Elizabeth Taylor’s granddaughter reveals pricey ‘impractical’ Christmas gifts she received from late icon

Elizabeth Taylor’s granddaughter fondly recalled how her legendary grandmother tended to spoil her during the holidays during her childhood.

Naomi Wilding, daughter of Elizabeth’s eldest son, Michael Wilding Jr., recounted a particularly lavish vacation she spent at Taylor’s Los Angeles home while temporarily staying there due to her mother’s illness.

“That stay coincided with Christmas,” Naomi said Peoplein which she explained that the holiday with her glamorous grandmother meant a truly unforgettable shower of gifts.

“I remember falling asleep next to the tree in the living room and waking up to the sight of dozens of boxes addressed to me under the tree,” she said.

The gifts, all from Saks Fifth Avenue, include a “silk nightgown and robe from Christian Dior, dresses from YSL, Chanel and Dior, as well as coats and outfits from Saks.”

Naomi added: ‘They were all beautiful and completely impractical for the country life I was going back to, but I loved them.’

Naomi Wilding, daughter of Elizabeth’s eldest son, Michael Wilding Jr., recounted a particularly lavish vacation she spent at Taylor’s Los Angeles home while temporarily staying there due to her mother’s illness; (photo 2021)

To take her lavish wardrobe home, Naomi had to buy a suitcase, although her time with the treasures was fleeting.

“As I grew out of the clothes, despite my protests, they were passed on to the many local girls who lived nearby,” she said.

‘Grandma enjoyed spoiling me!’

Naomi’s father Michael was the first-born son of Elizabeth and her second husband, British actor Michael Wilding.

Taylor married Wilding in 1952 when she was just 19 and he was 20 years older than her.

Their five-year marriage ended in 1957 and they had two sons together, Michael Jr. and Christopher.

Taylor’s personal life was as legendary as her Hollywood career.

Known for her beauty, talent and tumultuous love affairs, she married eight times to seven men and had four children.

After divorcing Wilding, she married film producer Mike Todd, who tragically died in a plane crash in 1958.

Together they had a daughter, Elizabeth ‘Liza’ Todd.

“I remember falling asleep next to the tree in the living room and waking up to the sight of dozens of boxes addressed to me under the tree,” she said; (pictured in 2015)

The gifts, all from Saks Fifth Avenue, include a “silk nightgown and robe from Christian Dior, dresses from YSL, Chanel and Dior, as well as coats and outfits from Saks,” Naomi added; (Michael Wilding and Taylor in 1955)

Naomi added: ‘They were all exquisite and quite impractical for the country life I was going back to, but I loved them’ (Michael and Elizabeth in 1951).

Elizabeth with her two sons Michael Howard and Christopher, who she had when she married Michael Wilding

Her fourth and fifth marriages were to Richard Burton, her Cleopatra co-star, with whom she shared one of Hollywood’s most famous and whirlwind romances.

During her time at Burton, Taylor adopted her youngest daughter, Maria McKeown.

In total, her four children – Michael, Christopher, Liza and Maria – eventually gave her ten grandchildren.

Born and raised in West Wales, Naomi is one of those ten grandchildren.

She moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to be closer to her family and began a career as a fashion stylist before co-founding Wilding Cran Gallery with her husband, Anthony Cran, in 2014.

Located in the Los Angeles Arts District, the gallery supports social causes through arts education programs and philanthropic work.

Like her grandmother, Naomi continues Taylor’s legacy of giving and serves as an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which continues to raise millions for HIV/AIDS advocacy.

Elizabeth spent her final years battling congestive heart failure while remaining active in her philanthropy.

She died on March 23, 2011 at the age of 79, surrounded by her family at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.