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Lady Annabel Goldsmith, the legendary London socialite and heiress who became synonymous with the capital's "Swinging Sixties" era and lent her name to one of the world's most exclusive nightclubs, has died at the age of 91.
A family figure confirmed the passing of Lady Annabel, who died in October 2025. Her children, including former Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith and film producer Jemima Khan (née Goldsmith), are reported to be "desperately saddened" by her loss.
A Life of High Society and Royal Connections
Born Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart in 1934, she assumed the title of Lady at age 15 when her father became the 8th Marquess of Londonderry. Her debutante ball in 1952 was reportedly attended by Queen Elizabeth II.
Lady Annabel's first marriage was to Mark Birley in 1954. It was Birley who famously named his exclusive Mayfair nightclub, Annabel's, after her when it opened in 1963. The club became an institution, hosting royalty and celebrities from Frank Sinatra to the Kennedys, a period Lady Annabel once recalled: "The dance floor was one of the hottest six-foot-square pieces of ground in London." She was also a close friend and confidante of the late Princess Diana.
Her marriage to Birley produced three children: Rupert, Robin, and India Jane. Tragically, her eldest son, Rupert, vanished in West Africa in 1986 and was presumed drowned.
Lady Annabel's life took a public turn with her affair and subsequent marriage to the Anglo-French financier Sir James Goldsmith, a relationship that generated major media headlines. She married Sir James in 1978 and they had three children together: Jemima, Zac, and Ben.
The Imran Khan Connection: Ex-Mother-in-Law to a Prime Minister
Lady Annabel's family ties extend into global politics through her daughter, Jemima Khan (formerly Goldsmith). Jemima married Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan in 1995. This union made Lady Annabel the former mother-in-law of the man who would eventually serve as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022.
The couple divorced in 2004 but share two sons, Sulaiman Isa Khan (born 1996) and Kasim Khan (born 1999). The brothers, largely raised in the UK after the divorce, have recently been thrust into the political spotlight amid their father's imprisonment in Pakistan, with their mother publicly accusing the Pakistani government of blocking their access to him.
Jemima Khan: The Producer and the Faith
Jemima Khan, 51, is a prominent English TV and film producer and screenwriter, known professionally as Jemima Khan. She founded Instinct Productions and has produced critically acclaimed works such as the film What's Love Got to Do with It? and the Emmy-nominated documentary The Case Against Adnan Syed. Jemima converted to Islam before her marriage to Imran Khan in 1995, taking the name Haiqa. Her conversion was driven by personal conviction after studying the Quran and various Islamic scholars. Today, she navigates a complex cultural identity. While her sons are practising Muslims and she has a Muslim surname, she has described herself as "caught between cultures," and has not recently offered a definitive statement on whether she still actively practices Islam, though she remains respectful of the faith and her family's connection to it.
Lady Annabel Goldsmith's legacy is one of a key figure in British high society and a matriarch to a family of influential public figures in politics, media, and film. She is survived by five of her six children and numerous grandchildren.
