Elizabeth Taylor had first met British actor Michael Wilding – a man 20 years her senior – in 1948 while filming The Conspirator in England, and their relationship began when she returned to film Ivanhoe in 1951. Taylor found their age gap appealing, as she wanted “the calm and quiet and security of friendship” from their relationship.
Taylor married Wilding, her second husband at that time, in a low-key ceremony at Caxton Hall in London on February 21, 1952. Wilding hoped that the marriage would aid his career in Hollywood.
They had two sons: Michael Howard (b. 1953), and Christopher Edward (b. 1955). As Taylor grew older and more confident in herself, she began to drift apart from Wilding, whose failing career was also a source of marital strife.
When she was away filming Giant in 1955, gossip magazine Confidential caused a scandal by claiming that he had entertained strippers at their home.
Taylor and Wilding announced their separation in the summer of 1956, and were divorced in 1957.
These vintage pics captured moments of Elizabeth Taylor and her eldest son Michael Wilding Jr. out for a walk in London on September 1, 1969.
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