The Mountbattens

[esther angeline]

I have always been very intrigued with the decades of connection and friendship of the Mountbattens and the BRF .  In addition to the blood connection as descendants of Queen Victoria, it was only intensified when Elizabeth married Philip.  Both Charles and Anne were close to Lord Mountbatten and his wife  Edwina and stayed with them when Philip and Elizabeth would be in Malta during the Navy years.  

Charles was very close to Lord Mountbatten.  Like everything else, the younger royals ig William and Harry not so much.  I think the ties will go away once Charles is gone and other Mountbattens of his generation.   William,Harry  (and the other young royals) don't seem intent on ties with their noble relatives or continental royals which is a shame.  These new Boleyns hold nothing on these old school bloodlines.

Lord Mountbatten wanted the Queen to call her House and all descendants Mountbatten.  The Queen Mother found him pushy and too "dynastic."  The fact that the Queen and her immediate Royal heirs (ie. Charles etc)  are l Windsor but others who needed a surname became Mountbatten Windsor is a testament to compromise with him.  It also assuaged Prince Philip's feelings as being no more important than a "bloody amoeba."Interestingly when Princess Anne signed the marriage register for her first marriage in 1973, she signed it Mountbatten Windsor.

[Ellie]

I like her dress a lot.

Charles escorting her is very very sweet.

[Princess MS]

I like her dress a lot.

Charles escorting her is very very sweet.

-
I think she looks lovely - dress is understated but beautifully made - not strapless or fussy etc - she looks a true "aristo"

[getafix]

How interesting that Charles has been asked to give the bride away. I suppose there is still bad blood between Alexandra and her father for his weird antics in the Bahamas. Looks like Penny is ok with keeping up appearances she looks great btw. Did Nicholas ever marry that African nurse? He looks good too but you never know what is under the surface with addicts. Bride looks lovely and happy that is all that matters. Nice to see this side of the family again. Yes I think Sofia has a mauve rinse to her hair.

Ohhh Periwinkle, please tell 

I don't know about this juicy story 

G

[Ellie]

Didn't he have affairs then skip off with his mistress or something somewhere and abandoned his family? A-hole.

[Princess MS]

Didn't he have affairs then skip off with his mistress or something somewhere and abandoned his family? A-hole.

Yes - he did - apparently has since left the other woman and gone back to the Estate - but not living in family home - guess his daughter is loyal to her mother . . . .  mind you - Prince Charles has the same form with fidelity. Aristos of that generation are a funny lot - having another woman might be OK so long as you don't cause a public scandal and run off with them

[Clara]

What is Queen Sofia's connection to the Mountbattens?

JC's paternal grandmother was a Battenberg, she was a first cousin of the first earl Mountbatten (n? Battenberg )
Beyond that and the fact that his sister married a Greek prince I don't know of a closer family connection. It looks like they just kept the friendship with the GRF.

[rosella]

JC's paternal grandmother was Ena, daughter of Princess Beatrice (Victoria's youngest daughter) and her husband, Prince Henry of Battenberg. Her brother became the Marquis of Carisbrooke, when all the German titles were realigned during World War One. (Henry was dead by that time.) Henry was brother to Louis Battenberg who married Victoria of Hesse. They became Prince Philip's grandparents.

However, in spite of all that I think Queen Sofia's friendship with the Mountbatten's comes about through simpler means. Ex King Constantine (Sofia's brother) is very close to Prince Charles and Charles has had a lifelong friendship with Earl Mountbatten's family, including the Brabournes. I think Sofia through the years has come frequently to England, with her sister Irene and a strong friendship has developed between them all.

[Countess of Cows]

How interesting that Charles has been asked to give the bride away. I suppose there is still bad blood between Alexandra and her father for his weird antics in the Bahamas. Looks like Penny is ok with keeping up appearances she looks great btw. Did Nicholas ever marry that African nurse? He looks good too but you never know what is under the surface with addicts. Bride looks lovely and happy that is all that matters. Nice to see this side of the family again. Yes I think Sofia has a mauve rinse to her hair.

Ohhh Periwinkle, please tell 

I don't know about this juicy story 

G

had to snoop (this is from the first page of this topic)  many links on google 

"Lord Brabourne, who walked out on his family for a life in the Bahamas with exotic beauty Jeannie McWeeny in 2010.

McWEENY    what a name for a mattress mistress 

The Queen showed her loyalty to Lady Brabourne, being photographed with her after he left.  She is also a close confident of DOE being a carriage driving partner.  She took over the family estate and now he's moved back but lives in a barn.    here's to Lady Brabourne, if looking good is half the battle, she's had the last  laugh (he looks like he could be her father).  Yes, it looks like his daughter picked a man she loves and respects to give her away and sadly for his own behavior it wasn't her father.

[Herazeus]

What is Queen Sofia's connection to the Mountbattens?

JC's paternal grandmother was a Battenberg, she was a first cousin of the first earl Mountbatten (n? Battenberg )
Beyond that and the fact that his sister married a Greek prince I don't know of a closer family connection. It looks like they just kept the friendship with the GRF.

Mountbatten is anglicised Battenberg. Earl Mountbatten was born Prince Louis of Battenberg. Changed it to Mountbatten after his English relatives, the Milford Havens.

I know we only saw a few wedding photos, but i'm surprised we didn't see more of them or perhaps the two sides aren't close. This set of Mountbattens are a junior branch of the family and only prominent due to the sterling social climbing efforts of uncle dickie.

[Elissa]

Princess Irene of Greece also attended the wedding. Here in blue with her sister Sofia and brother Constantin

[Lady Adelaide]

Princess Alexandra was there too, looking elegant as always

[diamond]

What is Queen Sofia's connection to the Mountbattens?

JC's paternal grandmother was a Battenberg, she was a first cousin of the first earl Mountbatten (n? Battenberg )
Beyond that and the fact that his sister married a Greek prince I don't know of a closer family connection. It looks like they just kept the friendship with the GRF.

Mountbatten is anglicised Battenberg. Earl Mountbatten was born Prince Louis of Battenberg. Changed it to Mountbatten after his English relatives, the Milford Havens.



I know we only saw a few wedding photos, but i'm surprised we didn't see more of them or perhaps the two sides aren't close. This set of Mountbattens are a junior branch of the family and only prominent due to the sterling social climbing efforts of uncle dickie.

  George V was not that fond of Uncle Dickie.

[Diogenes]

Wow!  Plexiglass heels!  Cool!

[Principessa]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battenberg_family

- was created after the morganatic marriage of prince Alexander of Hesse by Rhine (1823 - 1888) and countess Julia Hauke (1825 - 1895). Officially Julia was the first "family member".

- Alexander's nephew Ludwig (Louis) (1837-1892) by his older brother Karl (Charles) succeed his childless uncle Grandduke Ludwig III (Louis III) as Ludwig IV (Louis IV) Grand duke of Hesse. Ludwig IV married princess Alice of the United Kingdom (1843-1878). In this line haemophilia was prominent (both sufferers and carriers). Ludwig IV and Alice had in total 7 children, of which the oldest child, Victoria, married her cousin once removed prince Louis of Battenberg (who in 1917 would become Mountbatten).

- Alexander and Julia had 5 children:
1. Marie (1852?1923), married in 1871 Gustav, Count of Erbach-Sch?nberg (d. 1908), with issue.

2. Ludwig (Louis) (1854-1921), who enrolled in the UK Royal Navy. He married his first cousin once removed, princess Victoria of Hesse by Rhine (1863-1950) (a granddaughter of Queen Victoria). Louis was created first Marquess of Milford Haven in 1917. In the same year he and his children gave up their German titles and took the surname Mountbatten.  Louis and Victoria had 4 children:

2.1 Alice (1885-1969), married prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1882-1944). The parents of prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh
2.2 Louise (1889-1965), married (widowed) king Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden (1882-1973) as his second wife. Sadly the only had a stillborn daughter.
2.3 George (1892-1938), the 2nd  Marquess of Milford Haven,  married to Countess Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby (1896-1963) Nadejda was was the second daughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia and his morganatic wife Countess Sophie von Merenberg. The grandparents of the current (4th) Marquess of Milford Haven.
2.4 Louis (1900-1979), informally known as Lord Mountbatten and who was created 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Married to Edwina Ashley (1901-1960), who was the elder daughter of Wilfred William Ashley, later 1st Baron Mount Temple. Louis's nickname among family and friends was "Dickie", although "Richard" was not among his given names. This was because his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, had suggested the nickname of "Nicky", but to avoid confusion with the many Nickys of the Russian Imperial Family, "Nicky" was changed to "Dickie". Louis and Edwina were the parents of two daughters, who could inherited their fathers titles (because there were no sons and special specifications). It is claimed Louis was the matchmaker for his nephew prince Phillip and then princess Elizabeth.

3. Alexander (1857-1893), was the first prince of modern Bulgaria (1879-1886). In 1886 he resigned the Bulgarian throne and left Bulgaria. Alexander retired into private life and married an Austrian actress: Johanna Loisinger (1865-1951). He assumed the style of Count von Hartenau. Alexander and Johanna had 2 children: Assen (1890-1965) and Marie Therese (1893-1935).

4. Heinrich (Henry) (1858-1893), married in 1885 Beatrice, princess of Great Britain and Ireland (1857-1944), the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria. His children resided in the UK and became lords and ladies with the surname Mountbatten in 1917. His eldest son was created the first Marquess of Carisbrooke in 1917.

4.1 Alexander (1886-1960), 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke. Married Lady Irene Francis Adza Denison, GBE (1890 ?1956), the only daughter of the 2nd Earl of Londesborough and Lady Grace Adelaide Fane. They had one child: Lady Iris Mountbatten (1920-1982).  She was married 3 times; Joseph Keyes O?Mally, Michael Bryan and William Kemp. Iris had one child  by her 2nd marriage: Robin Bryan (1921-1991).
4.2 Victoria Eugenie (Ena) (1887-1969) married the Spanish king Alfonso XIII (1886-1941). In all, Alfonso and Victoria Eugenie had seven children, five sons and two daughters. Their eldest son Alfonso and youngest son Gonzalo suffered from haemophilia, which was blamed on Victoria Eugenie. The current Spanish royals descend from Victoria Eugenie?s 4th son, Infante Juan, who is in his turn the father of King Juan Carlos I (and thus grandfather of king Felipe VI).
4.3 Leopold (1889-1922), suffered from haemophilia (probably inherited from/through his mother). He died at the age 32 during a hip operation.
4.4 Maurice (1891-1914), killed in action during WWI

5. Franz Joseph (Francis Joseph) (1861-1924) At one time, he was considered for the throne of Bulgaria, which eventually went to his brother Alexander. He supposedly proposed to American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt, whom turned him down.  Franz Joseph married Princess Ana Petrović-Njego? of Montenegro (1874?1971), daughter of Nicholas I of Montenegro. They had no children