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George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood

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The Right Honourable
The Earl of Harewood
KBE AM
Counsellor of State
In office
6 February 1952 – 9 October 1956
MonarchElizabeth II
Preceded byPrincess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh
Succeeded byPrince Edward, Duke of Kent
In office
7 February 1944 – 21 August 1951
MonarchGeorge VI
Preceded byPrincess Maud, Countess of Southesk
Succeeded byThe Princess Margaret
Member of the House of Lords
as Earl of Harewood
In office
7 February 1956 – 11 November 1999
Preceded byHenry Lascelles
Succeeded byHouse of Lords Act 1999
Personal details
Born
George Henry Hubert Lascelles

(1923-02-07)7 February 1923
Chesterfield House, London
Died11 July 2011(2011-07-11) (aged 88)
Harewood House, Leeds, Yorkshire
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1949; div. 1967)​

Patricia Tuckwell
(m. 1967–2011; his death)
ChildrenDavid Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood
James Lascelles
Jeremy Lascelles
Mark Lascelles
Parent(s)Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood
Mary, Princess Royal
EducationLudgrove School
Eton College
King's College, Cambridge

George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, KBE, AM (7 February 1923 – 11 July 2011), styled The Hon. George Lascelles before 1929 and Viscount Lascelles between 1929 and 1947, was the elder son of the 6th Earl of Harewood and Princess Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. Lord Harewood was the eldest nephew of King George VI and was a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He succeeded to his father's earldom on 24 May 1947.

Early life

George Lascelles (Lascelles can be traced back to the early Norman period in Britain, the name derives from "l'aiscelle", namely "the armpit") was born at his parents' London home of Chesterfield House on 7 February 1923, the first child of Henry Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles, and Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles, and first grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary, who stood as sponsors at his christening. The christening took place on 25 March 1923 at St Mary's Church in the village of Goldsborough, near Knaresborough adjoining the family home Goldsborough Hall. He served as a Page of Honour at the coronation of his uncle King George VI in May 1937.

He was educated at Ludgrove School, Eton College and King's College, Cambridge, after which, during the Second World War, he joined the British Army where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Grenadier Guards (his father’s regiment) in 1942, attaining the rank of captain. He fought with the 3rd Battalion of the regiment, part of the 1st Guards Brigade of the 78th Infantry Division (the brigade was later transferred to the 6th Armoured Division), serving in North Africa and Italy, but was wounded and captured at Monte Corno on 18 June 1944 by the Germans who held him as a prisoner of war in Oflag IV-C (Colditz) till May 1945. In March 1945 Hitler signed his death warrant; the SS general commanding the camp, Gottlob Berger, realizing the war was lost, refused to carry out the sentence and released the future earl to the Swiss.[1]

In 1945–46, he served as aide-de-camp to his great uncle, Lord Athlone, who was then Governor General of Canada. Lord Harewood served as a Counsellor of State in 1947, 1953–54, and 1956. On 7 February 1956 he took his seat in the House of Lords.[2]

Marriages

On 29 September 1949, Lord Harewood married Marion Stein, a concert pianist and the daughter of the Viennese music publisher Erwin Stein. Lord and Lady Harewood had three sons:

  • David, 8th Earl of Harewood (21 October 1950) he married Margaret Messenger on 12 February 1979 and were divorced in 1989. They have four children and five grandchildren. He remarried Diane Howse on 11 March 1990.
  • The Honourable James Lascelles (born 5 October 1953) He married Fredericka Duhrrson on 4 April 1973 and were divorced in 1985. They have two children and one granddaughter. He remarried Lori Lee on 4 May 1985 and were divorced in 1996. They have two children and one grandson. He remarried again, Joy Elias-Rilwan on 30 January 1999.
  • The Honourable Jeremy Lascelles (14 February 1955) he married Julie Bayliss on 4 July 1981 and were divorced. They have three children and one grandson. He remarried Catherine Bell on 7 January 1999. They have a daughter.

This marriage ended in divorce in 1967, considered a scandal at the time. Stein went on to marry politician Jeremy Thorpe.

Lord Harewood was married a second time on 31 July 1967 to Patricia "Bambi" Tuckwell (born 24 November 1926), an Australian violinist and sister of the musician Barry Tuckwell. The wedding took place at Waveny Park in New Canaan, Connecticut. They were obliged to be married abroad, as in England, Registry office marriages were barred at the time for persons covered by the Royal Marriages Act, and divorcees could not marry in the Church of England.[3][4] They had one son:

  • The Hon. Mark Hubert Lascelles (4 July 1964) he married, firstly, Andrea Kershaw on 8 August 1992 and divorce in 2005. They have three daughters. He remarried Judith Ann Kilburn on 16 July 2011
    • Charlotte Patricia Lascelles (born 24 January 1996 in Westminster, London)
    • Imogen Mary Lascelles (born 23 January 1998 in Leeds, West Yorkshire)
    • Miranda Rose Lascelles (born 15 July 2000 in Leeds, West Yorkshire)

Opera and football

A music enthusiast, Lord Harewood devoted most of his career to opera. He served as editor of Opera magazine from 1950 to 1953. In February 1950, it was reported that he had launched the magazine at a large party at the house of Richard Buckle with many music-loving guests in attendance.[5] He was director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden from 1951 to 1953 and again from 1969 to 1972. He served as chairman of the board of the English National Opera (ENO) from 1986 to 1995; Managing Director of the ENO from 1972 to 1985 and was Artistic Director of both the Edinburgh and Adelaide Festivals. From 1958 to 1974, he was General/Artistic Director of the Leeds Triennial Musical Festival. He was Managing Director of the ENO offshoot English National Opera North from 1978 to 1981. Lord Harewood served as a governor of the BBC from 1985 to 1987 and as the president of the British Board of Film Classification from 1985 to 1996.[6]

He was the author or editor of three books, Kobbé's Complete Opera Book (ed. 1954, now The New Kobbé's Opera Book, edited with Antony Peattie, latest ed. 1997; and The New Pocket Kobbé's Opera Book, edited with his step-son Michael Shmith, 2000),[7] The Tongs and the Bones (an autobiography, 1981), and Kobbé's Illustrated Opera Book (ed. 1989). He was chairman of Historic Masters, an unusual vinyl record label dedicated to high quality issues of rare historic 78 rpm recordings of opera singers. He was a noted friend and colleague of the late opera diva Maria Callas and is featured in the 1968 EMI documentary The Callas Conversations Vol. I, during which he interviewed Callas at length concerning her career and ideas about opera.

His other interests included football: he served as president of Leeds United Football Club from 1961 until his death and was president of the Football Association from 1963 to 1972. He died on 11 July 2011, aged 88.[8][9]

Official honours

Queen Elizabeth II created him a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1986. On 1 July 2010 he was appointed an Honorary Member of the Order of Australia (AM), "for service to the arts in Australia and to supporting Australia's artists in the United Kingdom".[10]

In 1959, Harewood received the Grand Decoration in Silver with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria.[11]

Family

Career

  • He was the only person to serve as Counsellor of State without being a Prince of the United Kingdom, serving from 1945 to 1951, then 1952 to 1956.
  • He served as chancellor of the University of York from 1962 to 1967.
  • He was ranked number 1355 in the Sunday Times Rich List 2008 with an estimated wealth of £55 million—his magnificent art treasures, held in trust and valued at more than £50 million, and a 3,000 acres (12 km2) estate outside Leeds. The estate and house, Harewood House, are held by a charity with £9 million of assets, and were not counted as part of his wealth.

Styles of address

  • 1923–1929: The Honourable George H. H. Lascelles
  • 1929–1947: Viscount Lascelles
  • 1947–1986: The Right Honourable The Earl of Harewood
  • 1986–2010: The Right Honourable The Earl of Harewood KBE
  • 2010–2011: The Right Honourable The Earl of Harewood KBE AM

Books

The Tongs and the Bones: The Memoirs of Lord Harewood, published by George Weidenfeld and Nicholson (1981), ISBN 0-297-77960-5 is George Lascelles' autobiography

Ancestry

Family of George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood
16. Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood
8. Henry Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood
17. Louisa Thynne
4. Henry Lascelles, 5th Earl of Harewood
18. Ulick de Burgh, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde
9. Elizabeth de Burgh
19. Harriet Canning
2. Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood
20. George Bridgeman, 2nd Earl of Bradford
10. Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford
21. Georgina Elizabeth Moncreiffe
5. Florence Bridgeman
22. Cecil Weld-Forester, 1st Baron Forester
11. Selina Weld-Forester
23. Katherine Mary Manners
1. George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood
24. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
12. Edward VII of the United Kingdom
25. Victoria of the United Kingdom
6. George V of the United Kingdom
26. Christian IX of Denmark
13. Princess Alexandra of Denmark
27. Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel
3. Mary, Princess Royal
28. Duke Alexander of Württemberg
14. Francis, Duke of Teck
29. Countess Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde
7. Princess Mary of Teck
30. Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
15. Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
31. Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel

References

  1. ^ "Obituary of George 7th Earl of Harewood KBE AM". Yorkshire Post. 11 July 2011.
  2. ^ "Preamble (Hansard, 7 February 1956)". Hansard.millbanksystems.com. 7 February 1956. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  3. ^ Lord Harewood. The Tongs and the Bones. p. 221.
  4. ^ "A Wedding in New Canaan". Time. 11 August 1967. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
  5. ^ "From Our London Correspondent". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 10 February 1950. Retrieved 24 September 2015. Our London Correspondent - The Earl of Harewood entertained last night a large party of music-loving guests to celebrate the publication of (his magazine, "Opera"...)
  6. ^ Robert Ponsonby (January 2015). "Lascelles, George Henry Hubert, seventh earl of Harewood (1923–2011)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/103948. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  7. ^ "National Library of Australia Catalogue".
  8. ^ "Queen's cousin Lord Harewood dies". BBC News. BBC. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  9. ^ Fox, Margalit (26 July 2011). "George Lascelles, Lord Harewood, Dies at 88; Wrote Opera Reference". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Commonwealth of Australia Special Gazette S102, 1 July 2010" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (PDF) (in German). p. 74. Retrieved 18 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)
Cultural offices
Preceded by Director of the Adelaide Festival of Arts
1988 		Succeeded by
Clifford Hocking
Academic offices
New title Chancellor of the University of York
1962–1967 		Succeeded by
Media offices
Preceded by President of the British Board of Film Classification
1985–1997 		Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Earl of Harewood
1947–2011 		Succeeded by

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