Elizabeth Harris Aitken

Last updated
Elizabeth Harris Aitken
Born
Elizabeth Rees-Williams

(1936-05-01)May 1, 1936
Glamorgan, Wales
DiedApril 15, 2022(2022-04-15) (aged 85)
London, England
Occupationsocialite
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1957;div. 1969)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1971;div. 1975)​
  • Peter Aitken
    (198?; divorced)
  • ​
    (m. 2003)​
Children
Father David Rees-Williams

Elizabeth Harris Aitken was a Welsh socialite known for her public marriages to Richard Harris, Rex Harrison, and Jonathan Aitken. She was also the mother of actors Jared Harris and Jamie Harris, and filmmaker Damian Harris.

Contents

Early life and education

Aitken was born Elizabeth Rees-Williams in Glamorgan, Wales on May 1, 1936, the daughter of David Rees-Williams, Labour Member of Parliament for Croydon. [1] In 1950, her father was named the first Baron Ogmore. Aitken attended a convent school in Switzerland and was presented as a debutante to the Court of Queen Elizabeth II in 1954. [1]

Aitken attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, [2] but was reportedly told by the school's principal that she did not have a future in acting. [1]

Career

Aitken published her memoir, Love, Honour and Dismay, in 1976 under the surname Harrison. [1] [3] She dedicated the book "to RH," initials shared by her first two husbands, Richard Harris and Rex Harrison. [1]

Personal life

In 1957, Aitken married Irish actor Richard Harris, with whom she had three sons: actors Jared Harris and Jamie Harris, and filmmaker Damian Harris. [2] [4] After divorcing Harris, Aitken married English actor Rex Harrison in 1971. It was Harrison's fifth marriage. [2] [5]

During the 1970s, Aitken reportedly had a relationship with Conservative politician Jonathan Aitken. In the 1980s, she married Jonathan's cousin Peter Aitken, a Canadian investment banker. [2] [1]

She became reacquainted with Jonathan Aitken in 2001, when her son Jamie appeared in an acting project Jonathan's nephew, Jack Davenport. [2] In 2003, the couple married at St Matthew's Church, Westminster. [1]

At the age of 77, Aitken suffered a brain haemorrhage that nearly killed her. [1] She died at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on April 15, 2022 at the age of 85. [1] [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Elizabeth Harris Aitken obituary". www.thetimes.com. 2022-04-17. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Frost, Caroline (2022-04-18). "Elizabeth Harris Aitken Dies: Socialite Wife To Richard Harris And Rex Harrison, Later A Prison Chaplain's Wife, Was 85". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  3. 1 2 Obituaries, Telegraph (2022-04-26). "Elizabeth Harris Aitken, peer's daughter who survived turbulent earlier marriages to Rex Harrison and Richard Harris – obituary". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  4. ↑ "Socialite Elizabeth Harris, wife of former Tory Cabinet minister, dies". The Independent. 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  5. ↑ "Rex Harrison: 'The World Was A Rather Different Place Then' . . ". The Washington Post. 1977-01-12. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2026-01-16.
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