Annabel Goldsmith, a towering figure in British high society, whose name became synonymous with London’s glamorous nightlife through the exclusive club Annabel’s, died peacefully in her sleep on October 18 at a London hospital. She was 91 years old.
Her daughter, Jemima Khan, shared the news of her mother’s passing on social media, honoring a life that spanned nearly a century of British history and cultural evolution.
The legendary Annabel’s nightclub, nestled in London’s upscale Mayfair district, was founded in 1963 by her first husband, Mark Birley, and named in her honor. It swiftly became the quintessential destination for the elite, a place where one simply had to be seen. Even after its sale in 2007 for over 90 million pounds (more than $200 million today) and its subsequent relocation nearby, Annabel’s remains one of the city’s most coveted and exclusive nightspots.
Reflecting on its origins in her 2004 memoir, Ms. Goldsmith wrote, “Although I have never particularly liked the name myself, Mark thought it was a good one for a club. I look back on his decision with pride and consider it the most tremendous compliment he could ever have paid me.”
Through the decades, Annabel’s was a magnet for royalty and a constellation of global celebrities, from Frank Sinatra and Kate Moss to Harry Styles. In a legendary, and reportedly solitary, instance, even Queen Elizabeth II made a rare appearance at a nightclub, walking through its doors alongside Ms. Goldsmith.
Annabel’s emerged at a pivotal moment in London’s history, as the city shed its post-war austerity and began to “dazzle with a new and magnetic color,” a vibrancy Ms. Goldsmith herself embodied, as she penned in her memoir.
Despite her prominent presence at the club, Ms. Goldsmith was not naturally drawn to late nights, admitting, “I have never been very good at late nights.” Nevertheless, her formidable character, keen sense of humor, innate ability to host unforgettable parties, and noble lineage solidified her status as a high-society ‘it girl,’ as described by The Telegraph.
Born Annabel Vane‐Tempest‐Stewart on June 11, 1934, in London, she was the second child of Robin, Viscount Castlereagh, and Romaine (Combe) Vane-Tempest-Stewart. The elevation of her father to the eighth Marquess of Londonderry in 1949 bestowed upon the teenage Annabel the title of lady. She received her education at Southover Manor, a girls’ boarding school, followed by Cuffy’s Tutorial College in Oxford. Tragically, both her parents passed away during her young adulthood; her mother from mouth cancer and her father due to the effects of alcoholism.
Annabel’s personal life, often tumultuous, frequently made headlines in the British tabloids.
In 1954, just shy of her 20th birthday, she married Mark Birley, the son of a renowned society portrait painter. She later recounted how they drifted apart “almost imperceptibly,” with Mr. Birley dedicating himself entirely to Annabel’s while she focused on raising their children.
Their marriage was further complicated by infidelity on both sides. In the mid-1960s, while still married to Mr. Birley, she began an affair with James Goldsmith, a flamboyant British-French financier, who was also married at the time.
She and James Goldsmith eventually had three children, two of whom were born while she was still married to her first husband. She later revealed that she and Mr. Birley “discreetly divorced” following the birth of her son, Zac Goldsmith. Although neither she nor James initially wished to remarry, they tied the knot in 1978 to legitimize their children, though by then, James had fallen in love with someone else. A few years later, he moved to the United States, leaving Annabel and the children in Britain.
In 1994, James Goldsmith founded a short-lived political party advocating for a referendum on Britain’s relationship with the European Union. Following his death in 1997, Ms. Goldsmith passionately continued to champion his cause, even funding a campaign against pro-European candidates in the 2001 general elections. “I feel I owe it to Jimmy to carry on where he was forced to leave off,” she told The Telegraph.
Ms. Goldsmith also endured profound personal tragedies. In 1970, her younger son from her first marriage, Robin, suffered severe injuries from a tiger mauling at a zoo. Later, in 1986, her elder son with Mr. Birley, Rupert, vanished while swimming off the coast of Africa and was presumed drowned.
“It was worse than my parents dying,” Ms. Goldsmith confided to The Guardian. “But I said to myself: ‘I have six children. I’ve lost one. I have to be strong for the rest of them.’”
Nicky Haslam, a long-standing friend and interior designer, observed that while Ms. Goldsmith exuded a certain joyfulness, “you could tell there was an underlying line of tragedy that could not leave her.” He added, “People all think about her as this sort of party girl, but she was more than that: She had a wonderful memory for poetry and things like that, which she very rarely displayed.”
Among her closest confidantes was Diana, Princess of Wales, who frequently found security and refuge at Ms. Goldsmith’s home in the Richmond area of London during the final years of her life. “I was aware that she came as much for the security and refuge that she found in the place as for the company of my family,” Ms. Goldsmith wrote. “I think she did regard me as something of a surrogate mother.”
Annabel Goldsmith is survived by two children from her first marriage, Robin and India Jane Birley; three children from her second marriage, Jemima Khan, Zac Goldsmith and Ben Goldsmith; and 18 grandchildren.
Beyond her 2004 memoir, “Annabel: An Unconventional Life,” and “No Invitation Required” (2009), Ms. Goldsmith authored several other books, including “Copper: A Dog’s Life” (2006), a tribute to one of her many beloved dogs, and “The Pelham Cottage Years” (2009), recounting her early life with Mr. Birley.
Until the very end, Ms. Goldsmith maintained her tradition of hosting an annual summer party, renowned for its perfectly curated guest list. As her friend, writer Taki Theodoracopulos, reminisced, “The better kind of journalists, aristos, writers, a lot of bad boys, a lot of naughty girls. It was perfect.”