Legendary nature broadcaster Sir David Attenborough marked his milestone 97th birthday on Monday.
The treasured historian has been one of the most easily recognised voices for several decades through his nail-biting documentaries on planet Earth and its myriad of species, The Mirror reported.
Through his own dedication, the 1926-born presenter has fostered a deep love for wildlife across many generations.
In terms of his personal life, David's has kept his own trials and tribulations of life quiet, with his deep knowledge doing all the talking.
What the public might not know is that he has had a heartbreaking loss in his life as well as having an interesting link to British royalty.
To mark his milestone birthday, we take a look at some of the lesser known elements of his personal life.
Heartbreak
David and his wife Jane Oriel wed in 1950, happily were happily married together for 47 years until she sadly died in 1997.
The Middlesex native flew back from work in New Zealand to be at Jane's side after he was informed that she was in a coma.
She died after as a result of suffering a brain haemorrhage, as Sir David held her hand.
In his memoir, he recalled: "The focus of my life, the anchor had gone… now I was lost."
He told Radio Times that you "deal with things" and that he is quite used to solitude, however, an empty house is "not what I enjoy."
"But my daughter's there. In moments of grief – deep grief – the only consolation you can find is in the natural world."
The couple brought two children into the world, a son called Robert and a daughter called Susan.
Susan lived with David after her mothers death. Robert became a senior lecturer in bioanthropology, after taking inspiration from his dad.
Susan is noted as being a former primary school headteacher.
"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," he expressed to Louis Theroux for Radio Times in an interview.
He described key moments in his children's lives as "irreplaceable."
Surprising link to Royal Family
The documentarian has a surprising link to the royals, as he was known to be a friend of the late Queen Elizabeth.
They featured together in The Queen's Green Planet in 2018.
The Queen and David were filmed walking through the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
She also gave Sir David his knighthood and he has also been given an Order of Merit, which is a personal appreciation selected by the Queen herself.
Salary and net worth
Sir David has been one of the highest-paid people at the BBC, release of public records have highlighted.
His usual annual income comes to £1.1 million, from Sky News and other worldwide media groups.
His net worth is £11,868,030, according to Celebrity Net Worth and he reportedly earned over £1.3 million last year.
READ NEXT:
The State set to oppose Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch's bid to claw back €400,000 Regency Trial legal fees
Bob Geldof says he wouldn't present Late Late Show - even if he was paid €1 million
Stardust baby to address inquest into fire tragedy that killed her parents 42 years ago
Ireland weather: Met Eireann issue Status Yellow thunderstorm warning for six areas
