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.[1] 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.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hussey Vivian, 3rd Baron Vivian |
British Agent and Consul-General in Egypt 1879 |
Succeeded by Edward Malet |
| Preceded by Sir Robert Burnett David Morier |
British Ambassador to Russia 1894–1895 |
Succeeded by Sir Nicholas Roderick O'Conor |
| Preceded by Sir Edward Malet |
British Ambassador to Germany 1895–1907 |
Succeeded by Sir Edward Goschen |