Angela Lascelles

She was born on 20 April 1919 in Hanwell, London, to Charles Stanley Dowding (1887–1969), a second lieutenant of the Somerset Light Infantry from Dulwich, and his wife Lilian Emma Lawler (1887–1959), later Lady Fox[1] and originally from St Marylebone.[2] She studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama before starring in Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit in the West End, and the film Miss London Ltd.[3]

On 15 July 1952, she married Gerald David Lascelles, the second son of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood.[3] They had met at a party hosted by the Earl of Kimberley.[3] He was a grandson of King George V and a cousin of Elizabeth II. At the time of their marriage, he was twelfth in the line of succession to the British throne. As the son of an earl, he was styled The Honourable, and her style (formerly Miss Angela Dowding) became The Honourable Mrs Gerald Lascelles.

The marriage took place at St. Margaret's, Westminster, with members of the British royal family in attendance. However, the Queen did not attend due to a last-minute cold.[3] This was seen in the press to be a snub for the couple.[3] The reception took place at St James's Palace and was attended by Queen Mary, the groom's maternal grandmother.

The couple had one child, Henry Ulick Lascelles (born 19 May 1953 in London), who married twice and has one son. In 1955, the family moved to Fort Belvedere, Surrey, the former country home of Gerald Lascelles's uncle, Edward VIII (the Duke of Windsor).[3]

The couple divorced in 1978, and he later married actress Elizabeth Colvin (née Collingwood).[3] Angela Lascelles continued to live in Windsor Great Park, and she maintained good relations with the royal family. The Queen continued to invite her to the Royal Enclosure at Ascot. She never remarried and died in Virginia Water, Surrey, on 28 February 2007.[3]

• Portraits of Angela Lascelles at the National Portrait Gallery, London