William Dalrymple
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. His family tree stretches back through centuries of aristocratic history. Through his mother's line, he is a third cousin of Queen Camilla. Both share 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. The family home stood in North Berwick on the shores of the Firth of Forth. Dalrymple described his childhood there as old-fashioned and almost Edwardian. One ancestor had even married a Mughal princess, linking British nobility to Indian royalty. His brother Jock became a first-class cricketer while William pursued history at Trinity College, Cambridge.
His first book appeared in 1989 under the title In Xanadu. It chronicled travels across Central Asia and won the Yorkshire Post Best First Work Award in 1990. A second travelogue followed in 1994 called City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi. That work earned him the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and recognition as Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year. He published From the Holy Mountain in 1997 about journeys through Byzantine lands. These early works drew inspiration from writers like Robert Byron and Eric Newby. Every one of his ten books has since won literary prizes. They have been translated into more than 40 languages worldwide. His first visit to Delhi occurred on the 26th of January 1984. He began living in India intermittently starting in 1989. Most of the year is now spent at his Mehrauli farmhouse outside Delhi.
Dalrymple wrote four award-winning histories detailing the East India Company's rise. The series covers interactions between the company and peoples of India and Afghanistan from the eighteenth century onward. Return of a King examined the First Afghan War between 1839 and 1842. It was published in India in December 2012 and reached UK readers in February 2013. The book prompted briefings for both Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the White House. The Anarchy appeared in 2019 covering events from 1739 to 1803. This period saw the collapse of the Mughal imperial system and the militarization of the East India Company. The work won the 2020 Arthur Ross Bronze Medal from the US Council on Foreign Relations. Another volume titled The Golden Road arrived in September 2024. It explores how ancient India transformed Asia, China, and Europe between 250 BC and 800 AD.
He served as curator for Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi 1707, 1857 at the Asia Society in New York. That exhibition ran from February to May 2012. A catalogue co-edited with Yuthika Sharma came out through Yale University Press that same year. In 2019 he curated Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company at London's Wallace Collection. These exhibitions highlighted Company style painting and late Mughal art. He also edited Begums, Thugs & White Mughals: The Journals of Fanny Parkes in 2002. His curatorial work often accompanies his written histories. The books have been translated into more than 40 languages. He has received honorary doctorates from institutions including the University of Lucknow and the University of Edinburgh.
In 2024 Dalrymple criticized many Indian academic historians for failing to communicate with the public. He blamed this failure for the rise of what he termed WhatsApp history. The comment provoked backlash from academics who argued he overlooked structural issues. He has been critical of Israel's actions during the Gaza war since then. A 2024 interview with The Times drew comparisons between Israel's response to October 7 attacks and Britain's reaction to the Indian Rebellion of 1857. In May 2025 he 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. These positions have generated significant debate across multiple continents.
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Common questions
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.
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.