Sir Alan Lascelles | |
|---|---|
 Lascelles in 1943 | |
| Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
| In office 1943–1953 | |
| Monarchs | |
| Preceded by | Sir Alexander Hardinge |
| Succeeded by | Sir Michael Adeane |
| Assistant Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
| In office 1935–1943 | |
| Monarchs | |
| Secretary to the Governor General of Canada | |
| In office 1931–1935 | |
| Governor General | The Earl of Bessborough |
| Preceded by | Sir Eric Miéville |
| Succeeded by | Shuldham Redfern |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1887-04-11)11 April 1887 Sutton Waldron, Dorset, England |
| Died | 10 August 1981(1981-08-10) (aged 94) Kensington, London, England |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Henry Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood (grandfather) Sir Adolphus Liddell (grandfather) |
| Education | Marlborough College |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Oxford (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1913–1938 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Bedfordshire Yeomanry |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
| Awards | Military Cross |
Sir Alan Frederick "Tommy"Lascelles,GCB, GCVO, CMG, MC (/ˈlæsəls/LASS-əlss; 11 April 1887 – 10 August 1981) was a British courtier and civil servant who held several positions in the first half of the twentieth century, culminating in his position asPrivate Secretary to bothGeorge VI andElizabeth II. In 1950, he wrote theLascelles Principles in a letter to the editor ofThe Times, using the pen-name "Senex".[1]
Lascelles was born on 11 April 1887 in the village ofSutton Waldron in Dorset, England, the sixth and youngest child and only surviving son of Commander Frederick Canning Lascelles and Frederica Maria Liddell, and the grandson ofHenry Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood.[2][3] He was thus a cousin ofHenry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood, who marriedMary, Princess Royal, sister of his employers,Edward VIII andGeorge VI. His mother was the daughter ofSir Adolphus Liddell, son ofThomas Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth.[4]
After attendingMarlborough College, he studiedclassics atTrinity College, Oxford, graduating with a second-class degree in 1908. In theFirst World War, Lascelles served in France with theBedfordshire Yeomanry, where he rose to the rank of captain and was awarded theMilitary Cross,[5] after which he becameaide-de-camp to his brother-in-lawLord Lloyd, theGovernor of Bombay from 1919 to 1920.
Lascelles returned toBritain and was appointed Assistant Private Secretary toEdward, Prince of Wales in 1920, serving in that role until resigning in 1929, citing differences with the prince.[6] From 1931 to 1935, he wasSecretary to the Governor General of Canada,Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough.
Lascelles became the Assistant Private Secretary toGeorge V in the latter months of 1935.[7] When the Prince of Wales ascended the throne as Edward VIII on the death of George V in January 1936, Lascelles served briefly as the new King's Assistant Private Secretary, although he never saw the King during this phase.[6][8] He soldiered on through Edward's short reign and the protracted crisis of the abdication in 1936. He was "deeply shocked" by the abdication, not dreaming until it was announced that it would happen, and the evening he heard of it "he was so stunned that he went out and walked 3 times round St James Park in the darkness, thinking of James II."[6] Lascelles became Assistant Private Secretary to George VI, some time after the new king's accession.[9][6]
Lascelles was made a Knight Commander of theRoyal Victorian Order (KCVO)[10] by George VI during the1939 royal tour of Canada, which he had helped to arrange and manage. The title is an honour given as a personal gift by the sovereign and does not require political approval.[11] He had been appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1937, was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1944, and to Knight Grand Cross on his retirement in 1953.[10] He had been appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order in 1926, before his promotion to Knighthood in that Order in 1939.[10] He was made a Companion of theOrder of St Michael and St George in 1933.[10] He was sworn of thePrivy Council, entitling him to the prefix "Right Honourable", in 1943.[10]
In 1943, Lascelles was promoted from Assistant Private Secretary to George VI to his Private Secretary, after effecting the forced resignation ofAlec Hardinge, and served until the King died in 1952. In 1952, he became Private Secretary toElizabeth II, a role he held until the end of 1953, overseeing the early days of her reign and the Coronation.[6] Lascelles was alsoKeeper of the Royal Archives from 1943 to 1953.[12]
He retired from his 27 years of royal service on the last day of 1953, at the age of 66.[13] He had been asked by then Prime MinisterSir Winston Churchill twice and by the Queen once whether he would like to go to theHouse of Lords with ahereditary peerage, but he declined.[13] He did, however, accept appointment as a Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Bath, which, he said, "rated much higher than a peerage".[13]
In 1955, Lascelles was very supportive ofJames Pope-Hennessy's commission to write an official biography of Queen Mary, although initially he wondered why and by whom this unknown young writer had been commissioned. Lascelles was a crucial witness for many key events (e.g., the abdication of Edward VIII). When the book passed the royal censors, Lascelles was livid that Pope-Hennessy phoned him with the news rather than coming round with the good news in person.[14]
Lascelles's papers are now held in theChurchill Archives Centre atChurchill College,Cambridge.[15]
On 16 March 1920, Lascelles married Joan Frances Vere Thesiger (1895–1971), daughter ofFrederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford, a formerViceroy of India andFirst Lord of the Admiralty.[10]
They had three children:
Lascelles died on 10 August 1981 atKensington Palace at the age of 94.
It has recently been revealed that he was bisexual and had a relationship with various men including two royal biographers includingJames Pope-Hennessy.[19]
Lascelles is portrayed byPaul Brooke in the 2002 filmBertie and Elizabeth andPip Torrens in the 2016Netflix seriesThe Crown.
——— (2006).Hart-Davis, Duff (ed.).King's Counsellor: Abdication and War: The Diaries of Tommy Lascelles. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.ISBN 978-0-297-85155-4.
Lascelles, Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Frederick, (11 April 1887–10 Aug. 1981), Past Director: The Midland Bank; Royal Academy of Music; Private Secretary to the Queen, 1952–53; Keeper of the Queen's Archives, 1952–53 (of the King's Archives, 1943–52),doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U166201Who's Who
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Secretary to the Governor General of Canada 1931–1935 | Succeeded by |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by | Private Secretary to the Sovereign 1943–1953 | Succeeded by |
