sˈaɪks ɡɹˈændfɑːðɚ, kɹˈɪstəfɚ sˈaɪks nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvən nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɪks, hˈuːm ʃiː nˈuː æz "fˈæt ɡɹˈændpɑː" ɔːɹ "ˈɛf.dʒˈiː.", wʌzɐ fɹˈɛnd ænd əfˈɪʃəl baɪˈɑːɡɹəfɚ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti fˈaɪv ʌvðə nˈɑːvɪlˌɪst ˈiːvlɪn wˈɔː ænd sˈʌn ʌvðə dˈɪpləmˌæt sˌɜː mˈɑːɹk sˈaɪks, sˈɪksθ bˈæɹənˌɛt wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti nˈaɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪntiːn, ɐsˈoʊsɪˌeɪɾᵻd wɪððə sˌoʊkˈɔːld sˈaɪks pˈiːkoʊt ɐɡɹˈiːmənt ʌv nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪkstiːn, baɪ wˌɪtʃ bɹˈɪtən ænd fɹˈæns pɹəvˈaɪdᵻd fɚðə pɑːɹtˈɪʃən ʌvðɪ ˈɑːɾəmən ˈɛmpaɪɚɹ ˈæftɚ ðɪ ˈɛnd ʌvðə fˈɜːst wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ.
Sykes' grandfather, Christopher Sykes (1907–1986), whom she knew as "Fat Grandpa" or "F.G.", was a friend and official biographer (1975) of the novelist Evelyn Waugh and son of the diplomat Sir Mark Sykes, sixth baronet (1879–1919), associated with the so-called Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916, by which Britain and France provided for the partition of the Ottoman Empire after the end of the First World War.