Princess Diana’s close friend Lady Annabel Goldsmith dies aged 91

Lady Annabel was a major figure in London's swinging Sixties and had her name immortalised when her husband named a nightclub in the city after her.

Annabel’s was founded in 1963 by Goldsmith’s first husband Mark Birley, and was considered the go-to spot for high society for a brief period.

She went on to have six children who themselves have had high-profile careers.

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Among them are journalist and film producer Jemima Goldsmith and Zac Goldsmith, the former Conservative MP for Richmond Park.

The children are said to be “desperately saddened” by the news, the MailOnline reports.

Away from her many high-profile marriages and well-documented social life, she is best known for her charitable work and enduring influence in British high society.

Opening up about the iconic Annabel's nightclub, she once said: "The dance floor was one of the hottest six-foot-square pieces of ground in London.

"I don't remember seeing it empty. Everyone from the Kennedys to the Royal Family came, and I once found myself standing next to Frank Sinatra without realising it."

Born Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart in 1934, she was the daughter of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry and grew up between her family's estates in England and Northern Ireland.

Throughout her life, she became an icon of high society through her style, charm and discretion.

Her marriage to financier and politician Sir James Goldsmith in 1978 saw her become connected to the world of politics.