But it seems obvious from this distance as it seemed to Lascelles then that Edward had never planned to make it that far and wasnt going to stay long. When, about the middle of December, we got home, the King [George V] was still very ill; indeed, when Stanley Baldwin met us at Folkestone, he told us that HM might not live through the night. Lascelless history with Edward VIII is essential to understanding later events. Looking back, I don't believe I could have done anything but what I did namely to wait upon events. Richard Shaw [who had written an obituary of Edward for future use, which he'd asked Tommy to comment on] tactfully introduces Mrs Simpson by saying: 'He fell deeply in love with a woman who had had two husbands.'. Queen Elizabeth II has an ultra-close relationship with her daughter-in-law, Sophie, Countess of Wessex.And, rumor has it, she and Prince Edward are high up on her list of favorite family members. I have recently finished listening to the audio version of Kings Counsellor which as a nice touch is narrated by Pip Torrens. Princess Alice did come to live at Buckingham Palace in 1967, but her stay was not like it was portrayed in The Crown, according to Vickers. It remains to be seen whether he will eventually be remembered as the last of the old school who helped the monarchy transition to its modern function or as a crusty old reactionary who needlessly destroyed a clutch of happy lives. And when I returned to England, he sent for me and talked away as if nothing had happened. The King passed no comment till his tour of inspection was ended; he then turned to the gardener and told him to cut all the blossom on the following day, and to send it to Mrs Simpson and to one or two other ladies, to embellish their drawing rooms in London. Essentially honourable, then, despite being memorably unpleasant. The Crown, which basically turned into a hit job on the royal family, tried to set up Lascelles as the villain, but he was the best character in the show (along with Anne). I shall never forget seeing Clive Wigram coming down the King's staircase at Buckingham Palace exclaiming at the top of his never well-modulated voice: 'He's mad he's mad. And while The Crown showed a tense relationship between Princess Alice and Prince Philip, the Queens husband wanted his mother to come stay with them and had for some time. My impression is that the Prince of Wales was caught napping by his father's death; he expected the old man to last several years more, and he had, in all probability, already made up his mind to renounce his claim to the throne, and to marry Mrs S. The comparatively sudden death of George V upset any such plans. But it stems from an implicit situation and tension between the two princesses. But for domestic reasons, I put it off. When Harold Nicolson was commissioned to write George Vs biography, Lascelles told him it would be the biography of an institution, and that there would be no need to descend into personalities. Royal rivalry provides a very rich theme which The Crown doesnt have to invent, Lacey says. It was substantially increased by the considerable sums which his brother paid him for his life interest in the Sandringham and Balmoral estates, so that, by the time he married, having no encumbrances, no overhead charges and no taxes to pay, he was one of the richest men in Europe if not the richest. Sir Alan Frederick, (11 April 188710 Aug. 1981), Past Director: The Midland Bank; Royal Academy of Music; Private Secretary to the Queen, 195253; Keeper of the Queens Archives, 195253 (of the Kings Archives, 194352), doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U166201 Who's Who, Assistant Private Secretary to the Sovereign, Secretary to the Governor General of Canada, Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal, "A most devoted subject and a most exacting critic", "The Papers of Sir Alan Lascelles | ArchiveSearch", doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U166201, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alan_Lascelles&oldid=1154252830. He was the Private Secretary to both King George VI and to Queen Elizabeth II. In 1978, after almost 20 years of marriage, they announced their divorce. There was one curious outward symptom of this. Queen Rania of Jordan shares sweet Instagram post celebrating a 'beautiful evening with friends and family' after the star-studded marriage of her son Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan, Kate's tribute to the late Queen: Princess wows in Her Majesty's diamond Cartier earrings at wedding reception of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Rajwa Al-Saif, MAUREEN CALLAHAN: Oh what joy we felt after claims Harry and Meghan have 'nothing left to say'! This isnt just bluster. Did the Queen have an affair with her horse racing manager? An Enchanted Prince Louis Was on His Best Behavior at King Charless Coronation. He's good for another seven years at least.'. Lascelles then returned to Britain and was appointed Assistant Private Secretary to Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1920, serving in that role until resigning in 1929, citing differences with the prince. Caligula himself can never have done anything more wanton. I've marked it as something to . Britain was saved by American financial help but this exaggerates Margarets role.. Party Princess dazzles in a shimmering Jenny Packham gown as she arrives at wedding reception of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Rajwa Al-Saif, A royally good wedding! After attending Marlborough College, followed by Trinity College, Oxford, Lascelles served in France with the Bedfordshire Yeomanry during the First World War, where he rose to the rank of captain and was awarded the Military Cross, after which he became aide-de-camp to his brother-in-law Lord Lloyd, the Governor of Bombay from 1919 to 1920. Ulick Alexander [keeper of the privy purse 193652] has told me that, in May of that year, he at last induced Edward VIII to go round his immense kitchen garden and glasshouses at Windsor. That is why the knighthood had to be refused, and why Wallis Simpson couldnt be Queen. This man was Alan Tommy Lascelles, former Private Secretary to George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, and the Assistant Private Secretary to Edward VIII when he was Prince of Wales. Seriously, yes. Edward Owens, who recently wrote a book about the royal family and the mass media, was denied access to them. In an excerpt of Hugo Vickers new book published in The Times, the historian says that the Queen did see her uncle in 1972, 10 days before he died however, the visit was long planned and he called the fabricated apology absurd. As for the letters from Charles? The plot focuses on Prince Philip in particular as he watches the moon landings and becomes intrigued by these men and believes they must have acquired some secret of existence by the great adventure they have been on, Lacey says. Writing to his uncle Adolphus Liddell (another slightly lost soul) he said: there is much in all the flummery and ceremonial which, even after a long course of military discipline, irritates me profoundly. We might be surprised at this lack of admiration for imperial flummery. As a young graduate, he was rather louche. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Not seen The Crown yet but Lascelles sounds like a fascinating dude from this narrative. This is why there was such a kerfuffle with the new King. I went on: 'You know, sometimes when I sit in York House waiting to get the result of some point-to-point in which he is riding, I can't help thinking that the best thing that could happen to him, and to the country, would be for him to break his neck. Most people have learned to apply a de-woking filter to current broadcast media. He heard me with scarcely an interruption, and when we parted, said: 'Well, goodnight, Tommy, and thank you for the talk. A pity we cannot have the rambunctious army princes alongside the more sober emperors. Charles, who was in love with the then-Camilla Shand, did indeed go away to sea. And Lascelles had only drifted into the role. Few men in the first half of the 20th century knew more royal secrets than Sir Alan 'Tommy' Lascelles, who served four monarchs, from George V to the Queen and now features as a pivotal. One of the right kind of British or English! (In one of his more venomous moments, Lascelles wrote that the Kings subjects would not tolerate a shop-spoiled American, with two living husbands and a voice like a rusty saw.) Lascelles believed in the substance of royalty, not just the display. Not sure about Margarets marriage. When Princess Mary and her husband inherited the vast estatewhich appears as itself in the Downton Abbey filmPrincess Mary was able to live a slightly more private life. She said you had once written a book called Tess Of The d'Urbervilles, and I said I was sure it was by somebody else. In 1953, all eyes were on the televised coronation of Queen Elizabeth IIincluding those of her uncle, the former king Edward VIII, who couldnt secure an invite and instead watched the ceremony from a party in Paris. Kate dazzles in a shimmering gold Jenny Packham gown as she arrives at the wedding reception A royally good wedding! London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Sir Alan Lascelles 2020. Quitting it, he called himself an inverted Falstaff (because he was thin, just as thin in middle age as when he was young), leaving Prince Hal to work out his own damnation. He had, in my opinion and in my experience, no comprehension of the ordinary axioms of rational or ethical behaviour. He bore me no malice whatever; while I was in Canada from March 1931 to October 1935, when I was Secretary to the Governor-General, he twice sent me messages to say that he would be glad to take me back whenever I wanted to come. It was only after a formal invitation was sent by Queen Elizabeth that Alice agreed. As well as playing a role in Edward VIIIs abdication, Lascelles is seen as one of the Establishment men who decided Princess Margaret couldnt marry Peter Townsend. If she had a father figure who mentored her as Queen in the political role and constitutional role in particular it was Churchill. Undoubtedly, the sort of revelations we have heard about the Royal Family since would have been anathema to his sense of decorum. Phillip Schofield news LIVE: Latest updates after bombshell BBC interview with Amol Rajan over affair with Phillip Schofield's younger lover landed a spot on five different ITV shows over five years. (2006). But I believe that even then, he would have clung to them (he always hated changing any scheme he had evolved himself) but for the provisions of his father's will. How much truth is there to the royal-related subplot in the period drama? [1][2] He was thus a cousin of Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood, who married Mary, Princess Royal, sister of his employers, Edward VIII and George VI. Although he was skittling around London dining with what Bertie Wooster would call some of the better elements, his diary never comes alive like it does when he shoots his first stag, or when hes riding a horse. But when his archives are eventually dusted off, I doubt we will find any dark secrets in there. Most of us, after such an exit, would never go back. Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty. [He also had an] astounding ignorance of English literature. Did Princess Margaret really go to her fathers private secretary Sir Alan Tommy Lascelles and ask to take her sisters place as Queen? an attitude typical of boyhood. There is no biography. Secondly, Phil tells his wife about a theory Tommy Lascelles imparted to him during a drunken night together some time back, which boils down to the idea that the royal family has endured because . For some years after I joined his staff in 1920, I had a great affection and admiration for the Prince of Wales. Though Anne had bewitched the King, she was despised by . Lascelles wrote to his wife Joan saying he was going to take the job: It is no use going about the world singing God Save the King if one isnt prepared to assist the Deity when called upon.. Not a popular sentiment in these times of feeling your feelings and all that, but sometimes I just need the kick in the ass that Tommy would gladly give me. Nor is there any reason why anything I write of him should be malicious. How Kate mastered the ultimate elegant evening look with a Jenny Packham gown and the Lover's Knot Tiara at the reception of Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Al-Saif, Inside Beatrice's holiday to Jordan: Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi shares sightseeing snaps from their trip to Petra before surprise appearance at Crown Prince Hussein's wedding, Kate is a golden wonder! You need it in this country. Light spoilers ahead for those who have not yet seen the movie. Having been a courtier, on and off, from 1920-1953, he gives a fascinating insight into how to preserve a monarchy in a democracy. The soulless Edward was king. He inherited his father George Lascelles' title after his death in 2011. To Edward VIII, living in exile as the Duke of Windsor, Lascelles was always that snake. "Ike didn't think I'd be able . Following his return to England from India in 1920 Lascelles . Princess has a rare tiara moment as she dons Sarah Ferguson's wedding jewels 'So you're not going?' Im not aware of her confiding to friends any negative remarks about Margaret. "I didn't even know how to get money," she said later. Inside Beatrice's holiday to Jordan: Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi shares sightseeing snaps from their trip to Petra Party Princess! "No. Did Princess Margaret really go to her father's private secretary Sir Alan "Tommy" Lascelles and ask to take her sister's place as Queen? Refuting the rumors of his fathers brusqueness, George wrote, Shy, aloof, and worse, I have heard my father called since; but that was not how his friends knew him [or] how his family felt about him. He also wrote that his parents got on well together and had a lot of friends and interests in commonOur mother was never so happy in our eyes as children as when she and my father were embarked on some scheme together.. Prior to that Lascelles was appointed Assistant Private Secretary toEdward, Prince of Wales, in 1920, serving in that role until resigning in 1929, citing differences with the prince. He was a man who believed in royal morals underpinning royal spectacles. At such a time, junior members of the Household cannot walk out on a new King because they happen to have disapproved of the Prince of Wales. As Michael Adeane and Tommy Lascelles inform the Queen on The Crown when she begins to have doubts about her sister's relationship, Armstrong-Jones was also involved with Gina Ward at the same . Edward had abdicated the throne in 1936 and put Elizabeth directly in the line of succession. Another form of as above, so below. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Once the journey was underway, a young man appeared in the doorway of my carriage. And the Telegraphs royal reporter Hugo Vickers writes that Princess Maryso duty- and monarchy-bound was shecertainly would never have considered leaving [her husband], as she does in the film. Vickers points to The Tongs and the Bones, the 1981 memoir written by Princess Marys son George, as evidence of a happier union than was rumored. This is, after all, Alan Lascelles: reactionary, establishment stalwart, slayer of marriages, arch defender of the old order. Lascelles was attracted to the job partly because St. Jamess Palace was half a mile from his house and a quarter of a mile from his club, but mostly because I have got a very deep admiration for the Prince, and I am convinced that the future of England is as much in his hands as in any individual. Simpson, who was nothing worse than a nincompoop, I believe, was aware of this plot, and for some reason best known to himself had thought fit to communicate the details of it privily to [a fellow Freemason] the Lord Mayor of London, of all people an uneasy secret which the good man was naturally unable to keep to himself. [citation needed], Lascelles was also Keeper of the Royal Archives from 1943 to 1953. Despite Queen Elizabeth II reaching new heights on the throne . As the third season of The Crown kicked off on Netflix on Sunday, the perennial question of how much of it is true raged among royal fans and historians once again. When you see it on television, it makes it seem he is disenchanted with the moon men and this turns to the Christian faith. Shaming of the guard: Queen's concern after three Coldstream You can buy the Queen's Aston Martin for 75,000: Wagner chief blasts Putin's bureaucrats for UAV attacks in Moscow, Adorable racoon 'orders' from Dunkin Donuts drive-thru window, Biden falls while handing out diplomas at Air Force Academy, Forty-five body bags with human remains found in northern Mexico, Emergency services clear Bournemouth Beach as crowd gathers, Ambulance helicopter takes off from incident site at Bournemouth Beach, Trans protester escorted out after storming Kathleen Stock's speech, Mystery thief caught on CCTV looting and plundering potted plant, 'Get a job': Angry man shouts at Just Stop Oil student protestors, STUMPED! It didnt seem to stop her later and she never seemed particularly happy. My favorite Lascelles moment is when the Queen takes a polite interest in his little battle recreation figures, picks one up, and sets it down again slightly askew. But it was precisely this slightly detached view that made him such a good courtier. On 2 June 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place at Westminster Abbey. Lascelles, known as Tommy, served in France with the Bedfordshire Yeomanry during the First World War. He had a very low opinion of the royal who gave up the British throne to marry an American divorcee and lived abroad for the rest of his life. to See Queen Elizabeth Be Crowned, King Charles and Queen Camilla Star in New Portrait as More Coronation Details Are Announced, Queen Camilla Makes First Appearance After Buckingham Palace Uses 'Queen' Title for First Time. A private photo (not taken by paparazzi, as seen in The Crown) was leaked of the duo swimming in the pool, edited to look as though they were alone leading to mounting issues with her husband, Lord Snowdon. Philip D'Oyly " Pip " Torrens [2] (born 2 June 1960) is an English actor. So I yielded. 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