Amid speculation about the health and whereabouts of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, some royalists have tuned in to U.K. reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother to get updates from one contestant—her uncle Gary Goldsmith.
Kate underwent a “planned abdominal surgery” in January, after which Kensington Palace said she would be absent from royal duties until after Easter on March 31. However, the secrecy around the reason for the surgery has caused internet theories to proliferate.
The health questions come at a sensitive time for the royal family as Kate’s father-in-law, King Charles III, has postponed public-facing duties as he is undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer after a diagnosis in February.
Here’s what we know about Kate’s uncle, his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, and what he’s said about his niece so far.
Who is Kate Middleton’s uncle, Gary Goldsmith?
Gary Goldsmith, 58, is the younger brother of Carole Middleton, Kate’s mother.
Goldsmith was raised in humble beginnings in Hounslow, west London, the Independent reported. He left school to work in IT and joined a tech recruitment firm Computer Futures, reportedly making £17 million when he sold his shares in 2005, per ITV. He then lived a lavish lifestyle that reportedly included a property in Ibiza and an island in the Mediterranean, but he was photographed by former newspaper News of the World with what appeared to be a class A substance in 2009.
Since leaving Computer Futures, he’s held various chairman, advisor, and chief operating officer roles, according to the Evening Standard. He’s listed as the current secretary of the Recruitment Directors Lunch Club, a business leaders’ network.
Goldsmith has been married four times and pleaded guilty to assault against his fourth wife, Julie-Ann Goldsmith, during a drunken argument in 2017, the BBC reported. He was fined £5,000 (6,374) and sentenced to a 12-month community order and 20 sessions of rehabilitation.
Goldsmith joined Celebrity Big Brother in its new season, which began airing on ITV on Monday night, joining a dozen other contestants. The show will run for a total of 19 days.
“I often read that people think I’m a bit of a bad boy,” Goldsmith said in a video introducing himself for Celebrity Big Brother. “It’d be lovely to put the record straight, but winding people up is probably my favorite hobby.”
“I’m an absolute nightmare to live with,” he added. “There’s a reason I’ve had four wives.”
Women’s Aid, a charity supporting domestic violence survivors, put out a statement saying that the decision to include Goldsmith in the house “demonstrates the lack of awareness that the production team has when it comes to survivors of domestic abuse.”
What has Gary Goldsmith said about K
