When and where was William Dalrymple born?
William Benedict Hamilton-Dalrymple entered the world on the 20th of March 1965 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the youngest of four sons born to Major Sir Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple and Lady Anne-Louise Keppel.
Questions about William Dalrymple
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What books did William Dalrymple write about the East India Company?
William Dalrymple wrote Return of a King which examined the First Afghan War between 1839 and 1842. The Anarchy appeared in 2019 covering events from 1739 to 1803 while The Golden Road arrived in September 2024 exploring ancient transformations of Asia, China, and Europe.
Where does William Dalrymple live now?
Most of the year is spent at his Mehrauli farmhouse outside Delhi. His first visit to Delhi occurred on the 26th of January 1984 and he began living in India intermittently starting in 1889.
Who are the famous relatives of William Dalrymple?
Through his mother's line William Dalrymple is a third cousin of Queen Camilla sharing great-great-grandparents in William Keppel the 7th Earl of Albemarle. This same lineage connects him as a great-nephew to the famous writer Virginia Woolf.
When did William Dalrymple sign an open letter calling the Gaza war a genocide?
In May 2025 William Dalrymple signed an open letter calling the Gaza war a genocide. A September 2025 article in New Statesman argued Britain held historic responsibility to help establish a Palestinian state.