Jacqueline Smith
Jacqueline Smith | |
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| Born | 22 June 1983 |
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| Alma mater | University College, Oxford (B.J., M.J., PhD) |
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| Spouse(s) | Mylo Russell (m. 2015) |
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Jacqueline "Jackie" Thomas Smith (born 22 June 1983) is an English-American broadcaster, journalist, author, and a member of the British royal family. The youngest of two illegitimate children of King Thomas and the American actress, Jaclyn Smith, Jacqueline initially spent much of her early years in the United States under her mother's care, before later moving abroad to the United Kingdom in 2001, where she furthered her education at the well-known University of Oxford, from where she eventually graduated with a PhD in 2010.
Starting in 2003, Smith began her career as a journalist, first by covering the controversial Iraq War as a BBC correspondent in the Middle East, which soon brought her international fame and recognition, which she further solidified through a series of high-profile interviews with various world leaders, during which she became known for her "uncompromising" and "pointed" interview style. In addition to this, Smith also took to extensively covering the Libyan civil wars, as well as various political crises and scandals throughout the 2010s, namely the 2015 FIFA corruption case, the News International phone hacking scandal, and the Panama Papers, among others. Eventually, after a roughly decade-long career with the BBC, Smith officially departed the organisation, citing her desire to "explore new things and opportunities after a decade of unforgettable fun and experience". Since then, Smith has come to be well-respected for her journalistic work, with many often describing her as the "successor" to the late American journalist, Barbara Walters, whom Smith herself personally idolised.
Since her departure from the BBC, Smith has come to personally host a number of travel documentaries produced by herself, including Jacqueline Smith: From Coast to Coast, The Northern Journey with Jacqueline Smith, and Rediscovered: Asia and Europe's Past Kings and Queens, all of which have been met with generally positive reviews by critics. Aside from that, she has also authored a number of best-selling books, including Deep Within The Battlefield, A Decade's Worth, and MAGA: America's Pandora Box.
In 2015, Smith married fellow BBC journalist, Mylo Russell, with whom she has two children, Thomas and Kelly. Through her mother and father respectively, Smith is the sister and half-sister of former professional footballer, William Smith and the United Kingdom's Queen Alexandra.