The Earl of Harewood

 

I only met him once though I knew him well thanks to his distinguished career at the Edinburgh Festival, Covent Garden, English National Opera and Opera North of which he was the founder. Everything he did was with distinction. 

He was actually quite approachable for a grandson of George V. and 1st cousin to the queen. Only once did I hear anything to suggest he was 'royal' in nature as well as in fact. I believe that a visitor to his office at the ENO was told by his colleague Edmund Tracey not to disagree with anything he said but to tell Edmund later. 

I only met him once. In that meeting we were discussing a contract for the Australian soprano Eileen Hannan. Eileen was there. Harewood asked her 'You're not Irish are you?' Eileen replied that she was not. 'Good, because I hate the Irish,' said Harewood. 

I thought that was a bit rich coming from someone in his position. What if I had gone to the newspapers about that? Of course I didn't say anything and given some thought, I reckoned that the assassination of Lord Mountbatten might have been the cause for that remark.  

It is a long time ago and Harewood has not been with us for many years now. I have become Irish in the meantime and forgive him. In fact I approve of the unguarded remark and think it rather disloyal for people to betray those who make them - within reason. I hope I'm not falling into the disloyal category by telling this story now.

The Edinburgh Festival under 'George' as he was known in the musical world was outstanding. Easily a rival to Salzburg. After him it went steadily downhill with the exception of Brian McMaster's era when it got back to where it had been. Now it is an irrelevance - totally subsumed beneath the 'Fringe.' 

Only recently did I discover that Harewood had been a prisoner, one of the 'Prominente' at Colditz during the war. Because of his relationship to the royal family, he, like the distant relative of Winston Churchill and others were actually Hitler's hostages and as such expendable under the wrong circumstances. So much more dangerous that being a normal inmate. 

Also not long ago, despite having been Lesley Garrett's agent and friend, I found out that Harewood had left a wish that it would be Lesley who sang at his funeral which she did. I think this proved Harewood's lack of pretention and good taste. I guess it didn't hurt that Harewood's family seat was in Yorkshire, Harewood House, and Lesley is a Yorkshire lass.