Gerald Lascelles

Gerald Lascelles

The Honourable Gerald David Lascelles (21 August 1924 – 27 February 1998) was the younger son of Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood and Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. He was the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He was styled The Honourable Gerald Lascelles. He and his first cousin, The Princess Margaret, shared the same birthday.

Lascelles was born at Goldsborough Hall, near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, and was baptised with The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of York as his godparents. After Edward VIII abdicated, he became 8th in the line of succession.

On 15 July 1952, he married Angela Estree Lyssod D'Arcy Dowding (20 April 1919 – 28 February 2007) at St. Margaret's, Westminster. Before divorcing in 1978, they had one son :

• Henry Ulick Lascelles, born on 19 May 1953. Henry married first Alexandra Morton in 25 August 1979, divorced 1999, and second Fiona Wilmott in 2006. He has one son by his first marriage, Maximilian John Gerald, born 19 December 1991.

On 17 November 1978, Lascelles married his second wife, Elizabeth Evelyn Collingwood (23 April 1924 – 14 January 2006), in Vienna, Austria. They had a son :

• Martin David Lascelles (born 9 February 1962, London), before their marriage. Martin married Charmaine Eccleston in 1999, and they have a son, Alexander Joshua, born in 2002. Martin also has an illegitimate daughter with Carol Douet named Georgina Elizabeth. She was born in 1988.

Lascelles was the president of the British Racing Drivers' Club from 1964 to 1991 after the 5th Earl Howe died. Lord Howe had asked Lascelles to replace him. He was briefly a driver before this. In his role as BRDC president Lascelles was invited by the Australian Racing Drivers Club, promoters of the Bathurst 1000 Touring car race, to be the Grand Marshall for the 1985 race.

He was also a passionate jazz enthusiast and collaborated with journalist and magazine editor Sinclair Traill in compiling the popular Just Jazz yearbooks in the 1950s.

Lascelles died in Bergerac, France, in 1998.