RICHARD BURTON almost went broke trying to please Elizabeth Taylor with exquisite diamonds, fabulous furs and exotic holidays around the world.

RICHARD BURTON almost went broke trying to please Elizabeth Taylor with exquisite diamonds, fabulous furs and exotic holidays around the world.
The firebrand Welsh actor was warned repeatedly by aides to stop spending or he would go bankrupt, an astonishing series of documents reveals.
A 1970 memo from his secretary warns Burton he could not afford a diamond necklace priced at more than $1million that Elizabeth wanted.
“There is not sufficient money in the coffers to pay for the jewels,” it declared bluntly. “Over the past two years, the out-flow of money has greatly exceeded in-flow. At the moment, such a purchase is unthinkable.” Another memo cautions him against selling jewellery given to Elizabeth by her third husband, film producer Mike Todd, because they were probably worth around £120,000, not the millions Todd had claimed.
The personal correspondence was found in the home of a neighbour of the Burtons when they lived in Mexico.