Diplomatic Career
Lascelles served in junior positions at the British embassies in Madrid, Paris, Rome, Washington D.C. and Athens and was Consul-General in Egypt from 20 March to 10 October 1879, during the last years of the reign of Khedive Isma'il Pasha. In 1879 Lascelles became Consul-General in Bulgaria, which had been an autonomous principality since the Treaty of Berlin of 1878. He remained in Bulgaria until 1887, and was then Minister (similar to ambassador) to Romania from 1887 to 1891 and to Persia from 1891 to 1894, where his niece Gertrude Bell visited him, starting a lifelong passion for travel. He served briefly as Ambassador to Russia between 1894 to 1895, but the latter year he was appointed to succeeded Sir Edward Malet as Ambassador to Germany.
His tenure in Berlin saw the growing estrangement between Germany and the United Kingdom and Lascelles notably had to deal with the effects of the Kruger telegram only days after his arrival. His relationship with Emperor William II were always cordial but he was known to resent the policies of Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow. He resigned as Ambassador in 1908 but continued to exercise influence over Anglo-German relations up until the First World War. Lascelles was made a KCMG in 1886, a GCMG in 1892, a GCB in 1897 and a GCVO in 1904 and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1892.
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