Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel was her own, a successful individual who worked as a broadcaster and nature Historian. However, her greater claim to fame was as the wife of David Attenborough who is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian, and author.
The pair got married in 1950 and remained together until close to 5 decades later when she died, leaving behind her husband and kids. Many years after her death, Jane has still remained a well-known name who draws the interest of many thanks to her achievements in life as well as her marriage.
Biography of Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel
It was on 11 July 1926 that Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales in the United Kingdom.
Although many details about her childhood have remained hidden from the public domain, it is known that after high school, she went to Cambridge University where she obtained a degree.
She would later have a career as a broadcaster but she left her work to take care of their kids considering the nature of her husband’s work which kept him always away from home.
She Became David Attenborough’s Wife In 1950
The beautiful story of Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel as David Attenborough’s wife began before the 1950s when they started dating. Unfortunately, it is not clear how they met and became lovers.
What is clear, however, is that they got married on 17 February 1950 in a very beautiful ceremony. When they got married, Oriel was only 23 years old while her husband was 24.
The fact that they were very young at the time was not to become a problem for them as they found a way of sticking together and starting a family not long after that. They remained together until the death of Oriel many years later.
Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel And David Attenborough Had 2 Kids
The marriage between Oriel and David was not just a blessed one, it was also one that was blessed with two wonderful children. The couple had their first child, Susan Attenborough followed by their son, Robert Attenborough.
The actual date of birth of the two children has not been revealed but it is known that they are over 60 years old. While Robert is said to be a senior lecturer and university professor, his older sister was said to have once worked as a school headmistress.
While they were growing up, there were some important moments in their lives when their father was absent because of the nature of his work. Sir David once revealed that at the time when his kids were aged six to eight, he was not very stable, sometimes missing as much as 3 months. Fortunately, he had a very supportive wife who filled in for him.
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She Died At The Age Of 70
47 years after the pair got married, Oriel lost her life in 1997. 70 years old at the time, Oriel suffered a brain hemorrhage which left her with little chance of survival.
When the tragic incident happened, her husband was away in New Zealand where he was filming the documentary which later won a Peabody Award in 1999, The Life of The Birds in New Zealand. He rushed back home to be by her side when he received the shocking news.
Unfortunately, Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel did not recover from the condition as she passed away shortly after her husband arrived.
The death of Oriel left her husband and kids devasted. According to David, the death of his wife was difficult for him; he is able to cope with the loss by always getting himself lost in his work.
