Duchess Kate’s uncle Gary is arrested for ‘punching his wife unconscious’

Gary Goldsmith - the uncle of the Duchess Of Cambridge and Pippa Middleton - has been charged with assaulting his wife, Julie-Ann.

During the row, which took place on Friday morning, Ms Goldsmith was knocked unconscious outside the couple's upmarket London home in Marylebone. The Sun reports that Julie-Ann was struck in the face by her husband; she then fell to the pavement and hit her head, causing her to lose consciousness. She was taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment, but has since been discharged.

The pair had been socialising at a private members' club before the assault took place.

The Sun quotes a taxi driver who witnessed the incident and who revealed: "He was screaming and swearing at her and she slapped him round the face and his glasses fell off."

He added: "He then turned and hit her in the face with a left hook. She fell and cracked her head on the pavement."

The driver also claimed that Julie-Ann said she was upset that she hadn't seen her husband for "a week." She went on to state that Gary had been doing cocaine with "his business buddies". Gary and Julie-Ann married in 2012; she is his third wife. Mr Goldsmith is the brother of Carole Middleton - the mother of Kate, Pippa, and James.

That's holiday sorted for @cheechkeela & I pic.twitter.com/xLkLIYuXHv

— Gary Goldsmith (@garygoldsmith65) October 12, 2017

Gary is considered to be something of a black-sheep of the family and although he was invited to Pippa's high-profile wedding ceremony to James Matthews during the summer, he was not invited to return to the sprawling Middleton abode for the reception.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed: "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."