Celestine Tavernier

**Celestine Tavernier** was the hard-working, strict husband of Etta Tavernier, father of Clyde and twins Hattie and Lloyd Tavernier, and son of Jules Tavernier.

Coming to Walford in 1990 after wife Etta was offered a teaching job at Walford Primary School, Celestine was optimistic that the move to Albert Square was a wise one for him and his family. His marriage to Etta was strong, but his relationship with his sons', in particular Clyde, was strained. His father, Jules, often accused him of turning his back on his roots and also failed to understand just how difficult it was for his son to be accepted by a white community in London.

1991 was a difficult year for Celestine. When Etta fell pregnant, she learnt that her and Celestine's child would be born with sickle cell anaemia. Not wanting this, she decided to have a termination, which went strongly against Celestine's views, because he was a devout Christian. He then faced an awkward time when Yvonne, a student from his Bible studies class, admitted she was envious of his marriage and wanted them to have an affair. Celestine turned Yvonne down due to his loyalty towards Etta. Towards the end of the year, he had to contend with Clyde being hunted down by the police for the murder of Eddie Royle. Clyde was wrongly thought to have killed Eddie, when it was actually Nick Cotton who was later revealed to be the murderer.

In 1992, Celestine faced trouble with son Lloyd, who was convicted of joyriding after being led astray by some ruthless school friends. Deciding that it would be best for Lloyd and his education if he was moved away from the Square and his friends, Celestine and Etta eventually decided to move to Norwich.

He returned briefly in July 1993 for daughter Hattie's wedding, where he learnt that the wedding had been cancelled and Hattie was pregnant. Hattie lost her baby a few days later and, after being reassured she was okay and wanted to stay, he returned to Norwich. He also said his goodbyes to Clyde in that time, as Clyde headed off to Trinidad with new girlfriend Gidea Thompson.

## Biography

### Backstory

Celestine was born in Trinidad. His mother died when he was six and his father, Jules Tavernier, never remarried. He met his wife-to-be, Etta Tavernier, out in Trinidad, and in 1966, they moved to the United Kingdom. Celestine was recruited by London Transport and worked hard, not wanting his life to be unsuccessful. He worked his way into the DSS and was eventually promoted to manager. He married Etta in Jamaica.

### 1990-1992: Family dramas

First arriving in June 1990 to inspect Albert Square, the new location of his and his family's new home, Celestine was rather impressed with the community spirit. A resident, Arthur Fowler, who he already knew via Walford's DSS office, was welcoming, but when Celestine caught Arthur out for working with his new business whilst claiming unemployment benefits weekly, he felt it was his duty to warn Arthur not to continue with his actions or else he would be reported.

After officially moving into No.27, it quickly became clear that Celestine's relationship with eldest son Clyde Tavernier was fractured. Celestine always acted as an authoritarian figure to his children, and the lack of freedom he gave them in their decisions took its toll. Etta eventually ended up locking Celestine and Clyde in the kitchen together to allow them to resolve their differences when petty arguments, such as taking too long in the bath, began to affect family life on the daily.

Celestine and Etta's youngest son, Lloyd Tavernier, suffered with sickle cell anaemia. This often restricted Lloyd to what he was able to, and Etta felt a strong sense of guilt over the situation. So when she fell pregnant in 1991 after considering sterilisation, she was devastated to learn that their newborn would also be a sufferer of sickle cell anaemia. However, with Celestine a devout Christian and a strong opposer to termination, he was determined to make sure they had the child. His determination only drove him away from Etta though, and she ended up having a termination anyway. This resulted in the pair's marriage straining, and when a student from Celestine's Bible class studies, Yvonne, admitted she was envious of their marriage and wanted an affair, Celestine was left conflicted. Despite this, his loyalty lay with Etta, and he rejected Yvonne. He eventually accepted that he could not have changed Etta's mind over her termination no matter what and their marriage grew stronger from thereon.

In September 1991, The Queen Victoria's landlord, Eddie Royle, was murdered. Suspicion over his killer initially fell on Clyde, so Clyde was quick to flee the Square and take refuge to evade prison. This led to his family becoming deeply worried for his safety. Clyde was later caught and wrongfully imprisoned, though he was soon released when Nick Cotton was found to be the actual murderer.

1992 saw Celestine and Etta deal with wayward son Lloyd making some dangerous friends, who eventually encouraged him to go joyriding. The incident resulted in Lloyd being convicted and the pair worrying for his future. They ultimately agreed that it was in Lloyd's best interest if they moved away from the Square and started afresh elsewhere. Celestine received a job promotion up to Norwich, and despite Etta not initially wanting to go, she later came round to the idea of the move and they left. Clyde, Hattie Tavernier and Jules all decided to remain at No.27.

### 1993: A brief return

Celestine returned in July 1993 for his daughter Hattie's wedding. However, the wedding did not go ahead, as Hattie's husband-to-be, Steve Elliot, walked out on her just days before. Hattie had fallen pregnant to Steve and did not tell him about their child. She considered an abortion, which Celestine was surprisingly accepting of, but after arriving at the clinic a few days later, Hattie realised she could not go through with it and decided to keep the baby. A few days afterwards, she miscarried and lost the baby anyway. Celestine invited her up to Norwich to get away from the dramas of Albert Square, but Hattie remainded content living at No.27, so did not move.

At the same time, Clyde had found love with Gidea Thompson, a niece who Celestine never knew existed until she exposed the secret during a family meal. The pair had decided to go on a holiday together to Trinidad, so before returning to Norwich, Celestine waved them off.

## First and last lines

"Morning! It's Mr...." (First line, to Arthur Fowler)

"Bye all." (Final line)