She allegedly declined the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the
British Empire) in 2000 for her services to media.
Daughter of fellow journalist Philip Toynbee, granddaughter of historian Arnold Toynbee, and great-great niece of philanthropist and economic historian Arnold Toynbee (1852-1883), after whom Toynbee Hall in the East End of London is named.