Socialite Lady Annabel Goldsmith has died at the age of 91. The aristocrat became a defining figure of London's swinging sixties and gave her name to one of the capital's most glamorous nightclubs.
Annabel's nightclub in Mayfair was named after her by first husband Mark Birley when he opened it in 1963. The venue remains one of London's most exclusive establishments, attracting celebrities, royalty and the social elite for over six decades.
Lady Annabel once described the nightclub's atmosphere: "The dance floor was one of the hottest six-foot-square pieces of ground in London. I don't remember seeing it empty. Everyone from the Kennedys to the Royal Family came, and I once found myself standing next to Frank Sinatra without realising it."
Royal connections and Diana friendship
Lady Annabel was the youngest daughter of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry. Queen Elizabeth II attended Lady Annabel's "coming out" ball in 1952, and she later developed a close friendship with Princess Diana that lasted until the Princess's death in 1997.
Lady Annabel revealed Diana's final words to her about marriage to Dodi Fayed just days before the fatal Paris car crash. Diana said she needed marriage "like a rash on my face" when asked if she planned to elope with Fayed.
"She might have been having a wonderful time with him, I'm sure, but I thought her remark that she needed marriage like a rash meant that she was not serious about it," Lady Annabel told an inquest in 2007. According to Daily Mail, Queen Elizabeth II even visited the nightclub in 2003.
Family life and tragedies
Lady Annabel married Mark Birley in 1954 and had three children: Rupert, Robin and India Jane. She later had an affair with financier Sir James Goldsmith, whom she married in 1978 after divorcing Birley.
Her second marriage produced three more children: Jemima Goldsmith, now a prominent journalist and film producer, Zac Goldsmith, the former Conservative MP for Richmond Park, and Ben Goldsmith. The family faced tragedy when her son Rupert disappeared off the coast of Togo in 1986 and was presumed drowned.
Daily Mail reports that her son Zac married Hum Fleming just last month, with Lady Annabel in attendance. The family also mourned the loss of granddaughter Iris Goldsmith, who died in a farm accident in 2019 at age 15, according to Daily Mail.
Legacy and social standing
Lady Annabel once described herself as "an incredible mother, rather a good mistress, but not a very good wife." She published her memoir "Annabel: An Unconventional Life" in 2004, detailing her extraordinary journey through British high society.
The Standard reports she was known for hosting annual parties at Ormeley Lodge that brought together the society elite. Her children described themselves as "desperately saddened" by her death.
Sources used: "Mirror", "Daily Mail", "The Standard", "Daily Record" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
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