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Lady Annabel Goldsmith, a socialite immortalized by having a Mayfair nightclub named after her, has died aged 91.
Lady Annabel was the mother of six children, including Tory politician Zac Goldsmith and film producer jemima goldsmith,
Her first husband, hospitality entrepreneur Mark Birley, founded the private London members’ club Annabel’s in 1963. This exclusive venue was built to welcome royalty and rock stars.
Lady Annabel was the younger daughter of the eighth Marquess of Londonderry. In a statement to the BBC, her youngest child, Ben, said she was “absolutely irreplaceable”.
He added: “We are deprived, not for her – because her life has been extraordinary and perfect – but for us, for the huge void in our lives that she has left behind.”
The statement continued: “I talked to her every day for 45 years, she really supported me and we loved each other very much. I will miss her very much.”
Lady Annabel was the mother of six children, three from her first marriage and three from her second marriage to businessman Sir James Goldsmith. talking to many times In 2006, she said: “I was a practical mother and I’m a practical grandmother”, adding: “We go on holidays; I talk every day. I’m not judgmental about working women, but I was so fascinated by my children that I never wanted to let them out of my sight”.
She had Rupert, Robin and India Jane with her first husband Mr Birley, and Jemima, Zac and Ben with Sir James.
Their first marriage broke down when Lady Annabel discovered that Mr. Birley had been unfaithful, later telling Vanity Fair: “Like a butterfly, he had to charm every woman”.
But she told the magazine: “Living with a perfectionist is hard enough, but the thing is, life with Mark was fun”. She remained close to Mr Birley, with whom she spoke regularly, until his death in 2007.
She went on to become the mistress and then wife of entrepreneur Sir James Goldsmith, who had two children with his mistress Laure Boulle de la Meurthe.
Her long relationship with Sir James made her a fixture of gossip columns in the 1960s and 1970s.
She was born Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart in 1934, the second daughter of Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh.