Frank Lascelles
Encyclopedia
Sir Frank Cavendish Lascelles GCB
, GCMG
, GCVO
, PC
(23 March 1841 – 2 January 1920) was a British
diplomat. He served as Ambassador to both Russia
and Germany
.
Lascelles was born in London, the fifth son of the Hon. William Saunders Sebright Lascelles
, third son of Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood
. His mother was Lady Caroline Georgiana, daughter of George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle
. He was educated at Harrow
and joined the Diplomatic Service
in 1861. He served in junior positions at the British embassies in Madrid
, Paris
, Rome
, Washington D.C. and Athens
and was Consul-General in Egypt
from 20 March to 10 October 1879, during the last years of the reign of Khedive
Isma'il Pasha
. In 1879 Lascelles became Consul-General in Bulgaria
, which had been an autonomous principality since the Treaty of Berlin of 1878. He remained in Bulgaria until 1887, and was then Minister (similar to ambassador) to Romania
from 1887 to 1891 and to Persia
from 1891 to 1894, where his niece Gertrude Bell
visited him, starting a lifelong passion for travel. He served briefly as Ambassador to Russia between 1894 to 1895, but the latter year he was appointed to succeeded Sir Edward Malet
as Ambassador to Germany.
His tenure in Berlin
saw the growing estrangement between Germany and the United Kingdom
and Lascelles notably had to deal with the effects of the Kruger telegram
only days after his arrival. His relationship with Emperor William II were always cordial but he was known to resent the policies of Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow
. He resigned as Ambassador in 1908 but continued to exercise influence over Anglo-German relations up until the First World War. Lascelles was made a KCMG
in 1886, a GCMG
in 1892, a GCB
in 1897 and a GCVO
in 1904 and was admitted to the Privy Council
in 1892.
In 1869, Lascelles married Mary Emma Olliffe (1845–1897). She was the daughter of Sir Joseph Francis Olliffe
. They had three children:
Frank Lascelles survived his wife by over twenty years and died in January 1920, aged 78. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery
, London.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, GCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, GCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(23 March 1841 – 2 January 1920) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
diplomat. He served as Ambassador to both Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Lascelles was born in London, the fifth son of the Hon. William Saunders Sebright Lascelles
William Saunders Sebright Lascelles
William Saunders Sebright Lascelles PC was a British Whig politician. He served as Comptroller of the Household from 1847 to 1851.-Background:...
, third son of Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood
Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood
Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood DL , known as Viscount Lascelles from 1814 to 1820, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
. His mother was Lady Caroline Georgiana, daughter of George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle
George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle
George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle KG, PC, FRS , styled Viscount Morpeth until 1825, was a British statesman...
. He was educated at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and joined the Diplomatic Service
Diplomatic service
Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel enjoy diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to other countries...
in 1861. He served in junior positions at the British embassies in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Washington D.C. and Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and was Consul-General in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
from 20 March to 10 October 1879, during the last years of the reign of Khedive
Khedive
The term Khedive is a title largely equivalent to the English word viceroy. It was first used, without official recognition, by Muhammad Ali Pasha , the Wāli of Egypt and Sudan, and vassal of the Ottoman Empire...
Isma'il Pasha
Isma'il Pasha
Isma'il Pasha , known as Ismail the Magnificent , was the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the behest of the United Kingdom...
. In 1879 Lascelles became Consul-General in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, which had been an autonomous principality since the Treaty of Berlin of 1878. He remained in Bulgaria until 1887, and was then Minister (similar to ambassador) to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
from 1887 to 1891 and to Persia
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
from 1891 to 1894, where his niece Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist who explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. Along...
visited him, starting a lifelong passion for travel. He served briefly as Ambassador to Russia between 1894 to 1895, but the latter year he was appointed to succeeded Sir Edward Malet
Edward Malet
Sir Edward Baldwin Malet, 4th Baronet, PC, GCMG, GCB was a British diplomat.Edward Malet came from a family of diplomats; his father was Sir Alexander Malet, British minister to Württemberg and later to the German Confederation. After three years at Eton College, Edward Malet entered the foreign...
as Ambassador to Germany.
His tenure in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
saw the growing estrangement between Germany and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Lascelles notably had to deal with the effects of the Kruger telegram
Kruger telegram
The Kruger telegram was a message sent by Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II to Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, president of the Transvaal Republic, on 3 January 1896. The Kaiser congratulated the president on repelling the Jameson Raid, a sortie by 600 British irregulars from Cape Colony into the...
only days after his arrival. His relationship with Emperor William II were always cordial but he was known to resent the policies of Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow
Bernhard von Bülow
Bernhard Heinrich Karl Martin von Bülow , named in 1905 Prince von Bülow, was a German statesman who served as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for three years and then as Chancellor of the German Empire from 1900 to 1909.Bülow was described as possessing every quality except greatness...
. He resigned as Ambassador in 1908 but continued to exercise influence over Anglo-German relations up until the First World War. Lascelles was made a KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1886, a GCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1892, a GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1897 and a GCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
in 1904 and was admitted to the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1892.
In 1869, Lascelles married Mary Emma Olliffe (1845–1897). She was the daughter of Sir Joseph Francis Olliffe
Joseph Francis Olliffe
Sir Joseph Francis Olliffe, MA, MD, FRCP was an Irish-born British physician.-Early life:Sir Joseph Olliffe was born in 1808 in Cork, Ireland. His father was Joseph Francis Olliffe , a merchant of Cork...
. They had three children:
- William Frank Lascelles (21 March 1863 – 8 March 1913, married Sybil Beauclerk)
- Gerald Claud Lascelles (19 July 1869 – 26 June 1919, married Cecil Raffo)
- Florence Caroline Lascelles (27 January 1876 – 9 December 1961, married Sir Cecil Spring-RiceCecil Spring-RiceSir Cecil Arthur Spring-Rice GCMG GCVO , was a British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1912 to 1918.-Early life:...
)
Frank Lascelles survived his wife by over twenty years and died in January 1920, aged 78. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...
, London.