Emma Watson grew up surrounded by academics, thanks to her parents, Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson. Although Jacqueline and Chris parted ways shortly after welcoming their second child, Emma carried on the family’s scholarly legacy, earning her college degree in the mid-2010s.
Before achieving academic success, Emma gained worldwide fame as Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” franchise. She later explored modeling and took on the role of a UN ambassador. Her acting repertoire expanded with roles in “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Circle,” and most recently, “Little Women.”
Jacqueline, while supporting Emma’s budding career, ensured a joyful childhood for both her children, despite facing some hurdles. Through it all, she nurtured a loving relationship with her kids and maintained a harmonious co-parenting dynamic with her ex-husband.
Jacqueline Luesby: A Lawyer with Flair and Talent
Born in Paris, France’s fashion hub, Jacqueline is celebrated for her distinctive style. She pursued law at Oxford University in London, where she excelled not only academically but also as a gifted hockey and table tennis player. These sports became Emma’s cherished pastimes during her youth.
Jacqueline met Chris, also a lawyer, while at Oxford, and the couple eventually moved to Paris, where they settled down. The timeline of their marriage is unclear, but they welcomed Emma on April 15, 1990. Three years later, they had their son Alex, and, as Emma fondly recalls, they enjoyed a happy family life. However, by 1995, the couple amicably divorced.
Jacqueline Luesby Equipped Emma Watson with Feminist Awareness
Jacqueline and Chris agreed on joint custody for Emma and Alex. They also decided their kids would stay with Jacqueline, who moved back to Oxford with the siblings following the divorce and would visit their father every other weekend. Chris also moved to England but settled in London and opened a vineyard.
He later remarried and had more children, while Jacqueline found new love with someone else who was already a father of two. The former couple never allowed any “kids’ stuff” for Alex and Emma and treated them “as adults.” They weren’t even allowed to order off the kids’ menu in restaurants,.
Moreover, Chris expected to have adult-level conversations with his children, and Jacqueline was the one who dealt with the discipline. Still, although their unconventional approach to parenting was strict, it wasn’t entirely restrictive. In 2010, Emma revealed she had her first glass of wine (with water) at seven.
She added that the excitement about alcohol in school always left her disinterested. When she won the role of Hermoine, Jacqueline advised her to maintain her old friendships, so people would like her for who she was, not her career. The mom of two made extensive efforts to ensure Emma saw her friends regularly.
Jacqueline also helped Emma overcome an insecurity she used to struggle with but later embraced: her eyebrows. Her daughter opened up about the experience in 2016, explaining, “[…] I desperately wanted to pluck them and make them two thin lines. […] My mother desperately tried to tell me that they gave my face character, ‘Don’t be ashamed.’
Jacqueline Luesby Had Conflicts with Her Daughter in Her Teens, but It’s in the Past
Alex described them as “debates,” though he admitted that the term he chose was a euphemism. Emma, who’s reportedly dating Brandon Green, has confessed that she tended to blow things out of proportion. However, an adolescent phase passed, and the actress credited her family with keeping her grounded whenever she felt disconnected.
When Jacqueline’s career began, she worked for the Ernst and Young tax team in Paris before moving on to the Morgan Cole lawyers in Oxford and becoming a senior manager for Smith Williamson’s corporate tax team in 2007. This was contrary to Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe’s parents, who left work to be fully involved in the early years of their children’s acting careers.
Still, the solicitor supported Emma and maintained a loving bond with her. In 2017, she accompanied her daughter to the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. When the COVID-19 pandemic saw lockdowns across the globe, Emma pledged to stay home for her grandmother, who was over 70, and Jacqueline, who’d been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
