Early Life
Born at Westminster Hospital in London, Goldsmith is the middle child of Sir James Goldsmith and his third wife, the Anglo-Irish aristocrat, Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart. Goldsmith was raised at Ormeley Lodge in Ham with his siblings, Jemima and Ben. He has five paternal half-siblings, and is also half-brother to Robin and India Jane Birley, his mother's children from her first marriage. His maternal great-grandfather was the 7th Marquess of Londonderry, the well-known Ulster Unionist politician.
As a child, Goldsmith was an avid reader of naturalist Gerald Durrell's work and had a committed passion for Sir David Attenborough's wildlife programmes. He later recalled, " was my hero, and it was his work that made me fall in love with the natural world." His ecological interests were further nourished when his father gave him a copy of Helena Norberg-Hodge's book Ancient Futures, with a note saying, "This will change your life."
Read more about this topic: Zac Goldsmith
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