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Meet David Attenborough's children: Robert, Susan, and his grandchildren

TUKO Wire source Wednesday, August 19, 2026

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Meet David Attenborough's children: Robert, Susan, and his grandchildren — Education · The Horizon Wire

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David Attenborough's children are Robert and Susan Attenborough, both born to Sir David and his late wife, Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel. Jane passed away in February 1997 after suffering a brain haemorrhage, leaving David a widower at the age of 70. He never remarried. Despite growing up in the shadow of one of Britain's most famous names, both children have lived deliberately private lives — while still following their father's passion for knowledge and education.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

- Robert Attenborough, born August 1951, is a bioanthropologist and Senior Fellow at the University of Cambridge.

- Susan Attenborough is a former primary school headteacher who now works closely with her father.

- Their mother, Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel, died on 16 February 1997, aged 70, from a brain haemorrhage.

- David and Jane were married for 47 years, having wed in 1950.

- Sir David turned 100 years old in May 2026 and has two grandchildren.

Profile summary

Sir David Attenborough | Robert Attenborough | Susan Attenborough | |

Full name | David Frederick Attenborough | Robert Attenborough | Susan Attenborough |

Born | 8 May 1926 | August 1951 | Not publicly known |

Nationality | British | British | British |

Occupation | Broadcaster, naturalist, author | Bioanthropologist, academic | Former headteacher; personal assistant to David |

Spouse | Jane Ebsworth Oriel (m. 1950–1997) | Not publicly known | Not publicly known |

Children | Robert, Susan | Not publicly known | Not publicly known |

Who are David Attenborough's children?

Susan Attenborough and Robert Attenborough are the children of David Attenborough and his late wife, Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel. Both children prefer to stay out of the spotlight, opting to keep their lives private.

Growing up, David was sometimes an absent father as his career took him all over the globe, something he would later reflect on. In 2017, he told the Radio Times:

"If I do have regrets, it is that when my children were the same age as your children, I was away for three months at a time."

Despite that absence, both children followed in their father's footsteps — with Robert becoming a teacher in bioanthropology while Susan now works alongside her dad.

Robert Attenborough: the quiet academic

Born in August 1951, Robert has lived almost his entire life outside the public eye, building a respected scholarly career at two of the world's leading universities while his father became a global icon of natural history broadcasting.

The University of Cambridge lists him as a Senior Fellow at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, while the Australian National University lists him as an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the College of Arts and Social Sciences.

His research centres on human population biology and health, with particular emphasis on New Guinea populations, alongside evolutionary and behavioural anthropology. Rather than embracing the spotlight, he has focused on research, teaching, and fieldwork, particularly in regions like Papua New Guinea, where his work has had lasting academic impact.

David gave Robert a glimpse of the natural world early on. In an interview with The Times, he recalled gifting his son a pet salamander for his birthday:

"My son looked at that with his eyes coming out of his head — as did I."

Robert keeps personal details about marriage or children entirely private.

Susan Attenborough: close to home

Susan is a former primary school headteacher, but now works closely with her father. She occupies a role that had previously been filled by her late mother, often stopping in with her father and helping him with his shopping.

Speaking in 2009, David said Susan would come and "muck him out," including cooking shepherd's pies for her father.

According to Susan's IMDb profile, she has been credited on two documentaries — David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet and Life on Air: David Attenborough's 50 Years in Television — receiving a special thanks credit on both.

What happened to David Attenborough's wife?

David Attenborough and his late wife Jane met in the 1940s and tied the knot at St Anne's Church on Kew Green in 1950. Jane was a native of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.

While working on The Life of Birds in New Zealand in 1997, David was alerted that Jane, then 70, had suffered a brain haemorrhage and fallen into a coma. He returned immediately and was at her bedside when she passed away.

Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel passed away on 16 February 1997, aged 70. In his 2010 memoir Life on Air, David wrote of their final moments:

"The focus of my life, the anchor, had gone… Now I was lost."

Why did David Attenborough never remarry?

David has remained in the Richmond home he and Jane built together. When asked why he never left, he told the Daily Mail:

"This house is all bound up with her. I feel her here as much as anywhere."

Overcome by grief, David threw himself further into his work. In 2009, he told The Express, "I coped by working. It was the most fantastic luck that I was able to work."

Although he is quite guarded about his personal life, Sir David — who has two grandchildren — has previously admitted that he worries he will become a burden, saying, "I'm scared of becoming an appalling encumbrance on my children."

David Attenborough's grandchildren

Details about David Attenborough's grandchildren are not in the public domain. Sir David is known to have two grandchildren, though he remains guarded about his personal life. Both Robert and Susan keep personal details about their own families entirely private.