Sir David Attenborough turns 100 on May 8. To mark the broadcaster, naturalist and national treasure’s milestone birthday, here are a selection of pictures of him you may never have seen before.
– 1950
Sir David is pictured here on his wedding day 76 years ago. He married his wife Jane at St Anne’s Church on Kew Green. She died in 2004.
Also pictured is his older brother Richard, the film actor and director, and member of the House of Lords, who died in 2014.
– 1955
Sir David visited British Guiana, now the independent country of Guyana, for one of his first programmes for the BBC – Zoo Quest. In this image, he is pictured with his son Robert and a coatimundi brought back from the country.
– 1958
A young Prince Charles and his sister Princess Anne meet Sir David and Cocky, the cockatoo brought back from his Zoo Quest expedition, at the BBC Television Studios in London.
– 1965
Sir David is pictured at London’s BBC Television Centre while he was controller of BBC Two. In the role, he oversaw the advent of colour television.
– 1966
After winning a silver medal from the Television Society for work of outstanding artistic merit as controller of BBC Two, Sir David shows the award to his wife Jane. Famous South African film actress Moira Lister is also pictured, in the centre of the photo.
1985
Sir David is shown with his wife Jane (right) and daughter Susan after he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at an investiture at Buckingham Palace.
– 1992
In 1992 a waxwork was unveiled of the naturalist at Madame Tussaud’s. His wax portrait has been updated and replaced since.
– 2006
Sir David and Richard Attenborough were made distinguished honorary fellows of the University of Leicester during a ceremony at De Montfart Hall in 2006. The brothers grew up in the East Midlands city.
– 2008
The late Queen smiles as Sir David gives a Christmas Lecture at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in London.
2012
Sir David smiles with a south-east Asian Great Mormon Butterfly on his nose after he launched the Big Butterfly count at London Zoo in Regent’s Park.
– 2013
Sir David talks to the Princess of Wales, who was then Duchess of Cambridge, prior to the screening of David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive 3D, at the Natural History Museum, in central London.
– 2020
The naturalist looks through a telescope in JMW Turner’s bedroom during the opening of the Turner And The Thames exhibition at Turner’s House in Twickenham, south-west London.
Later that year, Sir David was pictured sitting beside the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the launch of the Cop26 UN Climate Summit.
– 2021
The naturalist was pictured wearing a mask as he attended the premiere of the nature documentary Green Planet at a cinema in Glasgow during the Covid pandemic.
– 2024
Sir David during the unveiling of a portrait by Jonathan Yeo at a private ceremony at the Royal Society in London.
