| Mary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Formal portraitc. 1932 | |||||
| Born | Princess Mary of York (1897-04-25)25 April 1897 York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk, England | ||||
| Died | 28 March 1965(1965-03-28) (aged 67) Harewood House, Yorkshire, England | ||||
| Burial | 1 April 1965 | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | |||||
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| House |
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| Father | George V | ||||
| Mother | Mary of Teck | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Mary, Princess Royal (Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary; 25 April 1897 – 28 March 1965), was a member of theBritish royal family. She was the only daughter ofKing George V andQueen Mary, the sister of kingsEdward VIII andGeorge VI, and aunt ofElizabeth II. In theFirst World War, she performed charity work in support of servicemen and their families.She marriedHenry Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles (later the 6th Earl of Harewood), in 1922. Mary was given the title ofPrincess Royal in 1932. During theSecond World War, she was Controller Commandant of theAuxiliary Territorial Service. The Princess Royal and the Earl of Harewood had two sons,George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, andGerald David Lascelles.
Mary was born on 25 April 1897 atYork Cottage on theSandringham Estate inNorfolk, during the reign of her great-grandmotherQueen Victoria. She was the third child and only daughter of theDuke andDuchess of York. Her father was the only surviving son of thePrince andPrincess of Wales, while her mother was the eldest child and only daughter of theDuke andDuchess of Teck. She was named Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary, after her paternal great-grandmother Queen Victoria;[1][2] her paternal grandmother,Alexandra, Princess of Wales; her maternal grandmother,Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck; and her great-aunt,Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, with whom she shared a birthday. She was known by the last of her Christian names, Mary. She was fifth in theline of succession at the time of her birth, preceded by her grandfather, father, and elder brothersEdward andAlbert, though would later move down the line after the births of her younger brothersHenry,George, andJohn.
She was baptised atSt Mary Magdalene's Church nearSandringham on 7 June 1897 byWilliam Dalrymple Maclagan,Archbishop of York. Her godparents were: the Queen (her great-grandmother); theKing of the Hellenes (her paternal great-uncle); theDowager Empress of Russia (her paternal great-aunt); the Prince and Princess of Wales (her paternal grandparents); the Duchess of Teck (her maternal grandmother);Princess Victoria of Wales (her paternal aunt); andPrince Francis of Teck (her maternal uncle).[citation needed] Her grandfather ascended the throne in 1901 when Mary was three years old.
Princess Mary was educated by governesses, but shared some lessons with her brothers, Edward, Albert, and Henry. She became fluent in German and French, and developed a lifelong interest in horses and horse racing. Her first state appearance was at thecoronation of her parents,King George V andQueen Mary atWestminster Abbey on 22 June 1911.
DuringWorld War I, Princess Mary visited hospitals and welfare organisations with her mother;[3] assisting with projects to give comfort to British servicemen and assistance to their families. One of these projects wasPrincess Mary's Christmas Gift Fund, through which a total of £100,000 worth of gifts was sent to serving British soldiers and sailors forChristmas, 1914,[3][4] (the equivalent of £12.1 million in 2023 when adjusted for inflation).[5]She took an active role in promoting theGirl Guide movement, theVADs, and theLand Girls. In June 1918, following an announcement inThe Gentlewoman, she began a nursing course atGreat Ormond Street Hospital, working two days a week in the Alexandra Ward.[3][6][7]
In 1918 she was appointed colonel-in-chief of theRoyal Scots, this honour being bestowed by her father, the King.[8] On 20 November 1918, Princess Mary became the first member of the royal family to visit France following theArmistice. She visited centres associated withQueen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service or Voluntary Aid Detachment Units, and hospitals with wounded soldiers.[9] While visitingYpres she spotted two soldiers from the Royal Scots. It transpired that the entire regiment was stationed there, and a march past and parade of the regiment's 17thbattalion was arranged.[10] During her visit toLe Tréport, she rode in awhippet tank, which theYorkshire Evening Post described as a "great experience".[10]
Princess Mary's public duties reflected her concerns withnursing, theGirl Guide movement, and the Women's Services.In the period leading up to her marriage, girls and women in the British Empire named Mary or its variants (including Marie, May and Miriam) banded together to form "The Marys of the Empire," and donated money toward a wedding present.[11][12] She presented this fund to the Girl Guides Association for the purchase of the estate ofFoxlease, and following the exhibition of her wedding presents, she also contributed half the proceeds to the same cause, for upkeep, a total of £10,000, which enabled the project to go ahead.[13][14]
She became honorary president of theBritish Girl Guide Association in 1920, a position she held until her death.[15] In 1925 she received theSilver Fish Award, Girl Guiding's highest adult honour, in recognition of her contribution to the movement.[16] In 1958 she became the president of theGuide Club.[17]
It was reported in July 2013 thatBritish Pathé had discovered newsreel film from 1927 in which the ancestors ofCatherine Middleton are, asLord Mayors ofLeeds, playing host to Princess Mary at the Young Women's Christian Association inHunslet, Leeds; bothSir Charles Lupton and his brotherHugh Lupton, were the uncles ofOlive Middleton, the Princess of Wales's great-grandmother.[18][19]
In 1921, the Princess became the first patron of theNot Forgotten Association, a position she held until her death in 1965. The charity's first Christmas Tea Party was organised by Mary and held atSt James's Palace in 1921 when she invited 600 wounded servicemen for afternoon tea and the event has been held annually ever since.[20] In 1926, Princess Mary became the commandant-in-chief of theBritish Red Cross Detachments.[21][3]
In the 1920s, she was a patron of theLeeds Triennial Musical Festival.[22] By the 1940s, Princess Mary was attending the opening nights and many of the festival's performances, as was her son,George, and his wife, theCountess of Harewood, née Marion Stein, a former concert pianist.[23][24] George was a noted music critic whose career included the role of artistic director of the Leeds Triennial Musical Festival.[25]
In 1931, she was appointed patron of theYorkshire Ladies Council of Education.[26] She was also patron of the Girls' Patriotic Union of Day Schools.[27]
It was reported in July 1927 that at a garden party at theHeadingley Cricket Ground, the Princess was servedtea alongside dignitaries who included members of theMiddleton family; Olive Middleton, great-grandmother ofCatherine, Princess of Wales, was one of them. The Princess and her son,George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, were patrons of theYorkshire Symphony Orchestra which had played atsoirées at their home,Harewood House. Attending these concerts was the orchestra's co-founder,Richard Noël Middleton, who was on friendly terms with the Princess. Middleton's wife, Olive, was a member of the Princess'sfundraising committee for theLeeds General Infirmary.[30][31][32][33] Olive's first cousin was fellow committee memberElinor G. Lupton who reportedly launched the fund-raising appeal in 1933. The committee's vice-presidents included the Princess's sister-in-law,the Hon. Mrs Edward Lascelles, who served alongside Olive Middleton and her relative,Jessie Beatrice Kitson.[34] Princess Mary became patron of the Leeds Infirmary in 1936.[35]
On 28 February 1922, Princess Mary marriedViscount Lascelles,[36] the elder son ofthe 5th Earl of Harewood and his wife,Lady Florence Bridgeman, daughter ofthe 3rd Earl of Bradford ofWeston Park. The bride was 24 years old, while the groom was 39.
Their wedding was held atWestminster Abbey, and attracted large crowds along the route toBuckingham Palace.[37] The ceremony was the first royal wedding to be covered in fashion magazines, includingVogue. The bride's gown was designed by Messrs Raville and featured emblems of Britain and India.[38] It was the first royal occasion in whichLady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, a friend of Princess Mary, participated, as one of the bridesmaids. She later married Mary's brother, Prince Albert, and becamequeen consort of the United Kingdom upon his accession in 1936.[39]
Princess Mary and Lord Lascelles had two sons:[40]
The Princess and her husband had homes in London (firstChesterfield House inSouth Audley Street, and later 32Green Street, Mayfair) and in Yorkshire (firstGoldsborough Hall, and laterHarewood House).[41]
Prior to her marriage, Mary's husband Viscount Lascelles had purchased a palatial London townhouse,Chesterfield House in South Audley Street for £140,000; Chesterfield House served as the couple's London residence for the first nine years of their marriage. In 1931 King George V and Queen Mary purchased 32Green Street, Mayfair as a London home for their daughter, rendering Chesterfield House surplus to the couple's needs. Princess Mary and Lord Harewood vacated Chesterfield House in early 1932.[42] Queen Mary reportedly expressed an interest in purchasing 32 Green Street as a London House for her daughter in 1931, and consent was obtained from property's owner,Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster with the proviso that the Grosvenor Estates could maintain the right to repurchase the House at a future date if its use as a royal residence ceased.[43] The couple continued to occupy 32 Green Street when in London until the outbreak of War in 1939, and the House was repurchased byGrosvenor Estate in 1946;[44] the house was later repurposed as theEmbassy of Brazil, London.[43] Following the outbreak of the Second World War, she was granted the use of a grace-and-favour apartment atSt James's Palace, which continued to be her official London residence for the remainder of her life.[45]
![Chesterfield House, Mayfair (1917). Owned by Lord Harewood from 1918 - 1934.[42]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aThe_US_Diplomatic_Service_in_Britain%2c_1914-1918_Q30247.jpg)
![32 Green Street, Mayfair — Princess Mary and Lord Harewood's London Residence from 1932 - 1939.[43]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aFormer_embassy_of_Brazil%2c_London.jpg)
While at Goldsborough Hall, Princess Mary had internal alterations made by the architect Sydney Kitson, to suit the upbringing of her two children and instigated the development of formal planting of beech-hedge-lined long borders from the south terrace looking for a quarter of a mile down an avenue of lime trees. The limes were planted by her relatives as they visited the Hall throughout the 1920s, including her father, King George, and mother, Queen Mary.
After becoming the Countess of Harewood upon the death of her father-in-law, Princess Mary moved to Harewood House, and took a keen interest in the interior decoration and renovation of the Lascellesfamily seat.[4][41] In farming pursuits, Princess Mary also became an expert in cattle breeding and was on the board of trustees of theRoyal Agricultural Society of England of which her husband had been president.[46][47] In December 2012, some of the Princess's belongings were sold in "Harewood: Collecting in the Royal Tradition", an auction organised byChristie's.[46][48]
In the first half of the 20th century, she occasionally rode with theBramham Moor Hunt – Lord Harewood wasMaster of the Hunt – and entertained manyhorse-racing enthusiasts at Harewood house parties for the race events atWetherby andYork.[49]
On 6 October 1929, Lord Lascelles, who had been created aKnight of the Garter upon his marriage, succeeded his father as 6thEarl of Harewood, Viscount Lascelles, and Baron Harewood. On 1 January 1932, George V declared that his only daughter should bear the title Princess Royal, succeeding her auntPrincess Louise, Duchess of Fife, who had died a year earlier.[50][51]
The Princess Royal was particularly close to her eldest brother, the Prince of Wales, known as David to his close family, who subsequently becameEdward VIII upon the death of their father in 1936. After theabdication crisis, she and her husband went to stay with the former Edward VIII, by then created Duke of Windsor, at Enzesfeld Castle nearVienna. Later, in November 1947, she allegedly declined to attend thewedding of her niece,Princess Elizabeth, toLieutenant Philip Mountbatten as the Duke of Windsor had not been invited. She gave ill health as the official reason for her non-attendance.[52] In March 1953, she cut short her tour of the West Indies and before returning to London, made a surprise diversion to New York, where she met with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.[53] She posed for photographs with them before she and the duke boarded the ship they travelled on to visit their ailing mother, Queen Mary.[54]
At the outbreak ofWorld War II, the Princess Royal became chief controller and later controller commandant of theAuxiliary Territorial Service, renamed theWomen's Royal Army Corps in 1949.[55][56] In that capacity, she travelled across the country, visiting its units, as well as wartime canteens and other welfare organisations.[55] After thedeath in 1942 of her younger brother, theDuke of Kent, she became the president ofPapworth Hospital. The Princess Royal becameair chief commandant ofPrincess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service in 1950, and received the honorary rank of general in theBritish Army in 1956.[55] Also, in 1949, the 10th Gurkha Rifles were renamed the10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles in her honour.[57]
After her husband's death in 1947, the Princess Royal lived at Harewood House with her elder son and his family. She became thechancellor of theUniversity of Leeds in 1951, and continued to carry out official duties at home and abroad. She attended thecoronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953, and later represented the Queen at the independence celebrations ofTrinidad and Tobago in 1962, andZambia in 1964.[58] One of her last official engagements was to represent the Queen at the funeral ofQueen Louise of Sweden in early March 1965. The Princess Royal visited her brother, the Duke of Windsor, at theLondon Clinic in March 1965, while he recovered from recent eye surgery. The Princess also met his wife, theDuchess of Windsor, one of the Duchess's few meetings with her husband's immediate family to take place.
On 28 March 1965, the Princess Royal had a fatal heart attack during a walk with her elder son, Lord Harewood, and his children in the grounds of theHarewood House estate. Mary was 67 years old. She was buried next to her husband in the Lascelles family vault atAll Saints' Church, Harewood, after a private family funeral atYork Minster. A memorial service was held atWestminster Abbey, London.[59] Her will was sealed in London after her death with her estate valued at£347,626 (or £8.5 million in 2023 when adjusted for inflation).[5][60]
Six British monarchs reigned during Princess Mary's lifetime:Victoria (her great-grandmother),Edward VII (her grandfather),George V (her father),Edward VIII andGeorge VI (her brothers), andElizabeth II (her niece). She is typically remembered as an uncontroversial figure of the royal family.[46] The Princess was portrayed byKate Phillips inDownton Abbey (2019).
During theBritish Mandate of Palestine, a major street in Jerusalem next to theOld City was called Princess Mary Street.[61] After the creation ofIsrael, the street name was changed toQueen Shlomzion Street, to commemorate the Jewish queen.[citation needed]
Mary was known as "Princess Mary of York" at birth.[62] Mary was not styled "Her Royal Highness" from birth, only gaining that style in 1898 by letters patent granted by her great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.[63] After Victoria's death in January 1901, Mary was known as Princess Mary of Cornwall and York, until her father's creation asPrince of Wales in November of that year, when she assumed the title "Princess Mary of Wales".[64]
Upon her father's accession as George V in 1910, Mary assumed the style of "Her Royal Highness The Princess Mary".[a] In 1922, Mary marriedViscount Lascelles and began using the title "Her Royal Highness The Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles". When her husband succeeded asEarl of Harewood in 1929, Mary became known as "Her Royal Highness The Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood".[69][b] In 1932, her father gave her the titlePrincess Royal, which had previously belonged to her aunt Louise until her death the year prior. For the rest of her life, Mary was known as "Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal".[73]
Spain: Dame of theOrder of Queen Maria Luisa,12 July 1926[81]In 1931, Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, was awarded her own personalarms, being the royal arms, differenced by a label argent of three points, each bearing a cross gules.[86]
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Princess Mary'scoat of arms | Mary's banner of arms | Mary's banner of arms in Scotland | Princess Mary'sarms of alliance with her husbandHenry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood |
| Ancestors of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood |
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The princess maintained her interest with the Girl Guide Association throughout her life, serving as president from 1920 until her death.
Another film called 'Princess Mary' is from 1927 and it shows Kate Middleton's great-great-great uncle the Lord Mayor of Leeds Hugh Lupton and his wife Lady Mayoress Isabella Lupton greeting Princess Mary who had arrived in Leeds to inaugurate the Girls Week Campaign of Hunslet Young Women's Christian Association. Princess Mary was King George VI's sister and therefore is Prince William's great-great-aunt.
(After her marriage in 1922) Princess Mary became the commandant-in-chief of the British Red Cross Detachments.
...(Princess Mary) was concert-going in Leeds as recently as this week-end when (she) attended the concert. The Princess Royal is a patron of the Leeds Triennial Musical Festival. During the last series in October, 1947, she attended most...
...the Countess plans to attend every night of the Leeds Triennial Musical Festival...
The Princess carries an impressive bouquet of carnations and trailing fern and is escorted by former Leeds Lord Mayor Sir Edwin Airey, of the building company, William Airey and Son Leeds Ltd. The Lady Mayoress, Isabella Lupton escorts the Princess's husband, Viscount Lascelles, who is behind his wife. The Lord Mayor, Alderman Hugh Lupton, Lady Clarke and Mrs R.X. [N.] Middleton bring up the rear of the procession.
On 27th July 1927, at the Headingley Cricket Ground, near Leeds, Princess Mary was photographed as guest of honour at a garden party. The procession of dignitaries which followed her included Charles Lupton's brother, Leeds Lord Mayor Hugh Lupton and his wife Isabella Lupton, the Lady Mayoress. Their niece, Olive Middleton (nee Lupton) was also photographed as one of the dignitaries in the procession walking behind Princess Mary. Olive had been on the Princess's fundraising committee for the Leeds Infirmary and her husband, Noel Middleton, had co-founded the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra with both the Princess and her son George Lascelles as patrons.
...Gertrude was the wealthy sister of the Duchess of Cambridge's great-grandfather [Richard] Noël Middleton, a solicitor, director of the family's textile firm and - through his founding of the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra and his directorship of the Leeds Music Festival - on friendly terms with the Queen's aunt, Princess Mary
Mr. Sutherland and his wife had the honour of being presented to the Princess, also the Deputy Lady Mayoress (Mrs Owen), the Misses Airey, Sir Charles and Lady Wilson, the Vicar of Leeds and Mrs. Elliott, Miss Lupton, Mr. H. C. Emhleton, Mrs. Ostler...served tea...beautiful programme of music...[Also,Leeds Mercury, 28 July 1927 ...presented [to the Princess] were Sir Charles and Lady Wilson, the Rev. W. Thompson Elliott and Mrs. Elliott, the Rev. and Mrs. J. G. Sutherland, Mr. C. Embleton (the founder of the Leeds Choral Union), Lady Coward, Lady Clarke...Mrs Ostler, Alderman and Mrs. Ratcliffe, Miss Owen..]
On 27th July 1927, at the Headingley Cricket Ground, near Leeds, Princess Mary was photographed as guest of honour at a garden party...Their niece, Olive Middleton (nee Lupton) was also photographed as one of the dignitaries in the procession walking behind Princess Mary. Olive had been on the Princess's fundraising committee for the Leeds Infirmary and her husband, Noel Middleton, had co-founded the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra with both the Princess and her son George Lascelles as patrons...Noel Middleton had attended soirees at Harewood House...
The Princess carries an impressive bouquet of carnations and trailing fern and is escorted by former Leeds Lord Mayor Sir Edwin Airey, of the building company, William Airey and Son Leeds Ltd. The Lady Mayoress, Isabella Lupton escorts the Princess's husband, Viscount Lascelles, who is behind his wife. The Lord Mayor, Alderman Hugh Lupton, Lady Clarke and Mrs R.X. [N.] Middleton bring up the rear of the procession.
The committee was launched by Miss E.G. Lupton...it was announced that the Princess Royal had agreed to become Patron of the whole Appeal... Vice-Presidents are:-... Lady Irwin, Lady Bingley, Lady Moynihan,... Lady Burton.. the Hon. Mrs Edward Lascelles...serving on the Committee are...Lady Burton,...Miss Elinor Lupton... Mrs Noel Middleton...Miss J.B. Kitson...
PREFACE - THIS book was dedicated with her gracious permission to Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal who became Patron of the Infirmary in 1936 under the new Charter of Incorporation. Her sudden death on March 28th, 1965 was....
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link){{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)[page 175] 1949 - Trustees...HRH Princess Mary...Harewood House....
During the Bramham Moor Hunt season, hundreds of spectators would turn out to catch a glimpse of... However, Mary did not hunt often, preferring to watch horse racing instead...[...husband Viscount Harewood was Master of the (Bramham Moor) Hunt]...In the 1930s, there were regular house parties and a stream of visitors for the race events at Wetherby and York, ...
Mary was rarely seen out of uniform during the Second World War as Chief Controller and later Controller Commandant of the Auxiliary Territorial Service. She travelled the length and breadth of the country visiting ATS units, canteens and military command stations.
Media related toMary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood at Wikimedia Commons
Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood Cadet branch of theHouse of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Born: 25 April 1897 Died: 28 March 1965 | ||
| British royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Title last held by Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife | Princess Royal 1932–1965 | Vacant Title next held by Princess Anne |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the University of Leeds 1951–1965 | Succeeded by |
Generations are numbered by their descent fromGeorge V andMary of Teck | ||
| 1st generation |  | |
| 2nd generation | ||
| 3rd generation | ||
| 4th generation | ||
| 5th generation | ||
*Descendant ofElizabeth II and therefore use the surnameMountbatten-Windsor, but officially considered members of the House of Windsor | ||
