Figure 3.--Princes Mary's sons were the Honarable Gerard Lascelles and George Lascelles. Note the boys' matching outfits with large ruffled collars and strap shoes. This photograph was taken about 1926.

Princess Mary and the Earl of Harewood had two sons, George and Gerald. George Vicount Lascelles was Princess Mary's eldest son. He was born in 1923. I have no information on his childhood. George was educated at Ludgrove School, Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. After completing his education, he was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards. Gerald was born in 1924. He was Princess Mary's youngesr son. He was created The Honourable Gerald Lascelles. Gerald was born at Goldsborough Hall, near Knaresborough in North Yorkshire. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of York were his godparents. We do not know much about his childhood. As he and his brother were close in age, they were often dressed alike. We do not yet have much information on their childhood. Both boys served in the military during Woirkd War II. George was taken prisoner in Ilaly. After this, Gerald was not posted overseas. We know a good deal about their adult lives.

The Boys

George Lascelles (1923- )

George Vicount Lascelles was Princess Mary's eldest son. He was born in 1923. I have no information on his childhood. George was educated at Ludgrove School, Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. After completing his education, he was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards. He was promotef to the rank of captain. He was engaged in combat in the Italian campaign during World War II. The Germans captured and held him as a POW in Oflag IV-C from (1944-45). He is now the Earl of Harewood. He wrote an autobiography called The Tongs and the Bones. He married Marion Donata Stein who was called Marion (1949). They had three children: David (1950- ), James (1953- ), and Jeremy (1955- ). Vicount Lascelles divorced his first wife (1967). Marion subsequently married the Liberal MP Jeremy Thorpe. George married a second time to Patricia Tuckwell (1967). They had one son, Mark (1964- ).

Gerald Lascelles (1924-98)

Gerald was born in 1924. He was Princess Mary's youngesr son. He was created The Honourable Gerald Lascelles. Gerald was born at Goldsborough Hall, near Knaresborough in North Yorkshire. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of York were his godparents. We do not know much about his childhood. As he and his brother were close in age, they were often dressed alike. After King Edward VIII abdicated, he for a brief period became eight in the line of succession to the British throne. After his older brother Lord Harewood became a POW during World War II, Gerald was not permitted to serve abroad during the War. Lascelles was best known for his involvement with auto raceing. He managed to race raced cars for a short time, although immediately after the War he was not permitted to do so. He was the long-time president of the British Racing Drivers' Club (1964-1991). The 5th Earl Howe had asked Lascelles to replace him. He was a great admirer of jazz. Lascelles married Angela Estree Lyssod D'Arcy Dowding (1919-2007) at St. Margaret's, Westminster (1952). They had one son, Henry Ulick Lascelles (1953- ). They divorced (1978). Lascelles married agsin to Elizabeth Evelyn Collingwood (1924–2006) in Vienna, Austria (1978). They had one son, Martin David (1962). Lascelles died in Bergerac, France (1998).

Motherhood

We have found quite a few portraits of Princess Mary with hrt two boys. They are all formal portraits. We o not yet have details about what kind of mother he was or her relationship with the boys. The portrait uggest that she was quite close to them. but that is ifficult to tell in these formal portraitts. Strangely we do not see her husband in these portraits.

Children's Clothes

The boys were very smartly dressed as boys, often in identical outfits. I have only two images, but in both the boys who were very close in age were dressed identically. We note that Princess Mary liked dressing the boy identically, although this was not possible when Gerald was just a baby. The boys when they were younger (3-6 years), wore blouses with big ruffled collars, rather incongrously with a tie. With this outfit they wore white ankle socks and strap shoes. They also wore kneepants rather than short pants when young for official portraits. This shows that kneepants were still worn in the early 1920s, although rapidly being replaved by the more popular short pants. They usually wore white thre-quater length or ankle socks. I have not noted them in white kneesocks. The available images show blavk strap shoes. They may have worn colored strap shoes, probably red, for play. As older boys, probably after they began preparatory school at about 8 years of age, they wore short pants suits and kneesocks. In their prepschool uniforms they they look very much like the average British school boys of the day rather than fancily dressed young royals as they did as younger boys.

Created: 6:43 PM 7/25/2008
Last updated: 6:43 PM 7/25/2008