The Papers of Sir Alan Lascelles

Alan Frederick Lascelles, known as 'Tommy', was born on 11 April 1887, the son of Commander Frederick Canning Lascelles and Frederica Maria Liddell. He was educated at Hazelhurst preparatory school, Marlborough College and Trinity College, Oxford.

During the First World War, Lascelles served in France with the Bedfordshire Yeomanry (1914-18). He was then appointed Aide-de-Camp to George Lloyd, the Governor of Bombay (1919-20). In Delhi he married Joan Thesiger (eldest daughter of the Viceroy, Frederic Thesiger, Viscount Chelmsford) with whom he had three children. Having returned to England in 1920 Lascelles was appointed Assistant Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII). He was Secretary to the Governor General of Canada (1931-35); Assistant Private Secretary to King George V (1935), and to King George VI, (1936-43), rising to the position of Private Secretary (1943-52) becoming Private Secretary to the Queen (1952-53). He was Keeper of the Royal Archives (1943-1953). Lascelles died on 10 August 1981.

The papers held at Churchill Archives Centre include Lascelles' diaries; Royal correspondence; correspondence and papers concerning Edward, Prince of Wales [later Edward VIII]; correspondence with colleagues and family concerning members of the Royal family or Royal duties; correspondence during and concerning the First World War; correspondence from India while serving as Aide-de-Camp to George Lloyd; family correspondence; personal correspondence with friends and colleagues; miscellaneous correspondence on historical and literary subjects; honours and awards and genealogical papers; literary papers; press cuttings; photographs; and maps of France and Belgium from the First World War.

With some earlier family papers, 1846-1920.

Also with papers about the publication of Alan Lascelles' diaries, 1986-9.

The Lascelles papers were deposited at Churchill Archives Centre in stages between 1987 and 2007 by his daughters. The initial deposit had been housed temporarily at the Royal Archives.

The collection was arranged into series. There are two additional sections: an additional section (LASL II) which contains similar material to that already listed in the first section of the catalogue (LASL), and a further deposit of World War I maps which are listed separately.

The papers are owned by Churchill College, Cambridge.

Permission to consult CLOSED material within the Lascelles papers (LASL 1/2/1-6; and sections of LASL 2-4) and the catalogue describing the closed material must be obtained from the Royal Archives. The remainder of the collection is open for consultation by researchers using Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge. Churchill Archives Centre is open from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. A prior appointment and two forms of identification are required.

Researchers wishing to publish excerpts from the papers must obtain prior permission from the copyright holders and should seek advice from Archives Centre staff.

Please cite as Churchill Archives Centre, The Papers of Sir Alan Lascelles, LASL

Some of Alan Lascelles' diaries have been published: Duff Hart-Davis (editor), 'End of an Era. Letters and Journals of Sir Alan Lascelles 1887-1920' (1986); 'In Royal Service: letters and journals of Sir Alan Lascelles 1920-1936' (1989); and 'King's Counsellor. Abdication and War: the diaries of Sir Alan Lascelles' (2006).

This catalogue which describes the OPEN sections of the papers is also available for consultation at Churchill Archives Centre, the National Archives in London and on the Janus website, http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk. Following the wishes of the depositors of the papers, the catalogue describing the CLOSED sections of the papers is only available for consultation by those with permission to see the CLOSED papers.

This finding aid was prepared by Natalie Adams and Katharine Thomson of Churchill Archives Centre using information from the website of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Alan Lascelles' entry in Who Was Who (A & C Black) and an existing list to the papers. Updated by Natalie Adams, August 2005, to take account of revised access conditions, and by Katharine Thomson, November 2005, when adding the main body of the catalogue. A new accession of photographs was catalogued by Sophie Bridges, May 2008.