Violinist whose affair with Edinburgh festival director led to Royal scandal

Born: November 24, 1926;

Died: May 4, 2018

PATRICIA, the Dowager Duchess of Harewood, who has died aged 91, was an Australian violinist who became involved in a major scandal in the early 1960s when she gave birth to the Earl of Harewood’s son.

The Queen’s cousin was still married to his first wife Marion (later Mrs Jeremy Thorpe) and although the Duke and Patricia Tuckwell married in 1967 the couple remained ostracised from royal events and were not invited to either the Duke of Windsor’s funeral or Princess Anne’s wedding. Tensions eased over the years and gradually they attended various state occasions. Throughout the stormy affair Lady Harewood concentrated on assisting her husband in his many artistic ventures – notably at English National Opera – and creating a bird sanctuary at Harewood House.

The affair that thrust Lady Harewood into the public limelight had its origins in Edinburgh with a controversial effect on the administration of the festival. Lord Harewood had proved an imaginative festival director since 1961, but the 1964 festival proved traumatic. There was news buzzing around the capital that Lord Harewood would soon be divorcing his wife and, it was thought, have a child by the woman he hoped to marry.

The festival history records that news “had reached the ears of Lord Provost Weatherstone who was very concerned about the effect this might have on the festival.” To save embarrassment Lord Harewood delivered a letter of resignation and, although the divorce did not become public knowledge until 1967, the 1965 festival was his last. Thus Edinburgh lost a director who many considered to have greatly increased its international prestige.

Patricia Elizabeth Tuckwell was born in Melbourne. Her father was a theatre organist and her brother became the celebrated horn player Barry Tuckwell. At 16, she gained a place as a violinist in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and also found work as a model and was much photographed by Athol Shmith. They were married in 1948 and their son, Michael, was born the following year. She also appeared as a presenter on Melbourne’s first television station, HSV-7 in 1956.

She continued to play the violin in various orchestras and her life was to change dramatically in 1959. She met Lord Harewood at Milan Airport when both were flying to Paris, he after a delayed interview with the soprano Maria Callas and she after a friend’s miscarriage. The airport was fog-bound and they had to take a bus to Turin. As she has related: “We got talking on the plane, and we’ve never stopped talking since.”

The affair grew in intensity and his mother, the Princess Royal – the Queen’s aunt, was known to disapprove of the situation. His wife Marion was reluctant to agree to a divorce until additional pressure was added after Lord Harewood and Patricia had a son out of wedlock in 1964. Many friends dropped the Harewoods (notably Benjamin Britten) and after getting permission to wed by the Queen the couple were married quietly in Connecticut.

In fact Lady Harewood had never been inside the stately Harewood House before her marriage and it took her two days to visit all the rooms. But with much flair and dignified tact she settled into the routine of the house. She concentrated much of her energies initially on upgrading the fine Adam architecture and the priceless Chippendale furniture.

Many consider her lasting contribution to the improvement of Harewood was the creation of the bird garden. Advised by Peter Scott she created not only a visitor attraction but also a centre for the re-establishment of rare breeds and birds. She opened the aviary in 1970 and it has proved an immense success. The Harewood Bird Garden is home to over 40 species of birds from all round the world: there are, for example, more Bali starlings in the aviary than there are in Bali and in 2009 the black palm cockatoos became the first to breed in Britain.

Scientific research is also an important part of the work at the Bird Garden. Important conservation projects have been carried out on species such as the Humboldt Penguins, Chilean Flamingos and Ross’s Snow Geese.

Lady Harewood supported her husband in the 20 years he ran ENO and when he started Opera North in Leeds becoming president of the Leeds Philharmonic Society and the Friends of Opera North. She became patron of the Huntington’s Disease Association and, after her husband’s death, became club patron of Leeds United Football Club. Her popularity in the county was acknowledged when she was called an “honorary Yorkshirewoman”.

Relationships with the Royal Family improved in 1977 when the Queen met the couple during her Silver Jubilee celebrations and in 2002 the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh lunched at Harewood House during their Golden Jubilee tour. They attended the service to mark Prince Philip’s 90th birthday at St George’s Chapel in Windsor and in 2014 the Harewoods welcomed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry when the Tour de France began in Leeds.

Lady Harewood retained her grace and charm and was devoted to Harewood House and her two dachshunds Minnie and Lulu. She is survived by her two sons and by her three stepsons.

ALASDAIR STEVEN