The legendary romantic life of Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor is back in the spotlight with the release of the new Fox Nation docuseries Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar, executive-produced by Kim Kardashian.
Now, one of the people who knew Taylor most intimately—her longtime stylist and close friend Vicky Tiel—has revealed new details about the star’s most passionate relationship. Tiel has finally answered a question that has fascinated Hollywood for decades: which of Taylor’s seven husbands was “the best in bed”?
Speaking to People magazine, Tiel said the answer was undeniable: Richard Burton. The acclaimed actor, whom Taylor married and divorced twice, was the great love of her life. Their fiery romance began on the set of Cleopatra in 1963 and would go on to define an era.
“Absolutely. No question about it. Her lover for life was Richard,” Tiel said.
According to Tiel, Taylor approached intimacy with a carefree, joyful attitude and remained fun-loving throughout her glamorous, high-profile life.
Even after their second divorce in 1976—Taylor once described their relationship as “too mutually destructive”—the connection between “Liz and Dick” never faded. Tiel shared a deeply emotional final message Burton left before his death in August 1984:
“Two days before Richard died, he called me. He said, ‘I don’t think I’m going to live much longer. Please tell Elizabeth I’ll always love her the most. I love her forever. I miss her and I love her with all my heart.’”
Tiel later visited Taylor and found her surrounded by framed photos of herself and Burton—covering the entire ledge around her bathtub. It was a quiet but powerful reminder that Burton remained the man she loved most. Taylor even kept his final love letter, written shortly before his death and wondering whether they might “have another chance,” in her bedside drawer until she died in 2011.
Taylor and Burton’s romance began as a scandalous affair during the filming of Cleopatra. Their relationship caused an international uproar and was so controversial that The Vatican publicly condemned it as “erotic vagrancy.” At the time, Taylor was married to Eddie Fisher and Burton to Sybil Burton.
Taylor’s son, Christopher Wilding, recounted the emotional toll the media frenzy took on their family, saying he often learned about his mother’s private life from newspapers at boarding school, which brought taunts from classmates.
Despite the chaos, Taylor and Burton became one of Hollywood’s most influential power couples, starring together in 11 films—including the classic Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
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