Sir Alan Frederick "Tommy" Lascelles (/ˈlæsəls/ LASS-əlss; 11 April 1887 – 10 August 1981) was a British soldier, courtier and civil servant who was Private Secretary to George VI and Elizabeth II from 1943 to 1953.
Born~Died Apr 11, 1887 ~ Aug 10, 1981Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 6:25 PM
After attending Marlborough College, he studied at , graduating with a second-class degree in 1908. In the , Lascelles served in France with the , where he rose to the rank of captain and was awarded the , after which he became to his brother-in-law , the from 1919 to 1920.
This page is based on “Alan Lascelles” from English Wikipedia, (r1379356455) CC BY-SA 4.0 used under the license. The original authors are listed in its page history.
Lascelles became the Assistant Private Secretary to George V in the latter months of 1935.7 When the Prince of Wales ascended the throne as Edward VIII on the death of George V in January 1936, Lascelles served briefly as the new King's Assistant Private Secretary, although he never saw the King during this phase.68 He soldiered on through Edward's short reign and the protracted crisis of the abdication in 1936. He was "deeply shocked" by the abdication, not dreaming until it was announced that it would happen, and the evening he heard of it "he was so stunned that he went out and walked 3 times round St James Park in the darkness, thinking of James II."6 Lascelles became Assistant Private Secretary to George VI, some time after the new king's accession.96
Lascelles was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO)10 by George VI during the 1939 royal tour of Canada, which he had helped to arrange and manage. The title is an honour given as a personal gift by the sovereign and does not require political approval.11 He had been appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1937, was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1944, and to Knight Grand Cross on his retirement in 1953.10 He had been appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order in 1926, before his promotion to Knighthood in that Order in 1939.10 He was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1933.10 He was sworn of the Privy Council, entitling him to the prefix "Right Honourable", in 1943.10
In 1943, Lascelles was promoted from Assistant Private Secretary to George VI to his Private Secretary, after effecting the forced resignation of Alec Hardinge, and served until the King died in 1952. In 1952, he became Private Secretary to Elizabeth II, a role he held until the end of 1953, overseeing the early days of her reign and the Coronation.6 Lascelles was also Keeper of the Royal Archives from 1943 to 1953.12
He retired from his 27 years of royal service on the last day of 1953, at the age of 66.13 He had been asked by then Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill twice and by the Queen once whether he would like to go to the House of Lords with a hereditary peerage, but he declined.13 He did, however, accept appointment as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, which, he said, "rated much higher than a peerage".13
In 1955, Lascelles was very supportive of James Pope-Hennessy's commission to write an official biography of Queen Mary, although initially he wondered why and by whom this unknown young writer had been commissioned. Lascelles was a crucial witness for many key events (e.g., the abdication of Edward VIII). When the book passed the royal censors, Lascelles was livid that Pope-Hennessy phoned him with the news rather than coming round with the good news in person.14
John Frederick Lascelles, born 11 June 1922, died 11 September 1951.
Lavinia Joan Lascelles, born 27 June 1923, died 3 November 2020; married to Major Edward Westland Renton, divorced 1960, then 1962–64 to the writer Gavin Maxwell, and to David Hankinson in 1969.16
Lascelles, Alan (1986). Hart-Davis, Duff (ed.). End of an Era, 1887–1920. The Letters and Journals of Sir Alan Lascelles. Vol. 1. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN978-0-241-11960-0.
——— (1989). Hart-Davis, Duff (ed.). In Royal Service, 1920–1936. The Letters and Journals of Sir Alan Lascelles. Vol. 2. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN978-0-241-12562-5.
——— (2006). Hart-Davis, Duff (ed.). King's Counsellor: Abdication and War: The Diaries of Tommy Lascelles. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN978-0-297-85155-4.
Lascelles, Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Frederick, (11 April 1887–10 Aug. 1981), Past Director: The Midland Bank; Royal Academy of Music; Private Secretary to the Queen, 1952–53; Keeper of the Queen's Archives, 1952–53 (of the King's Archives, 1943–52), doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U166201 Who's Who
Lascelles 2006, p. 28: "The King, giggling in a most disarming fashion, knighted me in the train tonight, as the train was approaching Buffalo. I think I can fairly claim to be the first man to be dubbed in a train, and also the first Englishman to be so treated by his Sovereign on American soil; so the episode has, at any rate, some historic interest." ↩
Lascelles became the Assistant Private Secretary to George V in the latter months of 1935.7 When the Prince of Wales ascended the throne as Edward VIII on the death of George V in January 1936, Lascelles served briefly as the new King's Assistant Private Secretary, although he never saw the King during this phase.68 He soldiered on through Edward's short reign and the protracted crisis of the abdication in 1936. He was "deeply shocked" by the abdication, not dreaming until it was announced that it would happen, and the evening he heard of it "he was so stunned that he went out and walked 3 times round St James Park in the darkness, thinking of James II."6 Lascelles became Assistant Private Secretary to George VI, some time after the new king's accession.96
Lascelles was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO)10 by George VI during the 1939 royal tour of Canada, which he had helped to arrange and manage. The title is an honour given as a personal gift by the sovereign and does not require political approval.11 He had been appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1937, was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1944, and to Knight Grand Cross on his retirement in 1953.10 He had been appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order in 1926, before his promotion to Knighthood in that Order in 1939.10 He was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1933.10 He was sworn of the Privy Council, entitling him to the prefix "Right Honourable", in 1943.10
In 1943, Lascelles was promoted from Assistant Private Secretary to George VI to his Private Secretary, after effecting the forced resignation of Alec Hardinge, and served until the King died in 1952. In 1952, he became Private Secretary to Elizabeth II, a role he held until the end of 1953, overseeing the early days of her reign and the Coronation.6 Lascelles was also Keeper of the Royal Archives from 1943 to 1953.12
He retired from his 27 years of royal service on the last day of 1953, at the age of 66.13 He had been asked by then Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill twice and by the Queen once whether he would like to go to the House of Lords with a hereditary peerage, but he declined.13 He did, however, accept appointment as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, which, he said, "rated much higher than a peerage".13
In 1955, Lascelles was very supportive of James Pope-Hennessy's commission to write an official biography of Queen Mary, although initially he wondered why and by whom this unknown young writer had been commissioned. Lascelles was a crucial witness for many key events (e.g., the abdication of Edward VIII). When the book passed the royal censors, Lascelles was livid that Pope-Hennessy phoned him with the news rather than coming round with the good news in person.14
John Frederick Lascelles, born 11 June 1922, died 11 September 1951.
Lavinia Joan Lascelles, born 27 June 1923, died 3 November 2020; married to Major Edward Westland Renton, divorced 1960, then 1962–64 to the writer Gavin Maxwell, and to David Hankinson in 1969.16
Lascelles, Alan (1986). Hart-Davis, Duff (ed.). End of an Era, 1887–1920. The Letters and Journals of Sir Alan Lascelles. Vol. 1. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN978-0-241-11960-0.
——— (1989). Hart-Davis, Duff (ed.). In Royal Service, 1920–1936. The Letters and Journals of Sir Alan Lascelles. Vol. 2. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN978-0-241-12562-5.
——— (2006). Hart-Davis, Duff (ed.). King's Counsellor: Abdication and War: The Diaries of Tommy Lascelles. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN978-0-297-85155-4.
Lascelles, Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Frederick, (11 April 1887–10 Aug. 1981), Past Director: The Midland Bank; Royal Academy of Music; Private Secretary to the Queen, 1952–53; Keeper of the Queen's Archives, 1952–53 (of the King's Archives, 1943–52), doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U166201 Who's Who
Lascelles 2006, p. 28: "The King, giggling in a most disarming fashion, knighted me in the train tonight, as the train was approaching Buffalo. I think I can fairly claim to be the first man to be dubbed in a train, and also the first Englishman to be so treated by his Sovereign on American soil; so the episode has, at any rate, some historic interest." ↩