Quick Facts
Biography
Angela Estree Lyssod D'Arcy Lascelles (née Dowding; 20 April 1919 - 28 February 2007) was a British actress and a relative of the British Royal Family. She was the first wife of The Honourable Gerald Lascelles, the second son of Princess Mary, the Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood.
Birth and career
Dowding was born on 20 April 1919 in Hanwell, London to Charles Dowding (1887-1969), a second lieutenant of the Somerset Light Infantry from Dulwich; and his wife Lilian Lawler (1887-1959) originally from St Marylebone. 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.
Marriage and issue
On 15 July 1952, she married Gerald Lascelles, the second son of Princess Mary, the Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood. Lascelles was a grandson of George V and a cousin of Elizabeth II. At the time of their marriage, Lascelles was twelfth in the line of succession to the British throne. As the son of an earl, he was styled The Honourable, and Mrs Lascelles's style (formerly Miss Angela Dowding) became The Honourable Mrs Gerald Lascelles.
The marriage took place at St. Margaret's, Westminster, with the Royal Family in attendance. However, the Queen did not attend due to a last-minute cold. This was seen in the press to be a snub for the couple due to Mrs Lascelles's low birth. The reception took place at St James's Palace, which Queen Mary, Mr Lascelles's grandmother, attended. Together they had one child:
- Henry Ulick Lascelles (born 19 May 1953 in London), has married twice and has one son
Fort Belvedere
In 1955, the Lascelleses moved to Fort Belvedere, Surrey, the former country home of Gerald Lascelles's uncle, Edward VIII (the Duke of Windsor).
Divorce and later life
Angela divorced from Gerald in 1978, and Mr Lascelles later married Elizabeth Colvin (née Collingwood). Angela Lascelles continued to live in Windsor Great Park, and had 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.