sir James Goldsmith left UK assets worth £6,668,035, reduced to a net estate of £5,618,858 after deduction of liabilities.
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widow → release → liabilities
The mother of six left the bulk of her estate in trust for her two surviving children from her first marriage – entrepreneur Robin Birley, 66, and artist India-Jane, 61.
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mother → leave → marriage
She had three other children from her later marriage to Goldsmith – TV producer and screenwriter Jemima Goldsmith Khan, 52, politician Zac, 51, and environmentalist Ben, 45.
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She → have → Goldsmith
But a clause in the will stated that they had already been ‘generously provided for’ by their late father, who was reported to be worth £1.2billion when he died aged 64 in 1997 after a long battle against pancreatic cancer.
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he → state → cancer
Sir James, who was elected to the European Parliament in 1994, founded the short-lived Referendum Party which campaigned against Britain’s membership of the EU.
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which → elect → EU
Lady Annabel’s will, drawn up in December 2024, requested that most of her personal possessions, known as chattels, be put in a trust fund for the benefit of her son Robin.
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most → draw → son
Lady Annabel Goldsmith died aged 91.
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Goldsmith → die → ?
Born into aristocrat stock as daughter of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry, she married Mark Birley in 1954 and Sir James Goldsmith in 1978
Lady Annabel with Princess Diana in 1989...
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she → bear → 1989
But she also left her William Morris landscape painting featuring two terriers with a dead rabbit and dated 1861 to Charles Filmer, one of the executors of her estate.
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she → leave → estate
The remainder of her estate, including a 1965 trust settlement, was left in equal shares to Robin Birley and India-Jane, known as Jane.
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remainder → include → Jane
Her son Zac, now a life peer, was twice elected as Conservative MP for Richmond Park, and served as Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment.
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son → elect → Territories
Lady Annabel was known as a Eurosceptic political campaigner and author of her best-selling autobiography Annabel: An Unconventional Life.
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Annabel → know → autobiography
Famed for her warm-heartedness and sense of fun, she once joked that she was 'an incredible mother, rather a good mistress, but not a very good wife'.
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she → fame → fun
The renowned hostess was born Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart in June 1934, the second child of Robin, Viscount Castlereagh, heir to the seventh Marquess of Londonderry and a godson of King Edward VII, and his wife Romaine.
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hostess → bear → VII
She moved with her family to Brookwood, Surrey, during the war and later went to school in Sussex, and became a keen Girl Guide.
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She → move → Sussex
Her father became the eighth Marquess of Londonderry when her grandfather died in a gliding accident in 1949, leading to her becoming Lady Annabel.
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her → become → 1949
She was aged just 17 when her mother died in 1951 after developing an incurable cancer of the mouth.
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mother → die → mouth
Lady Annabel and her son Ben, who she had with second husband Sir James
Lady Annabel and daughter Jemima attend the wedding of her son Zac to Hum Fleming
Lady Annabel campaigning for the Conservatives in 2010 with her politician son, Zac, and daughter Jemima
Lady Annabel went to tutorial college in Oxford after school and became a debutante at 18 when the late Queen attended her coming-out dance.
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Queen → have → dance
As a debutante, she became involved with Mark Birley, the 6ft 5in tall Old Etonian son of the portrait painter Sir Oswald Birley and his eccentric Irish wife Rhoda.
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she → become → painter
Her father disapproved of the relationship but she married Birley, who was five years her senior at a London register office in 1954, and they moved into an attic flat at the top of Lady Birley's house in St John's Wood, north-west London.
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they → disapprove → Wood
Her father, who had drunk heavily, died in 1955 when she was just 21.
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she → drink → 1955
Birley worked in advertising before establishing a Jermyn Street outlet for the French firm Hermès.
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Birley → work → firm
He and Lady Annabel moved to Chelsea after their first son Rupert was born and later moved into a two-storey Regency house off Onslow Square following the birth of their second son Robin.
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son → move → son
Their daughter India-Jane Birley was born in 1961.
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daughter → bear → 1961
One of the couple's best friends was John Aspinall, who opened the Clermont Club casino at 44 Berkeley Square in Mayfair in 1962.
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who → open → 1962
The private members' club would later become a haunt of professional gambler Lord Lucan, who famously vanished in 1974 after apparently murdering his children's nanny when he mistook her for his wife.
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he → become → wife
Mr Aspinall leased the basement of his club to Birley, who converted it into Annabel's nightclub, which opened in 1963, quickly becoming one of the top night spots in London.
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which → lease → London
Despite having young children, Lady Annabel was a constant presence at the nightclub in the 1960s, and entertained guests ranging from Ted and Robert F Kennedy to Frank Sinatra, Prince Charles, Richard Nixon and Muhammad Ali.
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Annabel → have → Sinatra
The late Queen visited the club in 2003.
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Queen → visit → 2003
It is thought to be the only nightclub she went to, other than the even fancier Whites on St James's Street.
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she → think → Street
Lady Annabel started her affair with James Goldsmith in 1964 when he was still married to his second wife.
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he → start → wife
She was persuaded to be unfaithful to Birley after learning of his infidelities.
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She → persuade → infidelities
When she spent her first night with Sir James at the Ritz, she recalled how she wore an undergarment called a Merry Widow which she likened to 'a sort of corset, bra and suspenders all in one'.
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she → spend → one
She crammed it into her evening bag when she went home, only for it to fall out in as she fumbled for her car keys in the hotel lobby, where it landed 'with a great clang of suspenders on the marble floor in full view of the night porter'.
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it → cram → porter
Lady Annabel's son Robin was aged 12 when he was savagely mauled by a pregnant tigress while they were on a visit to Mr Aspinall's zoo at Howletts in Kent, in 1970.
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they → maul → 1970
Lady Annabel Goldsmith and Princess Alexandra attend the funeral of Lady Annabel's first husband, Mark Birley, in 2007
Lady Annabel and her daughter Jemima attend the Royal Parks Foundation Summer Party in 2007
Robin's life was saved by the prompt intervention of Mr Aspinall and his wife, but his horrific injuries left him disfigured.
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injuries → attend → him
Lady Annabel, who had allowed him to go into the animal's enclosure, was racked with guilt.
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him → allow → guilt
Lady Annabel and Birley separated in 1972 and divorced in 1975.
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Annabel → separate → 1975
…and 11 more, not listed.
