Elizabeth Rees-Williams lived a life that connected Welsh heritage, British society, Hollywood fame, and political circles. Best known as Richard Harris’ ex-wife, she was also an actress, author, mother, and later the wife of Jonathan Aitken. Her story is not only about famous marriages. It is also about family, reinvention, public attention, and a life lived across entertainment and high society.
Quick Bio
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Joan Elizabeth Rees-Williams |
| Also Known As | Elizabeth Rees-Williams, Elizabeth Harris, Elizabeth Harris Aitken |
| Date of Birth | May 1, 1936 |
| Birthplace | Wales, commonly associated with Cardiff and Glamorgan |
| Date of Death | April 15, 2022 |
| Age at Death | 85 years old |
| Death Place | London, England |
| Nationality | Welsh, British |
| Profession | Actress, socialite, author, public relations figure |
| Known For | Being Richard Harris’ first wife and the mother of Damian, Jared, and Jamie Harris |
| Father | David Rees-Williams, 1st Baron Ogmore |
| Education | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London |
| First Husband | Richard Harris |
| Marriage to Richard Harris | 1957 to 1969 |
| Second Husband | Rex Harrison |
| Marriage to Rex Harrison | 1971 to 1975 |
| Third Husband | Peter Aitken |
| Fourth Husband | Jonathan Aitken |
| Marriage to Jonathan Aitken | 2003 until her death in 2022 |
| Children | Damian Harris, Jared Harris, Jamie Harris |
| Famous Son | Jared Harris |
| Memoir | Love, Honour and Dismay |
| Religion or Later Life Link | Connected to Jonathan Aitken’s Christian and prison chaplaincy work |
| Public Image | Welsh socialite, Hollywood spouse, society figure, and memoirist |
| Net Worth | Not publicly confirmed |
| Legacy | Remembered for her role in the Harris family, British society, and her own memoir |
Who Was Elizabeth Rees-Williams?
Elizabeth Rees-Williams was a Welsh socialite, actress, and author who became widely recognized through her connection to some of the most visible names in film and British public life. She was first married to Irish actor Richard Harris, later married Oscar winning actor Rex Harrison, and spent her final years married to former Conservative cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken.
Although many people search for her as Richard Harris’ ex-wife, her life had several layers. She came from a politically connected Welsh family, trained for acting, appeared in society pages, raised three sons who entered the entertainment world, and later became known for her memoir. Her public identity changed over time, but she remained closely linked to both Hollywood history and British high society.
Early Life in Wales
Elizabeth Rees-Williams was born on May 1, 1936, in Wales. Several biographical sources identify her birthplace as Glamorgan, while news coverage also describes her as being from Cardiff. This Welsh background remained an important part of her public identity, especially because her father was a notable figure in British politics.
Her upbringing placed her close to society, politics, and public service. Unlike many celebrity spouses who became known only after marriage, Elizabeth came from a family already connected to public life. That background helped shape the way she moved through social circles in London and beyond.
Her early life also reflected the world of postwar Britain. She grew up during a period when class, family name, education, and public presentation still played a strong role in society. Later, her life would move far beyond that setting into film, theatre, memoir writing, and public relations.
Family Background and Noble Lineage
Elizabeth Rees-Williams was the daughter of David Rees-Williams, 1st Baron Ogmore. He was a Labour politician and served in the government of Clement Attlee. This connection gave Elizabeth a strong link to British political society long before her marriages brought her into wider public attention.
Her father’s title also meant that Elizabeth moved in circles where politics, public service, and social life often overlapped. Tatler described her as the only daughter of Baron Ogmore and noted her connection to high society from a young age.
This family background is important because it explains why her biography should not be reduced only to her famous husbands. Elizabeth Harris Aitken had roots in Welsh political life, and that foundation remained part of her identity even as she became better known in entertainment and society circles.
Education and Acting Training
Elizabeth Rees-Williams attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, one of Britain’s best known acting schools. Her training placed her near the centre of the British performance world, even though her later public profile became more closely tied to society, family, and memoir writing than to a long acting career.
Her interest in acting helped connect her to the same creative world that would later define much of her family’s public legacy. Her first husband, Richard Harris, became one of the most recognizable Irish actors of his generation. Their sons also moved into film and television, creating a family line strongly associated with performance.
Her time in acting should be described carefully. It is better to call her an actress and former Rank starlet rather than present her as a major screen celebrity. ITV described her as a one time Rank starlet, which supports a fair and balanced description of her career.
Early Career and Social Life
Before becoming widely known through marriage, Elizabeth Rees-Williams was already part of London society. Tatler noted that she was one of the final debutantes presented to Queen Elizabeth II at court in 1954. This detail places her within a specific social era when debutante culture still had public importance in Britain.
Her public image combined glamour, family status, and social visibility. She was photographed, discussed in society circles, and later followed by the press because of her marriages and family connections. Her life crossed several worlds at once. She was connected to Welsh nobility through her father, British entertainment through acting, Hollywood through her husbands, and politics through both her father and Jonathan Aitken.
This mix of worlds made her a memorable figure. She was not only a private spouse standing beside famous men. She became part of the social story around them, especially during the 1960s and 1970s when British and Hollywood celebrity culture often overlapped.
Elizabeth Rees-Williams and Richard Harris
Elizabeth Rees-Williams married Richard Harris in 1957. At the time, Harris was still building the career that would later make him a celebrated Irish actor. Their marriage lasted until 1969 and produced three sons, Damian, Jared, and Jamie Harris.
Richard Harris became famous for his powerful screen presence, intense personality, and memorable work in film and theatre. During their marriage, Elizabeth was part of the early years of his rise. Their relationship was often described as eventful, and it later became part of the wider mythology surrounding Harris as a larger than life actor.
For readers searching for Richard Harris’ ex-wife, this period is usually the main point of interest. However, the most accurate way to present this section is to focus on confirmed facts: their marriage, children, divorce, and continued family legacy. Avoid turning the section into gossip. The marriage was important, but it was only one chapter in Elizabeth’s long and complex life.
Life as Richard Harris’ First Wife
As Richard Harris’ first wife, Elizabeth Rees-Williams lived through a period of growing fame and public pressure. She married him before he reached the full height of his celebrity, and their family grew as his acting career expanded. The couple had three sons during the marriage, all of whom later became connected to the entertainment industry.
This part of her life connected her permanently to the Harris acting family. Even after the marriage ended, she remained the mother of Richard Harris’ children and a central figure in their family history. Her sons later carried the Harris name into film and television in their own ways.
A neutral biography should avoid exaggerating the private details of the marriage. It is enough to say that it was a high profile relationship that attracted attention because of Richard Harris’ fame, Elizabeth’s social background, and the later success of their children.
Elizabeth Rees-Williams Children: Damian, Jared, and Jamie Harris
Elizabeth Rees-Williams had three sons with Richard Harris: Damian Harris, Jared Harris, and Jamie Harris. ITV described the three as Hollywood based actors or directors, showing how strongly the family remained connected to the entertainment world.
Damian Harris became a filmmaker, director, and screenwriter. He is the eldest son of Richard Harris and Elizabeth Rees-Williams and built his career behind the camera as well as in creative film work.
Jared Harris became the most internationally recognized of the three sons. He is known for respected roles in television and film, including major performances in acclaimed series and dramas. Biographical coverage identifies him as the son of Richard Harris and Elizabeth Rees-Williams, with Damian as his older brother and Jamie as his younger brother.
Jamie Harris also became an actor. He has appeared in film and television and is known as the youngest of the three Harris brothers. His career continued the family’s link to acting and screen performance.
Through her sons, Elizabeth’s influence remained visible beyond her own public life. Her role as their mother is one of the strongest parts of her legacy.
Marriage to Rex Harrison
After her divorce from Richard Harris, Elizabeth Rees-Williams married Rex Harrison in 1971. Harrison was one of Britain’s most famous actors and had won major recognition for his work on stage and screen. The marriage ended in divorce in 1975.
This marriage brought Elizabeth into another high profile entertainment partnership. Rex Harrison was already an established star, best known to many audiences for My Fair Lady. Her marriage to him received attention because both she and Harrison were already familiar names in society and entertainment circles.
A careful biography should not overstate personal details that are not clearly verified. The important facts are that she was married to Rex Harrison, the marriage was short compared with her first marriage, and it became one of the relationships she later reflected on in her writing.
Memoir: Love, Honour and Dismay
Elizabeth Rees-Williams published her memoir Love, Honour and Dismay in 1976. The book is one of the clearest examples of her public voice because it allowed her to describe parts of her own life rather than only being described through her famous husbands. ITV also identified her as the author of the memoir.
The memoir appeared shortly after her marriage to Rex Harrison ended. It helped shape public understanding of her earlier marriages and gave readers a more personal view of the glamorous but difficult world surrounding celebrity relationships.
This section is important for search visibility because it connects her to authorship. Elizabeth Harris Aitken was not simply a social figure. She wrote about her life, and that writing became part of how she is remembered.
Marriage to Peter Aitken
Elizabeth Rees-Williams later married Peter Aitken, a member of the Aitken family and cousin of Jonathan Aitken. The marriage ended in divorce. ITV and other biographical sources identify Peter Aitken as one of her four husbands.
This chapter is usually covered more briefly than her marriages to Richard Harris, Rex Harrison, or Jonathan Aitken. Still, it matters because it explains the Aitken surname that became part of her later public identity.
Her later name, Elizabeth Harris Aitken, reflects the different phases of her life. The name also helps readers understand why the same woman may appear in sources under different names, including Elizabeth Rees-Williams, Elizabeth Harris, and Elizabeth Harris Aitken.
Marriage to Jonathan Aitken
Elizabeth Rees-Williams married Jonathan Aitken in 2003. He was a former Conservative cabinet minister who later became associated with Christian faith and prison chaplaincy. The Guardian reported in 2002 that Aitken was set to marry Elizabeth Harris, whose previous husbands included Richard Harris, Rex Harrison, and Peter Aitken.
Her marriage to Jonathan Aitken became the final major chapter of her life. It connected her once again to British politics, but in a very different way from her childhood connection through her father. By this stage, she had already lived through Hollywood marriages, public attention, motherhood, memoir writing, and social visibility.
ITV reported that Jonathan Aitken was a prison chaplain at the time of her death and that he intended to lead an Easter Sunday service at HMP Pentonville according to her wishes. This detail gave her later years a more reflective and faith connected public image.
Later Years and Public Image
In her later years, Elizabeth Rees-Williams was often discussed as Elizabeth Harris Aitken. This name reflected her marriage to Jonathan Aitken and the quieter public role she held in the final chapter of her life.
Her image changed over time. In youth, she was connected to debutante society and acting. During her first two marriages, she was tied to Hollywood and British film fame. Later, she became known through memoir writing and public relations. In her final years, her life was linked to Jonathan Aitken’s religious and prison ministry work.
That change makes her biography more interesting than a simple celebrity spouse profile. She experienced several public identities across several decades. She was a Welsh peer’s daughter, actress, wife, mother, author, and society figure. Each identity belongs in the article because each one helps explain the full person.
Death of Elizabeth Harris Aitken
Elizabeth Harris Aitken died on April 15, 2022, at the age of 85. ITV reported that she died at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London after a long illness.
Her death was covered in British media because of her long public life and her connections to Richard Harris, Rex Harrison, Jonathan Aitken, and the Harris acting family. Reports also noted her Welsh background, her father’s political role, her marriages, her sons, and her memoir.
The coverage showed how many worlds her life had touched. She was remembered as a socialite, former actress, author, wife, mother, and public figure. Her story remained relevant because it sat at the meeting point of celebrity, politics, family legacy, and British society.
Legacy and Family Influence
The legacy of Elizabeth Rees-Williams is closely tied to family, culture, and public memory. Many people know her first as Richard Harris’ ex-wife, but her life included much more than that. She came from a prominent Welsh political family, trained in acting, moved through elite social circles, married two major actors, wrote a memoir, and spent her later life beside Jonathan Aitken.
Her strongest lasting legacy may be her children. Damian, Jared, and Jamie Harris each carried the Harris family name into the entertainment world. Through them, Elizabeth remains connected to modern film and television history.
Her memoir also matters because it gave her a voice of her own. It showed that she understood the drama and pressure around her public life and was willing to write about it. That makes her more than a background figure in someone else’s story.
Final Thoughts
Elizabeth Rees-Williams lived a public life shaped by heritage, fame, marriage, family, and reinvention. She is often searched as Richard Harris’ ex-wife, but her full biography reaches far beyond that label. She was born into a notable Welsh family, trained as an actress, became part of British high society, raised three sons connected to film and television, and later became known as Elizabeth Harris Aitken.
Her life was complex, but a fair biography should present it with balance. She was not only the wife of famous men. She was also a mother, author, social figure, and witness to several important cultural worlds of the twentieth century.
FAQs
Who was Elizabeth Rees-Williams?
Elizabeth Rees-Williams was a Welsh socialite, actress, author, and public figure. She was best known as the first wife of Irish actor Richard Harris and later as the wife of Rex Harrison and Jonathan Aitken.
Was Elizabeth Rees-Williams Richard Harris’ first wife?
Yes, Elizabeth Rees-Williams was Richard Harris’ first wife. They married in 1957 and divorced in 1969. They had three sons together: Damian Harris, Jared Harris, and Jamie Harris.
How many children did Elizabeth Rees-Williams have?
Elizabeth Rees-Williams had three children. Her sons are Damian Harris, Jared Harris, and Jamie Harris. All three became connected to film or television as actors, directors, or screen creatives.
Was Elizabeth Rees-Williams married to Rex Harrison?
Yes, she married Rex Harrison after her divorce from Richard Harris. Their marriage began in 1971 and ended in divorce in 1975.
When did Elizabeth Rees-Williams die?
Elizabeth Rees-Williams, later known as Elizabeth Harris Aitken, died on April 15, 2022, at the age of 85. She died in London after a long illness.
