Susana, Lady Walton

Who was Susana, Lady Walton?

Susana, Lady Walton MBE, born Susana Valeria Rosa Maria Gil Passo, was the wife of the composer Sir William Walton. She was a writer, and the creator of the gardens of La Mortella.

She was the daughter of a prominent Argentinian lawyer, Dr. Enrique Gil. She was working at the British Council in Buenos Aires when she met Walton in September 1948. They married in December 1948. The couple settled on the Italian island of Ischia where she created the gardens of La Mortella. The residence hosted many celebrities, including Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, Hans Werner Henze, W. H. Auden, Terence Rattigan, Binkie Beaumont, Maria Callas and Charlie Chaplin. It was there that Walton died on 8 March 1983.

She played alongside her husband in Walton's only acting role; he played King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony in the 1983 miniseries, Richard Wagner, directed by Tony Palmer, while Lady Walton "stood at his side in regal attire" as the King's wife. She also appeared in Ken Russell's Classic Widows and Palmer's At the Haunted End of the Day.

Shortly after her marriage she had an abortion at Walton's insistence, as he did not want any children.