Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (1897-1965)

[CyrilVladisla]

Why was Edward concerned about Princess Mary's marriage prospects? What about his marriage prospects? After all, someday he would be king. Was it not his duty to marry and provide heirs to the throne?

 

[Prinsara]

Why was Edward concerned about Princess Mary's marriage prospects? What about his marriage prospects? After all, someday he would be king. Was it not his duty to marry and provide heirs to the throne?

While his parents would certainly agree with you, and it is possible to do all that and still care about what happens to your sibling, David wasn't interested in marrying anyone until it became a way out of being King, not something that would further enmesh him there. That's just history.

As he apologized to a different Lascelles, in his own words, he was "quite the wrong sort of person to be Prince of Wales".

 

[SirGyamfi1]

Probably from David's letters to Freda. There are a lot of them, some of which use language that isn't fit for this board and things phrased a lot less politely.

As he said, the Prince of Wales felt his father wasn't letting his sister socialize enough or dress stylishly and was hurting her chances to meet someone who would take an interest in her. (Or that she would even be interested in.)

But didn’t Mary meet her husband on her own? I assume she did, then why was he claiming that his parents forced the match?

 

[Prinsara]

But didn’t Mary meet her husband on her own? I assume she did, then why was he claiming that his parents forced the match?

It is possible Mary encountered Lascelles more or less on her own, despite her restricted social life, and David still believed the marriage was urged after that. He doesn't say anything about forced; he says he hopes it's not "too arranged".

He didn't always have all the information or come to the correct conclusions. It's also possible that like many interested family members, he always just imagined his dear sister marrying someone different (younger, handsomer, livelier, whatever) and is taking a while to deal with the actual situation.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

It is possible Mary encountered Lascelles more or less on her own, despite her restricted social life, and David still believed the marriage was urged after that. He doesn't say anything about forced; he says he hopes it's not "too arranged".

He didn't always have all the information or come to the correct conclusions. It's also possible that like many interested family members, he always just imagined his dear sister marrying someone different (younger, handsomer, livelier, whatever) and is taking a while to deal with the actual situation.

A bit rich for him to talk about looks when he was no fine painting himself.

 

[Prinsara]

A bit rich for him to talk about looks when he was no fine painting himself.

He'd had crowds screaming for him on multiple continents so he probably wasn't in the best place to judge, no. There are more relevant threads if you want to remark about her brother.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Princess Mary was the first of six children of her family to Mary. Was Prince Edward upset with her because she married before he did?

 

[Curryong]

Princess Mary was the first of six children of her family to Mary. Was Prince Edward upset with her because she married before he did?

Why would he be upset? Edward had spent the best part of the 1920s and most of the 1930s avoiding any marriages with well-born debutantes and their ambitious Mamas, while philandering with various married women. That behaviour began when he met Freda Dudley Ward in 1917. The affair with her was still continuing at the time of Princess Mary’s engagement and wedding.

Doesn’t sound to me the conduct of a man anxious to be the first sibling to marry. It was only when the relationship with Wallis Simpson became serious in 1934-35 that Edward’s thoughts turned to matrimony.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Princess Mary at a horse racing event in 1920
http://www.maryevans.com/history/13144746

 

[CyrilVladisla]

In 1918 Princess Mary was stationed at the Alexandra Ward at Great Ormond Street.
She wanted to be treated exactly the same as other trainees.

 

[An Ard Ri]

In 1918 Princess Mary was stationed at the Alexandra Ward at Great Ormond Street.
She wanted to be treated exactly the same as other trainees.

The ward was also named after her mother ,Alexandra of Denmark (1844–1925).

 

[Prinsara]

The ward was also named after her mother ,Alexandra of Denmark (1844–1925).

Alexandra was her paternal grandmother.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

It was said by a soothsayer there was a prophecy attached to the jewels the Earl of Harewood gave to Princess Mary. The soothsayer said this to the Marquess of Clanricarde but he never married, however he left his wealth to his sisters grandson, the Earl of Harewood. The soothsayer said that one day a Kings daughter would marry into the family and wear the grand diamonds. The jewels came from his great-uncle, the last Marquess of Clanricarde.

 

[Granada]

I read *somewhere* that during her Father King George V's Reign that Mary was 2nd Lady in the land, after her Mother Queen Mary. And after Queen Alexandra's death in 1925.
I ALWAYS wondered if true, that Princess Mary had higher precedence than her sisters in law. Especially since the future QEQM married the then Duke of York in 1923.
The reason I'm questioning it, is that I believe both Princess Diana and Sarah, D.O.Y. held higher precedence than Princess Anne when they were both actually married.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

I read *somewhere* that during her Father King George V's Reign that Mary was 2nd Lady in the land, after her Mother Queen Mary. And after Queen Alexandra's death in 1925.
I ALWAYS wondered if true, that Princess Mary had higher precedence than her sisters in law. Especially since the future QEQM married the then Duke of York in 1923.
The reason I'm questioning it, is that I believe both Princess Diana and Sarah, D.O.Y. held higher precedence than Princess Anne when they were both actually married.

The British traditional order of precedence, before Queen Elizabeth II altered it for the royal family, was indeed as follows:

1. Wife of the eldest son
2. Daughters
3. Wives of the younger sons

For example, in the June 1897 list of precedence approved by Queen Victoria, her daughters (Empress Frederic, the Grand Duchess of Hesse, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne, and Princess Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg) took precedence over the wives of her younger sons (the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn, and the Duchess of Albany).

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34632/page/1693

LIST OF PRECEDENCE.
APPROVED BY THE QUEEN.
June, 1897.
Her Majesty The Queen and Her Imperial Majesty The Empress Frederic.
Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Italy.
Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales.
Her Royal Highness The Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Her Royal Highness The Grand Duchess of Hesse.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lome.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg.
Her Royal and Imperial Highness The Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Duchess
of Edinburgh).
Her Imperial Highness The Grand Duchess Serge of Russia.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Henry of Prussia.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Albany.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Frederica of Hanover.
Her Royal Highness The Princess of Bulgaria.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Victoria of Wales.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Charles of Denmark.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Teck.
Her Royal Highness The Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Adolph of Schaumburg-Lippe.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Frederic Charles of Hesse.
Her Grand Ducal Highness The Princess Louis of Battenberg.
Her Highness The Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein.
Her Highness The Princess Aribert of Anhalt.
Her Serene Highness The Princess Feodore of Saxe-Meiningen.

 

[Granada]

Tatiana Maria, Thank you so much !
Great information !

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Did Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood conduct a renovation of Harewood House?

 

[Blog Real]

A wedding photo of Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Viscount_Lascelles_%26_wife.jpg