Gary Goldsmith and Julie-Ann Brown attend the UK Premiere of 'The Frozen Ground', 2013. Photo / Getty
Gary Goldsmith and Julie-Ann Brown attend the UK Premiere of 'The Frozen Ground', 2013. Photo / Getty
The uncle of the Duchess of Cambridge, Gary Goldsmith, has been charged with assaulting his wife after an argument early yesterday morning.
The couple had recently returned from a night out at a private members' club when Julie-Ann Goldsmith, 47, was found injured outside of the London home the couple share.
Mr Goldsmith, 52, had punched her in the eye with his left fist and left his wife unconscious after she struck her head on the pavement, The Sun reported.
Mrs Goldsmith was taken by ambulance to hospital to be treated for her injuries and has since been discharged, reports Daily Mail.
It was reported that the couple had left a charity auction at Home House, an exclusive private members' club in central London, but began arguing as they shared a taxi back to their Marylebone home, where flats sell for millions of pounds.
It also emerged that the couple had begun arguing after Mrs Goldsmith confronted her husband about his alleged cocaine use.
"He was screaming and swearing at her and she slapped him round the face and his glasses fell off. It kicked off as they tried to unlock door," Daniel Shepherd, a taxi driver, told the Sun.
"He then turned and hit her in the face with a left hook. She fell and cracked her head on the pavement."
Mr Shepherd claimed that the argument, which was allegedly fuelled by alcohol, was sparked when Mrs Goldsmith complained that she hadn't seen her husband for a week while he had been using drugs with friends.
"They seemed to have had a good drink and she was upset with him and saying, 'I haven't seen my husband for a week and you go and leave me to do cocaine with your business buddies'," he added.
"She said, 'Do you think I'm stupid'? He started yelling at her and saying, 'You're a dirty whore'.
"He was being rude to me as well and boasting of spending £100 (NZD $185) a day on cabs. I pulled up at their home, she got out and he paid the fare.
"He then got out and started taking over from her to unlock the front door. That's when it kicked off.
"She slapped him before he appeared to punch her. I jumped out of the cab and said, 'You can't do that'. I started ringing 999 and he began taking pictures of my cab - saying, 'I'm going to report you'."
Mr Goldsmith, who has previously been exposed for bragging about his connections to the Royal Family, was married three times before his current wife, whom he married in 2012.
He is the brother of Carole Middleton and uncle to the Duchess of Cambridge and has previously earned the reputation of "black sheep" of the family.
The incident occurred at around 1.30am on Friday morning, the Times reported - Mr Goldsmith was held in custody yesterday for questioning, but was charged last night has now been bailed to appear in front of magistrates, later this month.
Prince William The Duke of Cambridge and Catherine The Duchess of Cambridge. Photo / AP
It was reported that the couple had left a charity auction at Home House, an exclusive private members' club in central London, but began arguing as they shared a taxi back to their Marylebone home, where flats sell for prices in the millions of pounds.
"She started crying and said, 'Call the police, call the police'. I did. The police came. He got arrested. They wanted lots of details. I had to give reports," he added.
"It ended in total mayhem. I have restrained a member of the royal family. Two hundred years ago I'd have been beheaded for that."
He admitted that he initially did not know who the couple involved in the incident were and that '" only knew that after. They [the police] said, 'That's the uncle'."
According to reports, Mr Goldsmith was in custody until 6pm, yesterday. He was charged last night with assault by beating and a police spokesman had told the Sun that the decision whether to charge Mr Goldsmith or not over the incident would depend on the "willingness or not" of the complainant.
Mrs Goldsmith was seen yesterday walking two Chihuahuas in Regent's Park yesterday, but did not "want to talk about what happened".
She has previously been convicted of fraud when she stole £250,000 (NZD $464,676) from a luxury car firm she was working for in 1996.
At her trial she admitted five charges and asked for 52 similar offences to be taken into consideration, she received a suspended sentence in 1996.
A judge at Chester Crown Court ruled that the money Mrs Goldsmith had taken to buy a Rolex watch and Mercedes sports car, while working as a clerk, was down to her deprived childhood. She was born in Stockport and grew up on a council estate.
Last night a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: "Gary Goldsmith was charged on Friday, 13 October with assault by beating.
"This relates to an incident on Friday, 13 October. He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 31 October."
Gary Goldsmith attends the wedding of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews at St Mark's Church. Photo / Getty
Gary Goldsmith: How the "black sheep" of the Middleton clan created a reputation for fun
Known as the "black sheep" of the Middleton family, Gary Goldsmith has created a reputation for fun, despite a series of publicly embarrassing incidents.
In 2009 Mr Goldsmith was exposed by a tabloid newspaper, cutting lines of cocaine with a razor blade while on holiday in his villa on the Spanish party island of Ibiza, which is named the Maison de Bang Bang. He later expressed remorse over the matter.
The Maison de Bang Bang has become known for its gaudiness, with gold bathroom taps and the letters GG emblazoned on the wall. There is also a mural that read: "It's Gary's world, you just live in it."
In one, particularly embarrassing, outburst Mr Goldsmith was alleged to have boasted of his connections to the royal family and joked "I've got my own rooms, the Goldsmith Wing", a reference to having access to Buckingham Palace after his niece Kate Middleton was married to Prince William.
'I'm going to be Duke of Slough,' he is said to have added.
He was brought up on a council estate in Hounslow, West London, and started work as an IT operator before making millions with a recruitment company he floated on the stock exchange.
He has previously been estimated to be worth £30 million (NZD $55m)
Mr Goldsmith arrived for the royal wedding at Westminster Abbey, in 2011, in a blue Rolls-Royce along with his ex-wife Luan and daughter Tallulah.
His references to the guest list also caused consternation as he bragged that Tara Palmer-Tomkinson was sat in front of him, while Rowan Atkinson was next to him "and the Beckhams at 11 o'clock".
According to Mr Goldsmith, when he met Prine William in 2006, when the prince and then Miss Middleton stayed at his villa, his first words were "Oi you f***er".
