The Mountbattens

[Carreen]

I just finished reading Mary Soames' memories of her life as Winston Churchill's daughter - a very lively book. She met Louis Mountbatten at official events, had even a little crush on him because he was so charming and funny (of course much older than she was and not always on one page with her father), but the funniest thing is: she and her sister called him privately "glamour pants". I won't be able to see pictures of him any more without thinking: glamour pants, glamour pants...

On Youtube, there's the 12 part series about his life. He really loves talking about himself but from what I've seen, there's great archival material - the short movie he and Edwina made with Charlie Chaplin for example.

Right now, after finishing quite a number of Churchill-focused books, I'm digging into the Mountbattens a bit more. Right now, I'm reading the book about Dickie and Edwina, but I have some more lined up.

As I mentioned above, I loved the book by Lady Pamela Hicks and gave it as a present to my mother (a retired English teacher with a burning love for anything British), and she loved it, too.

What an interesting family.

[anastasia beaverhausen]

I just finished reading Mary Soames' memories of her life as Winston Churchill's daughter - a very lively book. She met Louis Mountbatten at official events, had even a little crush on him because he was so charming and funny (of course much older than she was and not always on one page with her father), but the funniest thing is: she and her sister called him privately "glamour pants". I won't be able to see pictures of him any more without thinking: glamour pants, glamour pants...

On Youtube, there's the 12 part series about his life. He really loves talking about himself but from what I've seen, there's great archival material - the short movie he and Edwina made with Charlie Chaplin for example.

Right now, after finishing quite a number of Churchill-focused books, I'm digging into the Mountbattens a bit more. Right now, I'm reading the book about Dickie and Edwina, but I have some more lined up.

As I mentioned above, I loved the book by Lady Pamela Hicks and gave it as a present to my mother (a retired English teacher with a burning love for anything British), and she loved it, too.

What an interesting family.

They really are!  Very ahead of their time in a lot of ways, especially considering their otherwise royalist viewpoints.

[CyrilSebastian]

David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for taking the destroyer Kandahar through a minefield in an attempt to rescue the cruiser Neptune.

[CyrilSebastian]

The Royal Family attended the preview of the film about Louis Mountbatten in 1968.   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxHDBiZFSXQ

[SvenskaSarah]

On itv last night the documentary "My years with the Queen" aired. Its an interview style documentary between India Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks (Mountbatten's daughter).
Very insightful documentary about the Queen's early years and the Mountbatten family. Though I must say Lady Pamela came across as very snobby and reinforcing that aristocratic "I'm better than you" vibe, though I guess at her age she can perhaps get away with it; after all she is one of the last aristocrats living from that era. She has some interesting comments regarding Charles' wedding, and about her own family. My favourite comment was "The Moubtbattens meant something" in relation to their status compared to other aristocratic families.

But it was lovely to see images of the Queen in her younger years, she really was a true beauty (and still is, imo!)

[CurleySharon]

The Mountbattens meant something ?, she certainly has her father's arrogance.
He did not mean much where I come from, as history shows.

[Lady Willoughby]

On itv last night the documentary "My years with the Queen" aired. Its an interview style documentary between India Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks (Mountbatten's daughter).
Very insightful documentary about the Queen's early years and the Mountbatten family. Though I must say Lady Pamela came across as very snobby and reinforcing that aristocratic "I'm better than you" vibe, though I guess at her age she can perhaps get away with it; after all she is one of the last aristocrats living from that era. She has some interesting comments regarding Charles' wedding, and about her own family. My favourite comment was "The Moubtbattens meant something" in relation to their status compared to other aristocratic families.

But it was lovely to see images of the Queen in her younger years, she really was a true beauty (and still is, imo!)

Gag. They hardly mean anything more than then families like the Howards and Percys in the historical scheme of things. I’ve always found the family intolerable.

[leatherface]

On itv last night the documentary "My years with the Queen" aired. Its an interview style documentary between India Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks (Mountbatten's daughter).
Very insightful documentary about the Queen's early years and the Mountbatten family. Though I must say Lady Pamela came across as very snobby and reinforcing that aristocratic "I'm better than you" vibe, though I guess at her age she can perhaps get away with it; after all she is one of the last aristocrats living from that era. She has some interesting comments regarding Charles' wedding, and about her own family. My favourite comment was "The Moubtbattens meant something" in relation to their status compared to other aristocratic families.

But it was lovely to see images of the Queen in her younger years, she really was a true beauty (and still is, imo!)

Gag. They hardly mean anything more than then families like the Howards and Percys in the historical scheme of things. I’ve always found the family intolerable.

At least Pammy acknowledged that whatever relevance they had is long since past.

While the Mountbattens are insufferable, Dickie was the last viceroy of India and has a place in history because of that.

[Gemsheal]

On itv last night the documentary "My years with the Queen" aired. Its an interview style documentary between India Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks (Mountbatten's daughter).
Very insightful documentary about the Queen's early years and the Mountbatten family. Though I must say Lady Pamela came across as very snobby and reinforcing that aristocratic "I'm better than you" vibe, though I guess at her age she can perhaps get away with it; after all she is one of the last aristocrats living from that era. She has some interesting comments regarding Charles' wedding, and about her own family. My favourite comment was "The Moubtbattens meant something" in relation to their status compared to other aristocratic families.

But it was lovely to see images of the Queen in her younger years, she really was a true beauty (and still is, imo!)

Her sister Patricia was the opposite of this.   I think the trauma of Aug 1979 knocked it all out of her. 

But frankly I always thought their mother Edwina was the least stuck-up, least head-up-ass member of that branch of Mountbattens.   

[Curtains]

The Mountbattens meant something ?, she certainly has her father's arrogance.
He did not mean much where I come from, as history shows.

Jeez, he was important enough for the IRA (Irish Republican Army) to murder via blowing him up in a fishing boat.  So history shows exactly the opposite from your assertion.  Mountbatten was most definitely someone who did “mean much” where you come from, Ireland.

Did you know that though?  Here’s a link for you:  https://www.history.com/news/mountbatten-assassination-ira-thatcher

[periwinkle]

Yes I had to look them up maybe this lady is a snob but not without reason. Uncle Dickie's one sister was Princess Alice of Greece and the other was a queen of Sweden that is not bad. Princess Alice is buried in Jerusalem and is treated as a righteous Gentile that is also something special and rather touching. The fate of the Greek Jews in WWII was not good.

[anastasia beaverhausen]

The Mountbattens meant something ?, she certainly has her father's arrogance.
He did not mean much where I come from, as history shows.

Jeez, he was important enough for the IRA (Irish Republican Army) to murder via blow him up in a fishing boat.  So history shows exactly the opposite from your assertion.  Mountbatten was most definitely someone who did “mean much” where you come from, Ireland.

Did you know that though?  Here’s a link for you:  https://www.history.com/n...ssassination-ira-thatcher

Curtains, you are a wellspring of knowledge and I want to be you when I grow up.

[SvenskaSarah]

Yes I had to look them up maybe this lady is a snob but not without reason. Uncle Dickie's one sister was Princess Alice of Greece and the other was a queen of Sweden that is not bad. Princess Alice is buried in Jerusalem and is treated as a righteous Gentile that is also something special and rather touching. The fate of the Greek Jews in WWII was not good.

ITA. In my post I said that maybe her age allows her to get away with her snobbery, but we must remember that while we view the Mountbattens as aristocrats, they are, by pedigree, royalty. Only the First World War resulted in them losing their Princely titles and the name change. At the time of the wedding in 1947, the Mountbattens were at the very top of aristocratic circles in the UK, because they were royals and descended from Queen Victoria.

Lord Mountbatten was an incredibly important figure, with a diplomatic and military career spanning several decades. He was close with Prince Charles and I do not think it is an accident by any means that two future Kings have Louis in their names. His assassination was horrendous, though it is awful to put into words, the fact that he holidayed in the Republic of Ireland (close to the border) put him at risk. If anything, I admire him for stoically continuing his family holidays there, knowing the conflict occurring just over the border. He means a lot to history, and clearly a lot to the BRF.

When Lady Pamela referred to the Mountbattens meaning something, she meant at the time of EII and Philips wedding, which occurred the year of Partition (the failure of that we won't go into here) which Louis oversaw having been the last Viceory of India straight after serving in the Royal Navy like his nephew; a few years after Princess Alice risked her life to help Greeks and Jews during WWII; at a time when the Crown Princess of Sweden was a Mountbatten and less than thirty years after another Battenberg was assassinated along with her husband and five children in Russia. For reference look up Queen Louise of Sweden, Lord Louis Mountbatten, Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, and Tsarinna Alexandra. Pretty historically important people, and that is just three generations' worth of members.

Mountbatten did mean something, and arguably still does today.
Today we can look upon that remark as cominf across as arrogant and snobby but to do so is completely ignoring the actual history of the Mountbattens, and the context of which it was said. Overall Lady Pamela comes across as aware of her status, whether that's correct in today's world is debatable, and certainly doesn't translate well to a documentary, but she knows better than most of us how the Mountbattens were viewed and valued over the last 90 years or so.

[lilyrose]

less than thirty years after another Battenberg was assassinated along with her husband and five children in Russia. For reference look up Queen Louise of Sweden, Lord Louis Mountbatten, Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, and Tsarinna Alexandra. Pretty historically important people, and that is just three generations' worth of members.

Just a correction--Alexandra was not a Battenberg. Her sister married a Battenberg, but she was a Hessian princess. Might you be confusing her with her cousin Victoria Eugenie who was a Battenberg princess?

[SvenskaSarah]

less than thirty years after another Battenberg was assassinated along with her husband and five children in Russia. For reference look up Queen Louise of Sweden, Lord Louis Mountbatten, Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, and Tsarinna Alexandra. Pretty historically important people, and that is just three generations' worth of members.

Just a correction--Alexandra was not a Battenberg. Her sister married a Battenberg, but she was a Hessian princess. Might you be confusing her with her cousin Victoria Eugenie who was a Battenberg princess?

I am indeed! When I was typing it I couldn't remember and if I go out of the forum on my Google app I lose what I have written! Thank you for pointing it out to me!  But still, the Mountbattens were closely related to the big royal families of the day!