Cruising The Past Cruise News Elizabeth Taylor sailed Trans-Atlantic many times. These are photos of her voyages aboard Cunard Line.
1950: Aboard the Queen Mary… Newlyweds Elizabeth Taylor and hotel heir Conrad “Nick” Hilton Jr. set a course for romance when the Queen Mary set sail on May 24, 1950, 18 days after the couple said “I do” at the Church of The Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. Her 5-carat diamond engagement ring and platinum-and-diamond wedding band sparkling in the light as she waved good-bye, the honeymooners headed out on a 14-week excursion which would take them to Monte Carlo, Cannes and Cap d’Antibes, according to Kitty Kelly, the author of Elizabeth Taylor: The Last Star. While the newly dubbed Mrs. Hilton may have felt, like so many other just-married lovebirds, as though she and her husband were the only two on board, the luxury liner’s passenger list also contained the names of another twosome whose wedding caused a media frenzy in 1937– the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
1964: Aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth… Richard Burton (1925-1984) with his wife, the screen actress Elizabeth Taylor, waiting to board the liner, ‘Queen Elizabeth’ at New York. (Photo by William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images)
1968: Aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth… Actress Elizabeth Taylor boards a train at London’s Waterloo Station bound for Southampton, where she will catch the transatlantic cruise liner Queen Elizabeth. She is recovering from a recent partial hysterectomy operation and is accompanied by her husband Richard Burton (1925 – 1984) and his daughter Kate. (Photo by Ted West/Central Press/Getty Images)
ELIZABETH TAYLOR (1932-2011)
Screen legend and social activist Elizabeth Taylor died early Wednesday morning, a rep for the actress announced. She was 79.
The actress died peacefully at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, Calif. surrounded by her children Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton. In addition to her children, Taylor is survived by 10 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
She had been hospitalized six weeks ago with congestive heart failure, a condition with which she had struggled for some years. Though she had recently suffered a number of complications, her condition had stabilized and hoped existed that she would be able to return home.
“My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love. Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world,” son Michael Wilding said in a statement.
“Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished,” the statement continued. “We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”
Taylor’s close friend Elton John also issued a statement on Wednesday.
“We have just lost a Hollywood giant; more importantly, we have lost an incredible human being,” Elton John said:
Some of Taylor’s notable screen credits include “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and “Giant.” During her career she was nominated for five Academy Awards and took home the Oscar for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” and “Butterfield 8.”
A private family funeral will be held later this week. The Taylor family is asking fans, in lieu of flowers, that contributions be made to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Fans can also leave messages for Taylor’s family on her Facebook account, HERE.
