Upon the outbreak of World War II, Edith took Southgate and his elder sister Jean to Northampton.
After the war he attended primary school in Kingston upon Thames, and his family relocated to Epsom when he was a teenager.
[1] Southgate trained as an actuary at National Provident Institution, in a period he later described as the worst two and a half years of his life.
In a press conference in the role he said, "I don't want to sit next to somebody with a singlet, smelly shorts and a pair of trainers when I go to the opera".
Nevertheless, he solved the management issues at the Opera House, sorted out the finances, and completed the renovations with a gala attended by the Queen and Tony Blair.