Sir David Attenborough has marked a milestone birthday as he reaches 97-years-old.
The much-loved natural historian has been a household name for decades through his fascinating documentaries on the planet.
He has dedicated his life to nature and inspired many generations to care more about the world we live in.
Yet personally, David's life has been kept out of the limelight, with his knowledge doing all the talking.
Not known to many fans is that the national treasure has suffered a heartbreaking loss in his life as well as having a surprising link to royalty.
To mark Sir David's 97th birthday, we take a look at some of the hidden parts of his personal life.
Heartbreak
David and his wife Jane Oriel married in 1950 and enjoyed 47 years together before she sadly died in 1997.
He has made little comments on Jane since her passing but shared her final moments with his fans in his memoir Life on Air.
The nature-lover flew back from a job in New Zealand to be with Jane after he found out she was in a coma.
He was there to hold her hand, but Jane died after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
Describing the moment, David said: "The focus of my life, the anchor had gone… now I was lost."
He also told the Radio Times: "You accommodate things… you deal with things. I'm quite used to solitude in the wilds but, no, 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."
Life as a dad
David and Jane welcomed two children, a son called Robert and a daughter called Susan.
Following Jane's death, Susan moved in to live with David.
Whilst their son has followed in the naturalist's footsteps by becoming a senior lecturer in bioanthropology.
Robert has worked for the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Susan has also dedicated her life to teaching future generations as she is noted as being a former primary school headteacher.
The BBC icon has previously admitted to wishing he was around more when his children were growing up.
"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 told Louis Theroux for Radio Times.
"If you have a child of six or eight and you miss three months of his or her life, it’s irreplaceable, you miss something."
Royal connection
The documentary maker has a surprising link to the royals, as he was even a friend of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
The pair both starred in a special documentary together, The Queen's Green Planet in 2018.
The programme focused on The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy initiative as it followed the Queen and David walking through the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
Her Majesty also gave Sir David his knighthood and he has also been in receipt of an Order of Merit, which is a personal appreciation chosen by the Queen herself.
His net worth
It is believed Sir David has been one of the highest-paid people at the BBC, according to its public disclosures.
His typical earnings fall in the range of £1.1 million per year, with part of that income coming from Sky News and other global media firms.
David has a net worth of $15m (£11,868,030), according to Celebrity Net Worth and he reportedly earned over £1.3 million last year.
The TV star appeared in four programmes last year including Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard, Dinosaurs: The Final Day, Attenborough's Wonder of Song for the BBC, and Global Adventure for Sky.
