David Henry George Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood (born 21 October 1950), styled as Viscount Lascelles until July 2011, is a British

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...

and film and television producer.

Early life and earldom

David Henry George Lascelles was born at his parents' London house, 2

Orme Square Orme Square is a private square in Bayswater, London, England, off the north side of Bayswater Road and on the north-west corner of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, overlooking Kensington Gardens whose Orme Gate entrance takes its name from the squ ...

Bayswater Bayswater is an area in the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, on 21 October 1950. He is the eldest son of the

7th Earl of Harewood George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood (7 February 1923 – 11 July 2011), styled The Honourable George Lascelles before 1929 and Viscount Lascelles between 1929 and 1947, was a British classical music administrator and author, and ...

and his first wife,

Marion Stein Maria Donata Nanetta Paulina Gustava Erwina Wilhelmine Stein (18 October 19266 March 2014), known as Marion Stein, was an Austrian-born British concert pianist. During her marriage to George Lascelles, Earl of Harewood, she was known as Mario ...

. He was baptised at

All Saints' Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania * All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Brisbane, Queensland *All ...

, Harewood. His father was a

first cousin A cousin is a relative who is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. A parent of a first cousin is an aunt or uncle. More generally, in the lineal kinship, kinship system used in the English-s ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. His godparents were The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (later Queen Elizabeth II), his great-grandmother Queen Mary, his great-aunt Viscountess Boyne (Margaret Hamilton-Russell), his uncle Gerald Lascelles and

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

. At birth, he was 13th in line to the throne. As of 2025, he is 65th in line. He is a second cousin of

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

and a great-grandson of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

. He succeeded to the Earldom of Harewood on the death of his father in July 2011.

Career and other activities

Lascelles is a film and television producer. He produced nine episodes of the 1990s TV detective series, ''Inspector Morse''. In 2007, as part of the commemoration of the bi-centenary of the

Abolition of the Slave Trade Act The Slave Trade Act 1807 ( 47 Geo. 3 Sess. 1. c. 36), or the Abolition of Slave Trade Act 1807, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom prohibiting the Atlantic slave trade in the British Empire. Although it did not automatica ...

, Lascelles was executive producer of the theatrical project by Geraldine Connor entitled ''Carnival Messiah'' that was staged in the grounds of

Harewood House Harewood House ( , ) is a English country house, country house in Harewood, West Yorkshire, Harewood, West Yorkshire, England. Designed by architects John Carr (architect), John Carr and Robert Adam, it was built between 1759 and 1771, for Ed ...

, which was built in the 18th century with funds from slave trading. Following Connor's death in 2011, Lascelles organised a concert in her memory at

West Yorkshire Playhouse Leeds Playhouse is a theatre in the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1990 in the Quarry Hill area of the city as the West Yorkshire Playhouse, successor to the original Leeds Playhouse, and was rebranded in June 2018 ...

, and he is a founder and patron of the Geraldine Connor Foundation, established in 2012 to continue her work and vision by bringing people together through arts and culture. As Earl of Harewood, he continues the tradition begun by his father in 1961 by serving as the honorary lifetime president of Leeds United Football Club. In April 2023 he co-founded, with former BBC journalist

Laura Trevelyan Laura Kate Trevelyan (born 21 August 1968) is a British-American journalist who worked for the BBC for 30 years. She served as an '' On the Record'' reporter, United Nations correspondent (2006–2009), and New York correspondent (2009–2012), ...

and others, Heirs of Slavery, a group of descendants of people who had profited from British transatlantic slavery and wanted to make amends in the form of

reparations Reparation(s) may refer to: Christianity * Reparation (theology), the theological concept of corrective response to God and the associated prayers for repairing the damages of sin * Restitution (theology), the Christian doctrine calling for re ...

. Other members include Charles Gladstone, who is descended from prime minister

William Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he was Prime Minister ...

, and journalist

Alex Renton Alexander James Torre Renton FRHistS is a British journalist and broadcaster. He is the author of several historical and investigative books, including ''Stiff Upper Lip: Secrets, Crimes and the Schooling of a Ruling Class'' (2017) and ''Blood L ...

. The group has called on the British prime minister and

to make a formal apology on behalf of the United Kingdom.

Awards

''Inspector Morse'' won a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

in 1992.

Personal life

On 12 February 1979, at St Mary's Church,

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

, London, Lascelles married Margaret Rosalind Messenger, Viscountess Lascelles, The Countess of Harewood daughter of Edgar Frank Messenger. The marriage was dissolved in 1989. Their children are: *Emily Tsering Shard (born 23 November 1975). She is unable to bear the courtesy title of ''Lady'' as her parents were not married at the time of her birth. She obtained

Royal Consent In the UK and certain other Commonwealth countries, King's Consent is a parliamentary convention under which Crown consent is sought whenever a proposed parliamentary bill will affect the Crown's own prerogatives or interests (hereditary revenu ...

from the Privy Council to marry Matthew Shard on 12 February 2008. *Benjamin George Lascelles (born 19 September 1978), a conservationist. Although he is Lord Harewood's eldest son, he is unable to inherit his father's titles as his parents were not married at the time of his birth. He obtained Royal Consent from the Privy Council to marry Colombian Carolina Vélez Robledo on 18 April 2009 at

. * Alexander Edgar Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles (born 13 May 1980). He is a chef and heir-apparent to the earldom. *The Hon. Edward David Lascelles (born 19 November 1982). He obtained Royal Consent to marry Sophie Cartlidge on 2 August 2014 in Harewood House. Edward and Sophie had a son in August 2020. In 1990, Lascelles married artist Diane Howse, now the Countess of Harewood.

Filmography

His work includes:

References

External links

*
RootsAndLeaves.com
Genealogy and Family History – Lascelles (Harewood) Family {{DEFAULTSORT:Harewood, David Lascelles, 8th Earl of 1950 births Living people British film producers British people of Austrian-Jewish descent 8

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

People educated at The Hall School, Hampstead