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Earl of Harewood pays tribute to mother


Britain’s Earl of Harewood has paid tribute to his mother, the former Countess of Harewood, who died last week.

Marion Thorpe (née Stein) – who was married to the former Earl of Harewood, George Lascelles for over fifteen years – passed away on last Thursday (06.03.14) and her son, David Lascelles, has now opened up about his mother, who went on to marry Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe.

He said: "My mum had two high-profile marriages but there was a lot more to her than just being married to someone well-known.

"She was an accomplished musician in her own right.

"Music was her great love."

The former countess – who co-founded the Leeds International Piano competition and also received a CBE in 2008 – was born to a Jewish family who fled Austria in 1938, and after studying piano at the Royal College of Music she went on to marry the Queen’s cousin, who died in 2011.

Marion passed away at the age of 87 leaving behind three sons – David, James and Jeremy – from her marriage to George Lascelles, whom she divorced in 1967, nearly 10 years after he began an affair and fathered a child with another woman.