Being the child of a celebrity can be challenge but being the grandchild? Well that sounds kind of ideal. Elizabeth Carson, who's mother is Maria Burton, Taylor and Richard Burton's only child, spoke lovingly about her grandmother and the surprisingly normal things they did together.
When Carson was 17, she lived with Taylor at the iconic actress's Bel Air estate with fluffy wall-to-wall white rugs and a Warhol of Taylor herself on the wall. It was in 2001, right after she'd finished high school. "My grandmother and I went to the Dominican Republic for a couple of weeks and we both didn't want to say goodbye, so I spent the whole summer with her," said Carson at a recent event celebrating the 25th anniversary of Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamonds, one of the most successful scents of all time.
Taylor also played a crucial role in that most fundamental of high school rituals, the prom. "For my Junior and Senior prom, she did my hair and makeup," she said. "Once, while we were discussing makeup, I told her we should go to Sephora, which turned out to be a terrible idea. We had fun for the first 15 minutes, but then she was recognized, and we quickly had to be escorted out."
While many of us may had memorable prom experiences, Carson's trump all. "For my junior and senior prom, she did my hair and makeup," she said. "Once, while we were discussing makeup, I told her we should go to Sephora, which turned out to be a terrible idea. We had fun for the first 15 minutes, but then she was recognized and we quickly had to be escorted out."
We couldn't help but ask if Carson had a favorite keepsake of her grandmother's. "Jewelry," she said. "She was so generous. I was on my way out to a New Year's Eve party and she said, 'No, no, no, take off what you have on right now! You're wearing these.' They were these beautiful, huge chandelier earrings from India with rose quartz, diamonds, and pearls. I will absolutely keep them for the rest of my life. They're a little heavy, so I have to figure out another way of hooking them on."
And the part of her Grandmother's legacy that is most dear? "Her humanitarian side," said Carson, who also goes by Eliza. "She always stood up for what was right. I work for the Department of Child Protection in Manhattan. I'm doing social work. And I'm also an Ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, along with my cousins."
Carson seems to be doing an excellent job of living up to her famous name.
For more, read: A Passionate Love: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Through the Years
