Millionaire financier Ben Goldsmith has tweeted a heartbreaking message asking god for his "little girl back" after she died in a quadbike crash on the family farm.
Ambulance crews were called to the Goldsmiths' home in the Somerset village of North Brewham on Monday afternoon (local time) after Mr Goldsmith's eldest daughter Iris Annabel, 15, was involved in a crash, the Daily Mail reports.
Goldsmith tweeted today: "Dear God, please can I have my beautiful, brilliant, kind little girl back, please God. And if not, please take extra special care of her. I love her so so much and I'm so proud of her. It hurts me so much I can't describe."
Dear God, please can I have my beautiful, brilliant, kind little girl back, please God. And if not, please take extra special care of her. I love her so so much and I’m so proud of her. It hurts me so much I can’t describe. pic.twitter.com/HfRlvDB1e8
— Ben Goldsmith (@BenGoldsmith) July 11, 2019
He and his ex-wife were left "devastated" by the death of their "beautiful, charming, intelligent" teenage daughter in the "quad bike" accident.
Locals in the quiet village told of their shock as the high-profile family comes to terms with the teenager's death, who is the daughter of heiress Kate Rothschild.
Kate, 37, was staying at the country estate when the accident happened and her ex-husband Ben, 38, was playing in a cricket match in Surrey at the time.
A family friend told the Mail: 'This is the most awful accident. Iris was a complete firecracker – an absolute delight. Everyone in the family loved her to bits.
"She was beautiful, charming, intelligent, wonderful company and absolutely the loveliest person you could meet.
"Ben and Kate are completely devastated. They are numbed to their core and united in their grief.
"Iris captured the charm of Ben and the sense of Bohemian charisma of Kate. All the family are rallying round Ben and Kate."
Ben was playing a cricket match when he received the call about the accident.
He had entered his own team at a private match held at Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey, and rushed back to Somerset to see Iris in hospital.
He told fellow players that she had been involved in a collision, but at that stage her injuries were not believed to have been life-threatening.
The game was abandoned when Ben sped away from the match with his two elder sons Frankie, 13, and 11-year-old Isaac.
Kalim Khan, who was playing, told MailOnline: "We were in the field and Ben's team was batting when he got a call to say that something was wrong.
"Two guys came onto the wicket to say that something serious had happened and Ben had to leave.
"His two sons were with him and half the team were his family and friends so we took the decision to abandon the game.
"We were told at the time the accident wasn't serious and that it wasn't a life-threatening situation. We were told that his daughter was ok, but that she needed to go to hospital."
Mr Khan went on: "Ben was on the phone constantly. Even when he got into the car he was on the phone to someone.
"We were told she would be fine, but that he had to go. He looked worried, obviously. He seemed concerned as any parent would be, but he wasn't panicking at that stage.
"It absolutely devastating what has happened to Ben and we are all thinking about him and his family."
The vehicle Iris was riding with a friend is described as a "ranger vehicle" - an all-terrain buggy with a roll-cage that resembles a cross between a quadbike and a small Jeep.
A spokesman for Avon & Somerset Police confirmed: "We were called at about 3.15pm on Monday July 8 to a farm in the North Brewham area following the sudden death of a teenage girl.
"The girl's death is not being treated as suspicious and officers are now carrying out enquiries on behalf of the coroner."
The South Western Ambulance Service said it had sent an air ambulance crew, a critical care team, a land ambulance crew and two more paramedics to the incident on Monday.
Iris was the first child of environmentalist and finance boss Ben and his former wife Kate who are understood to have a joint fortune of over £300million.
The two families are worth billions of dollars.
The former couple also has two sons; Frank and Isaac.
They separated in 2012 when Kate began a relationship with U.S rapper Jay Electronica.
Miss Goldsmith was studying at Wycombe Abbey, a £12,980-a-term independent girls' boarding school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, consistently ranked as the top all-girls school nationally in academic results.
A conscientious and popular pupil, she had just completed her first year of studying for GCSEs, and was just starting the summer break at her father's farm when the accident took place.