The Forgotten Grandchildren of King George V and Queen Mary
She was the beloved daughter of a king, a princess raised in palaces known for her quiet devotion and wartime heroism. But behind the gracious public image of Princess Mary, Princess Royal, lay a far more intimate story, one not of queens or crowns, but of sons. Two boys born into the highest aristocracy of Britain.
Their futures seemingly golden, yet their paths would diverge dramatically. One bound by duty and the other by desire. This is the story of George and Gerald Lassels, the children of Princess Mary, the heirs to Herwood, tangled in royal traditions, forbidden love, scandalous affairs, and quiet rebellion.
Welcome to Regal Chronicles. It was the 7th of February 1923 at Goldsborough Hall in Yorkshire. A wedding gift from King George V to his daughter Mary and her husband Henry Lassel’s a son was born. He was named George Henry Hubert Lassel and from the moment he drew breath his life was set on a path defined by expectation.
As the first grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary, George wasn’t just a Pier’s son. He was sixth in line to the British throne at birth. Though not a prince by title, his blood was royal. As heir to the prestigious Herwood Eldom, young George was raised in opulence. His mother, Princess Mary, was intensely devoted, a hands-on parent within the stiff constraints of royal decorum.
Yet George’s upbringing bore the burden of both privilege and pressure. He attended Eaton and like many boys of his class, his days were full of riding, cricket, and tradition. But from a young age, George was more intellectual than sporting. A quiet observer in a world of ceremony. A year after George’s birth, another boy arrived.
On August 21st, 1924, Gerald David Lel was born. The spare in the age-old heir and spare dynamic. Yet Gerald would come to embody something far less conventional. Where George was bookish and reserved, Gerald was spirited and unrestrained. Though raised in the same halls of gold, eaten hairwood and court appearances, Gerald moved with more freedom, unbburdened by the direct inheritance of a title or estate.
He was a lover of fast cars, jazz, and rebellion, the kind of aristocrat who felt more at home at the races than at a state banquet. And while he held a respectable position within Britain’s upper echelons, Gerald never quite played the royal game. Over time, he became a curious footnote in royal history. Close enough to royalty to be included, but far enough to disappear when inconvenient.
As the Second World War erupted across Europe, both Lel brothers stepped into the fray. George, ever the beautiful heir, was captured by the Germans in Italy in 1944 while serving with the Grenadier Guards. For over a year, he was held as a prisoner of war in Culitz Castle, the infamous fortress for high-profile Allied officers.
His royal status made him a valuable asset, but he refused to exploit it. In later interviews, George recalled the ordeal with stoic clarity, a period that tested not only his endurance, but his identity. It marked him with a quiet semnity he carried the rest of his life. Gerald, meanwhile, served with the Royal Armored Corps, though his service was far less publicized.
War sobered both brothers. But while George returned to public life and royal duties, Gerald chose a different path, one of relative obscurity, but greater personal freedom. After the war in 1949, George Lel made a respectable match. He married Marian Stein, a gifted Austrian Jewish concert pionist and daughter of musician Irvin Stein.
The match was modern, an aristocrat marrying a commoner and a Jewish one at that. But it was also deeply romantic. The pair were celebrated in intellectual and cultural circles. Their home at Herwood became a hub of music, arts, and royalty. They had three sons. David, born in 1950, who would eventually become the eighth Earl of Hairwood. James, born in 1953.
Jeremy, born in 1955. It seemed the Lassel’s line was secure, progressive, and thriving. But in the 1960s, the fairy tale cracked. George began an affair with Patricia Tuckwell, an Australian-B born violinist and former model famously known as Bambi. Their relationship was no quiet trrist. It exploded into headlines.
At the time, George was still legally married to Marian. In 1967, George divorced Marian, causing a royal scandal. Divorce, while more common by the 60s, was still frowned upon by the royal family, especially among such close relations to the Queen. To make matters worse, George married Patricia just days after his divorce was finalized, and their son, Mark Lassels, was born mere months later.
George became the first senior royal figure in modern history to divorce and remarry in such public fashion. a quiet rebellion that deeply embarrassed the monarchy. The Queen did not attend his second wedding. Neither did Princess Mary, who died two years before, but had reportedly disapproved of the affair.
While George’s scandal-filled papers, Gerald’s personal life was no less complicated. In 1952, he married Angela Dowing, a glamorous West End actress in what some saw as an unconventional match. Though not royal herself, Angela quickly became a tabloid favorite. Strikingly beautiful, modern, and unafraid of publicity.
They had one son, Henry Ulick Lel, born in 1953. Another boy raised between titles and tabloids. But like his brother, Gerald’s marriage didn’t last. In the 1970s, the couple separated and ultimately divorced, another royal adjacent scandal in a family that preferred discretion. Gerald later married Elizabeth Culvin, a society figure in 1978.
Unlike George, Gerald never sought the limelight. Instead, he pursued his passion for motorsports, serving as president of the British Racing Drivers Club and becoming a familiar face at Silverstone. He lived quietly in Sussex, often mistaken for an earl or forgotten entirely. His legacy is one of calm resistance.
A man born close to a throne who chose his own track. of Princess Mary’s grandsons, David Lel, George’s eldest son, would come to define the family’s future. Born in 1950, David was educated at Eaton and the University of York. A film and television producer by trade, he inherited Herwood House in 1997 and became the eighth Earl of Herwood.
His productions focused on social issues and he continued his father’s artistic legacy at Herwood, opening the estate to the public and cultural events. But David too carried the family tradition of complicated personal life. He married Margaret Messenger in 1979, the daughter of a local doctor, and they had three children.
Yet by the 1990s, their marriage had broken down. He later married Diane House, an artist with whom he has a son. His children, Alexander Lel, Vic Count Lel, and the Honorable Emily and Benjamin continue the Herwood line, though none hold royal titles. With increasing distance from the crown, the Lassel family is now part of Britain’s noble class, but no longer official members of the royal family.
So what became of Princess Mary’s sons in the royal memory? George the seventh Earl of Herwood passed away in 2011. He left behind a vast musical legacy, having directed the Royal Opera House and chaired numerous cultural bodies. His obituary hailed him as the most talented of his generation. Yet his scandal had permanently exiled him from the Queen’s inner circle.
Gerald, the youngest son, died in 1998. Largely forgotten yet deeply respected by those who knew him. He had carved a life in shadows, not spotlights. Together, they represent the quiet shifting of royal boundaries from crown to court, from palace to personal freedom. and their mother. Princess Mary, the dignified Princess Royal, remains a symbol of grace, perhaps unaware that her sons would one day shape a royal modern narrative through love, rebellion, and quiet endurance.
Two sons, one born to inherit, the other born to Rome. Both raised in the golden world of Windsor, but destined to write stories beyond the palace walls. If you enjoyed this glimpse into a hidden royal family chapter, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe. and tell us which royal rebel we explore