Duchess’s uncle charged with assault on his wife
THE Duchess of Cambridge’s uncle Gary Goldsmith has been charged with assaulting his wife after a night out at a London charity event.
Mr Goldsmith, 52, was arrested following a suspected domestic violence incident outside his home in Marylebone at 1.30am yesterday.
A few hours earlier he and his wife Julie-ann Goldsmith, 47, had posted pictures of themselves smiling at a charity auction at Home House, a private members’ club in central London.
Scotland Yard said last night that Mr Goldsmith, the younger brother of the Duchess’s mother, Carole Middleton, had been charged with assault by beating. He was bailed to appear at Westminster magistrates’ court on Tuesday.
The incident happened after the couple had returned home in a taxi.
Daniel Shepherd, the driver, told The Times: “They wanted to go to their house. They were arguing, saying quite rude stuff. We got to the house, he paid the fare. She was trying to open the door [of the house] so he went over.”
He added: “She started crying and said, ‘Call the police, call the police.’ I did. The police came. He got arrested. They wanted lots of details. I had to give reports.”
After the incident Mrs Goldsmith was taken to hospital in an ambulance but was later discharged. Kensington Palace declined to comment.
Mr Goldsmith was exposed in a tabloid newspaper story in 2009 in which he was shown apparently preparing cocaine at his villa in Ibiza and boasting of his connections with the Royal Family. He was not charged with any offence.
In 2011 he attended the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey. Earlier this year he attended his niece, Pippa Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews.
The auction was for the Last Night A DJ Saved My Life Foundation, a dance music industry children’s charity.
Mrs Goldsmith, formerly Julie-ann Brown, is his fourth wife. The couple were married in 2012.