All About Elizabeth Taylor’s 10 Grandchildren

The late Oscar winner was a grandmother of 10 grandkids: Laela, Naomi, Tarquin, Caleb, Andrew, Lowell, Quinn, Rhys, Eliza and Richard

NEED TO KNOW

• Elizabeth Taylor, married eight times, had four children and 10 grandchildren
• Much of her family is still involved with her nonprofit, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF)
• Taylor’s granddaughters have shared fond memories of playing dress-up in their grandmother’s closet

Elizabeth Taylor was not only an acting icon and legendary activist but also a proud grandmother of 10.

She was no stranger to a wildly publicized love life, which included seven husbands and eight marriages. Those unions resulted in four children for Taylor.

The two-time Oscar winner welcomed two children, sons Michael Wilding Jr. and Christopher Wilding, with her second husband, British actor Michael Wilding. After they divorced in January 1957, Taylor married producer Mike Todd in February of that year, with whom she shared one child, daughter Elizabeth "Liza" Todd. The actress also welcomed daughter Maria McKeown via adoption during her first marriage to Cleopatra costar Richard Burton.

Taylor's four children eventually made her a grandmother of 10. Her older son, Michael Jr., has three children from different relationships, daughters Laela and Naomi Wilding and son Tarquin Wilding, while her younger son Christopher also has three kids, sons Caleb, Andrew and Lowell Wilding. Her daughters, Liza and Maria, each have two children: Liza is a mother to two sons, Quinn and Rhys Tivey, while Maria has a daughter, Elizabeth "Eliza" Carson, and a son, Richard McKeown.

Her grandchildren have fond memories of their grandmother, who died of congestive heart failure at age 79 on March 23, 2011. They loved visiting Taylor in Los Angeles and playing dress-up in her enviable closet, but it was her passion for HIV/AIDS advocacy that stuck with them. In fact, much of her family remains involved with her nonprofit, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF).

"Her heart was huge," Laela told PEOPLE in February 2016. "She had such a huge impact with her activism, and she was so full of life and love. She made a big impact on us."

Here's everything to know about Taylor's 10 grandchildren: Laela, Naomi, Tarquin, Caleb, Andrew, Lowell, Quinn, Rhys, Eliza and Richard.

Taylor's family has always been close

Despite Taylor's glamorous career and globetrotting lifestyle, she always kept her family close.

"Family was number one for her," Laela told PEOPLE. "We had a family where we all loved one another — her children and her grandchildren, and it comes from her desire to bring us all together."

Naomi and Laela shared memories of their grandmother during an appearance on Today in March 2021.

"Just because somebody is a superstar doesn't also mean that they can't be a loving, squishy, delicious grandma who was always welcoming us in," Naomi said.

She continued, "She had an idea that she was responsible for raising the younger generations in the family, you know. It was important to her that she instilled those values in us, too."

The grandchildren played dress-up in Taylor's famous closet

Naomi and her sister Laela grew up with their mother Johanna in Wales — dad Michael, Taylor's oldest child, moved to the U.S. when Naomi was 5 — but visited Taylor in L.A. twice a year, which she told Glamour in April 2014 "was like a fairy tale."

"I spent hours in her closet. She had all the designers — Valentino, Versace — and things she'd picked up in the market in Mexico, too," Naomi told the publication. "We'd sit on her bed. She'd open her jewelry closet, bring out drawer after drawer, and tell us stories of her life through each piece — like her 'Ping-Pong diamond rings,' which she won in a game of Ping-Pong with Richard Burton. We lapped it up. She always said she was a custodian of her jewelry: It didn't belong to her; she was just a part of its journey."

In February 2016, Laela spoke to PEOPLE about what it was like to spend time at Taylor's house when she was young — and it included memories of seeing the star's legendary jewelry up close.

"I remember how we'd lay on the bed in the bedroom and just talk," she said. "Just snuggling and chatting and eating lunch and watching movies. We'd take a trip to the jewelry closet, and she'd open up the drawers and talk about the pieces, who gave them to her."

Laela continued, "We'd hang out and put lipstick on — she had all the colors. We'd chat about boys and dating, and I would paint my toenails."

Eliza also noted Taylor's love of jewelry while speaking to PEOPLE in May 2025, but other details like flowers and certain smells are what stick with her.

"One afternoon, she invited me into her closet to pick out a sunhat so we could sit outside together for lunch," Eliza said. "I can still remember the sweet and gentle scent of gardenia in her garden and the sight of lily of the valley growing near the edges of her koi pond."

Taylor's famous perfumes were in multiple bathrooms, meaning the grandkids could play dress up with scents, too.

"There were areas in my grandmother's home that always carried the scent of White Diamonds — and in some rooms, Gardenia," Eliza recalled. "Every bathroom had at least two or three of her signature perfumes to choose from."

Taylor was Eliza’s personal stylist

When she was in high school, Eliza had a very special stylist — her grandmother, who did her hair and makeup for both junior and senior prom.

"Once, while we were discussing makeup, I told her we should go to Sephora, which turned out to be a terrible idea," Eliza told Town & Country in April 2016. "We had fun for the first 15 minutes, but then she was recognized, and we quickly had to be escorted out."

Eliza also revealed that she has keepsake pieces of her grandmother's jewelry.

"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,' " she said. "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."

Taylor's jewelry has been with Eliza for many big moments. Her engagement ring featured a diamond gifted by Taylor that had been a family heirloom; the National Velvet star frequently wore the ring before passing it down. For her wedding, Eliza also wore a Cartier bangle that Taylor gave her for her 16th birthday.

Naomi was inspired by Taylor using her star power for good

In April 1992, Naomi accompanied her grandmother to the Freddie Mercury tribute concert in London's Wembley Stadium following his death from an AIDS-related illness in November 1991. At the tribute, Taylor addressed the crowd.

"We are here to tell the whole world that [Freddie], like others we have lost to AIDS, died before his time," Taylor said. "It needn't have happened. It shouldn't have happened. Please, let's not let it happen again!"

Naomi recalled the moment as "electrifying," telling PEOPLE in November 2018, "I think it was the first time I ever witnessed my grandmother's effect on people. [It was] like being transported to another place, another level in time and space."

She added, "I felt deeply proud that she was my grandmother. That she was a leader."

They made Taylor homemade gifts as kids

Finding the perfect gift is always a challenge, but it's even more difficult when the person you're shopping for owns a 68-carat diamond so singular that it was renamed in her honor. For the grandkids, though, it was easy — just make Grandma something.

"My sister and I would always ask ourselves, 'What should we get her? You know, Michael Jackson is going to give her a ring, so what are we going to do?' " Laela told PEOPLE in February 2016. "We made her things, like handmade books, and she kept them by her bed, next to her Fabergé eggs. She loved them equally."

The family carries on Taylor's activist legacy

Later in life, Taylor became a passionate advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and an AIDS activist, creating two foundations for AIDS research: In 1985, she co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), and in 1991, she started ETAF.

The Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? actress was one of the earliest celebrities to use her star power to support AIDS patients and to bring awareness to a then-controversial cause, including influencing President Ronald Reagan to make his first public statement about the epidemic.

"My grandmother was a huge, iconic, unforgettable star, and I'm just a person, but I really want to do whatever I can to continue her work," Naomi told The Telegraph in March 2015. "The best lesson she taught my cousins and siblings and I, was to use whatever skills we have to help others. God knows she used what she had to huge effect."

In February 2017, Laela told PEOPLE about Taylor's legacy: "Our grandmother was relatively ambivalent about fame and celebrity. It was not always something she would have chosen, but later on, when looking back, she realized her life had led her up to this point."

"All the trials which came before gave her the strength and determination to carry on her life, and she used that on behalf of others," Laela added. "Her activism gave her a sense of purpose and gave a sense of purpose to everything that came before."

On the 30th anniversary of Taylor's founding of ETAF, Quinn, who is a trustee of the foundation, wrote an essay for PEOPLE about her work.

"The fight against HIV/AIDS was such a vital part of her legacy, and although the fight is far from over, I'm honored to see ETAF continue her work," he wrote in June 2021. "I know grandma would be proud of this work, too."

Most of Taylor's grandchildren are involved with the ETAF. In addition to Quinn, Eliza, Laela, Lowell, Naomi, Rhys, and Tarquin are all foundation ambassadors, alongside famous faces like Whoopi Goldberg, Colin Farrell and Billy Porter.

Many of Taylor's grandchildren have artistic careers

A few of Taylor's grandchildren have followed in her creative footsteps. Laela is a graphic designer in Portland, Ore., where she largely lives a private life.

Her sister, Naomi, is a fashion stylist and runs the Wilding Cran Gallery in L.A. with her husband, Anthony Cran.

Rhys is a musician, songwriter, producer, voice teacher and actor based in N.Y.C., while Tarquin is an actor who has appeared on the Showtime series Shameless. Andrew is also an actor, cinematographer and producer who has worked on projects such as 2010's Freestyle and 2011's Everything Carries Me to You.

Lowell works on the Elizabeth Taylor Archive

Like many of the grandkids, Lowell works to preserve his grandmother's legacy.

His work is with the Elizabeth Taylor Trust, which is part of ETAF, on the official Elizabeth Taylor Archive.

"I was always in total awe of the good my grandmother was able to accomplish in her lifetime," Lowell wrote on the ETAF website. "She could so easily have done nothing, like so many others. Instead, she fought, she cared, and she worked for people suffering with HIV/AIDS. I hope to do whatever I can to preserve and continue that legacy."

Naomi sees the grandkids' activism as keeping Taylor's legacy alive

Taylor was one of the most famous women in the world for decades, and her family wants to make sure her legacy remains strong for years after her 2011 death.

"As time goes by, there will be people who don't know who our grandmother was," Naomi told Town & Country in April 2016. "What we're trying to do is to make issues around HIV and AIDS more visible using her name, and with luck, people will come to know what she did for that community."

Tarquin added that their work together keeps the family close.

"I often think about how lucky I am to have been born into a group of such wacky, caring, sensitive people," he said. "We admire my grandmother for her boundless generosity, and I believe that we all feel grateful to be able to honor and continue her legacy. Especially together."

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