Relationships — February 2023

Hidden Files: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s Love Letters from Elizabeth’s First Authorized Biography

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s story is best told in their own words. With the release of Elizabeth’s first authorized biography, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org, which includes archived letters and journal entries from the larger-than-life couple, we get an intimate view into a relationship that rocked the globe.

“Dearest Elizabeth,

You asked me to write you the truth about us…Prometheus was punished by the gods forever and is still suffering in all of us for inventing fire and stealing it from the gods. I am forever punished by the gods for being given the fire and trying to put it out. The fire, of course, is you. I cannot put you out…you will always be like some ineradicable, ineluctable, sulfur in my inadequate and vulnerable hands.” - A love letter from Richard Burton found in chapter 11 of Crazy, Stupid Love from Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of an Icon

Elizabeth Taylor loved love and reveled in romance. Her passionate affair with her fifth husband Richard Burton was one that set the world on fire with its spark. Married twice because they couldn’t stand to be apart even when they tried, Elizabeth and Richard’s love was like one long Valentine’s Day filled to the brim with extravagant gifts and notes from the heart. Of course, they were far from perfect, but they chose each other repeatedly, making their story one for the ages.

“Elizabeth and Richard did not need to show the world that they were in love; everyone knew it already. Their passion was obvious.”
- Kate Andersen Brower, Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of an Icon

It’s human to want to be chosen – Elizabeth never hid her desire for heated, intense relationships, and even in platonic situations, she loved fiercely. When February rolls around and Valentine’s Day seems to be staring us in the face, we think of her pure abandonment and faith in her decisions. She was reckless with her affection and didn’t apologize for her love life. That courage is something we urge everyone to tap into around this time.

Choose yourself or choose the relationship you know you want, and don’t look back. Ms. Taylor never did. Elizabeth’s relationships may have always been under the spotlight, but not by choice. Either way, Elizabeth would love whom she wanted, however she saw fit, even if it was a crazy, stupid love.