ɹˈɑːbɚtsən wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn mˈæntʃɛstɚ, ˈɪŋɡlənd, ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi, tə ðə dʒˈɜːnəlˌɪst fˈaɪf ɹˈɑːbɚtsən ænd hɪz wˈaɪf ᵻlˈɪzəbəθ bˈɛɾi; nˈeɪ mjˈʊɹ.
Robertson was born in Manchester, England, in 1930, to the journalist Fyfe Robertson and his wife Elizabeth (Betty; née Muir).