Angela Lascelles

Angela Estree Lyssod D'Arcy Lascelles (née Dowding; 20 April 1919 – 28 February 2007) was a British actress who married into the British royal family. She was the first wife of The Honourable Gerald Lascelles, second son of the 6th Earl of Harewood and his wife Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. Birth and career 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 and 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 David Lascelles, the second son of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood. They had met at a party hosted by the Earl of Kimberley. 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. This was seen in the press to be a snub for the couple. The reception took place at St James's Palace and was attended by Queen Mary, the groom's maternal grandmother.