David Attenborough at 100: Who are his wife and children and what do they do?

David Attenborough is a household name across the UK and around the world for his nature documentaries and activism work, but less is known about his family life

By Evening Standard

• May 07, 2026 at 9:31 AM

David Attenborough at 100: Who are his wife and children and what do they do? Photo: Evening Standard

Beloved broadcaster, writer, and naturalist David Attenborough will celebrate his 100th birthday on Friday, May 8 - and he wont be doing it alone.

Across the country, events are being held to celebrate his life’s work and legacy; in London, the BBC is hosting a 90-minute special event at the Royal Albert Hall , Holborn's independent Garden Cinema is screening his 2020 documentary , people are heading to Trafalgar Square dressed as either an animal or Attenborough himself on Thursday, and more.

There will also be a slate of new shows aired on the BBC, as well as some of his best known broadcasts.

While everyone is familiar with Sir David’s work, less is known about his wife and children.

Here’s a closer look at his family and what they do.

Who is David Attenborough’s wife?

Sir David Attenborough married Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel in 1950, and they remained married until her death in 1997, at the age of 70 from a brain haemorrhage.

Jane lived a private life, but was known for her charity work for various causes.

Sir David never remarried after her death and spoke openly about the deep loss he felt when she died.

Having rushed back from working in New Zealand to be with her as she died, he returned to find her in a coma.

As described in his memoir, Sir David wrote that a doctor told him to hold her hand, which she squeezed back.

"She gave my hand a squeeze,” he remembered.

“The focus of my life, the anchor had gone...now I was lost."
Sir David would later say that he threw himself into his work to recover from the loss, saying in an interview in 2009, as reported by the Express : "I coped by working.

It was the most fantastic luck that I was able to work."
Does David Attenborough have children?

The couple had two children together, Robert and Susan.

Robert followed in his father’s scientific footsteps, becoming a senior lecturer in bioanthropology for the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra.

Susan is a former primary school headteacher, but now works closely with her father.

Both children prefer to stay out of the spotlight, opting to keep their lives private.