For a man who has spent decades trekking through swamps and dangling from helicopters, his home life sounds almost refreshingly normal. He and Jane raised their children in a modest house in Richmond, London, far from the glare of publicity. David has often said that his wife managed the home front, allowing him to be away for months at a time on location.
This arrangement came with a particular brand of parental guilt. He admits in interviews that he missed a lot of school plays and parent-teacher evenings, but he also notes that his children understood the importance of his work. They didn’t just have a dad; they had a dad who was trying to save the world’s coral reefs.
Interestingly, neither of his children followed directly into his footsteps as a wildlife presenter. Robert Attenborough is a senior lecturer in biological anthropology at the Australian National University, a respectable academic path. Susan is a former primary school teacher, firmly rooted in the practical world of education.
Fun Fact: The Postcard Collection
Because of his constant travel, David developed a unique form of communication with his kids. He sent them hundreds of illustrated postcards from every corner of the globe, often drawing little cartoons of the animals he had just filmed. Imagine getting a hand-drawn pangolin from Borneo in your morning mail!
This is a brilliant, low-tech life hack for any parent who travels for work. It turns absence into a tangible collection of adventure. Try keeping a stack of blank postcards in your bag next time you are on a trip—even a business trip to Chicago—and send something visual home.
Who are Sir David Attenborough's children Robert and Susan? | Metro News
