Biography & Background
Full Name & Early Life
Born Sarah Rowbotham on May 27, 1948, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, she later adopted the name Sally Bedell Smith. She grew up in St. Davids and attended Radnor High School, where she was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008
Education
She earned a B.A. from Wheaton College and an M.S. from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she received the Robert Sherwood Travel‑Study Scholarship and the Woman’s Press Club of New York Award
Career & Contributions
Journalism Roots
Smith began her career as a cultural news reporter, writing for Time (1973–77), TV Guide, and The New York Times (1982–85). She joined Vanity Fair in 1996 as a contributing editor—a role she held until 2018
Television & Public Engagement
Since 2017, she’s served as an on-air royal family analyst for CNN, often offering deep context and commentary during momentous events
Awards & Honors
Sigma Delta Chi Distinguished Service Award (1982)
Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence (2012) for Elizabeth the Queen
Goodreads Choice Award (2012) in History & Biography for Elizabeth the Queen
Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters (2020) from her alma mater, Wheaton College
Served as the consultant for the acclaimed stage play The Audience (2012), written by Peter Morgan and starring Helen Mirren
Personal Life
Sally Bedell Smith lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Stephen G. Smith, and together they have three children
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