The Royal Romance That Never Was: Princess Elizabeth's Tantalizing Turn-Down of King Charles
ROYAL ROMP: THE SHOCKING LOVE LIFE OF PRINCESS ELIZABETH OF YUGOSLAVIA
In a scandalous era of royal romps and celebrity trysts, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia was the ultimate femme fatale. This ravishing beauty had a penchant for marrying wealthy men and bedding Hollywood stars – including Richard Burton, the legendary Welsh actor who left behind a trail of broken hearts.
As the Princess's second cousin, Prince Charles, looked on with envy, Elizabeth basked in the attention of the world's most eligible bachelors. Her conquests were the stuff of legend: Warren Beatty, the serial bed-hopper; Richard Burton, her own husband-to-be (twice!); and many more.
In 1974, Elizabeth announced her engagement to Burton, still married to his second wife, Elizabeth Taylor – the Queen of Hollywood herself. But it was all a ruse, as the Princess had already been married twice before: first to New York fashion czar Howard Oxenberg, with whom she had a baby girl, Catherine; and then to Oxford-educated banker Neil Balfour.
The drama surrounding their engagement was nothing short of Shakespearean. Burton confessed his fears about Elizabeth's "impertinence" and her penchant for playing games. But he couldn't resist the allure of this stunning princess – even when she was still married to someone else!
Elizabeth's family, including her parents, Prince Paul and Princess Olga, were shocked by the union. Her mother, a snooty sister of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, looked down her nose at Burton from the start.
As their whirlwind romance unfolded, Elizabeth's ex-husband Balfour was left in the cold. But it didn't take long for the Princess to dump Burton and move on to greener pastures – or rather, more dashing suitors.
The final nail in their relationship's coffin came when Burton began an affair with Jeannie Bell, a former Playboy centrefold. It was all over for Elizabeth, who went on to squire many other men around town. Her daughter Christina Oxenberg remembers her mother's numerous paramours: "There were quite a few serious boyfriends."
In the end, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia remained the ultimate royal rebel – a woman who lived life on her own terms and didn't let societal norms hold her back.
