Queen Elizabeth to marry George Lascelles?

Started by LouisFerdinand, April 18, 2017, 11:54:26 PM

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LouisFerdinand

At one time was there a consideration of Princess Elizabeth marrying her first cousin, The Honourable George Lascelles?


TLLK

No!  I don't think that the families or the public would have accepted that match.

Curryong

^ The story has always been that Elizabeth was attracted to Prince Philip from the first time she met him at 13 in 1939 onwards. When she was getting to know Philip a lot better in the latter part of the war, when Philip came to Windsor when he was on leave, George was a POW in Colditz. Although the family missed him and were worried about him (he was under sentence of death in March 1945, with a warrant signed by Adolf himself, until the SS officer in charge of the execution refused to carry out the order, realising the war was lost) there is no indication whatsoever that the cousins were ever romantically attracted.

George was musically talented and loved opera etc, something Elizabeth had no interest in whatsoever. By the time George returned home after his service abroad the King and Queen were pretty well reconciled to Elizabeth's mind being made up, and Philip's too. It wouldn't have mattered, by 1945/46, how many aristocrats and/or cousins were pointed in the Princess's direction.

LouisFerdinand

Quote from: TLLK on April 19, 2017, 12:05:12 AM
No!  I don't think that the families or the public would have accepted that match.
George was the son of Princess Mary, The Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood. She was respected.


TLLK

^^^Yes that is true, but honestly I don't believe that in the late 1940's the public would have wanted to see a pair of first cousins marry. There would have been a greater potential for problems to arise with any children they'd have together Of course Phillip and Elizabeth are related but not as closely as Elizabeth and George would have been.

LouisFerdinand

If Princess Elizabeth had married George, would the titles of Viscount Lascelles and Earl of Harewood have come to the Crown?


Curryong

No, I don't think so. However, in accordance with the expectations of that time, I think the King would have 'promoted' George to a Royal Dukedom, perhaps one named after a city or location in Yorkshire near the Lascelles family estates.

amabel

Not a royal dukedom I'd say perhaps a noble dukedom.  His title when she became queen could have been sorted out later.  Anway not going to happen as they had nothing in common, and she loved Philip

LouisFerdinand

If George had married Princess Elizabeth, then he could still be Viscount Lascelles and eventually the Earl of Harewood?


Curryong

Well, George was his father's heir. His father was Earl Lascelles. If the King had promoted him to Duke upon his marriage and his father was dead, he would be say the Duke of Wirral, Earl Harewood, Viscount Lascelles. His son and heir would be known as Earl Lascelles, George's second title, (presuming he was born before the King's death,) and then Duke of Cornwall when his mother succeeded. The Earldom would then become one of the boy's junior titles but ranking below hereditary Royal ones. The Dukedom of Wirral would then be treated as the Edinburgh title is now. It would be borne by George for his lifetime, then be subsumed into the Crown to be recreated for a younger son (if there was one) or go into abeyance. However, this is all hypothetical as Philip was Elizabeth's first and last choice.

amabel


LouisFerdinand

Would Harewood House near Leeds, Yorkshire be considered a royal residence?


Curryong

No, it isn't. It's the historical home of the Earl's of Harewood and they arent Royal. Princess Mary just married into the family, that's all.

LouisFerdinand

Thus if George Lascelles had married Cousin Elizabeth, then Harewood House would be the property of the Lascelles only, and not the Windsors.


Curryong

Yes, Harewood House would be, as it is now, the ancestral home of the Lascelles family. George Lascelles never in a thousand million years had any intention of ever marrying Elizabeth and that went double for Elizabeth, so I don't know why you're labouring the point!