Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Mountbatten family

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Ethnicity
  
British German

Place of origin
  
Germany

Earlier spellings
  
Battenberg

Mountbatten family

Members
  
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma Queen Louise of Sweden Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Connected families
  
House of Windsor House of Hesse House of Glücksburg House of Bernadotte

The Mountbatten family is a European dynasty originating as a branch of the German princely Battenberg family. The name was adopted during World War I by family members residing in the United Kingdom due to rising anti-German sentiment amongst the British public. The name is an Anglicisation of the German Battenberg, a small town in Hesse. The title of count of Battenberg, later prince of Battenberg, was granted to a morganatic branch of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, itself a cadet branch of the House of Hesse, in the mid 19th century.

Contents

The family now includes the Marquesses of Carisbrooke and Milford Haven, as well as the Earls Mountbatten of Burma. Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, the consort of Queen Elizabeth II, adopted the surname of Mountbatten from his mother's family in 1947, although he is a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg by patrilineal descent. Lady Louise Mountbatten became Queen Consort of Sweden, after having married Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.

Origins

The Mountbatten family are a branch of the German house of Battenberg. The Battenberg family was a morganatic branch of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, rulers of the Grand Duchy of Hesse in Germany. The first member of the House of Battenberg was Julia Hauke, whose brother-in-law Grand Duke Louis III of Hesse created her Countess of Battenberg with the style Illustrious Highness in 1851, on the occasion of her morganatic marriage to Grand Duke Louis' brother Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine. Julia was elevated in her title to Princess of Battenberg with the style Serene Highness (HSH) in 1858.

Two of Alexander and Julia's sons, Prince Henry of Battenberg and Prince Louis of Battenberg, became associated with the British Royal Family. Prince Henry married The Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria. Prince Louis married Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, and became the First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy. Due to anti-German feelings prevalent in Britain during World War I, Prince Louis, his children, and his nephews (the living sons of Prince Henry), renounced their German titles and changed their name to the more English sounding Mountbatten. (They rejected an alternative translation, "Battenhill".) Their cousin, George V compensated the princes with British peerages. Prince Louis became the 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, while Prince Alexander, Prince Henry's eldest son, became the 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke.

Marquess of Milford Haven

The marquessate of Milford Haven was created in 1917 for Prince Louis of Battenberg, the former First Sea Lord, and a relation to the British Royal family. He was at the same time made Earl of Medina and Viscount Alderney, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Princess Alice of Battenberg never took the name Mountbatten as she married Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark in 1903; her son, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, took the name upon becoming a naturalised British citizen.

  • Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven (1854–1921) m. Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine
  • Princess Alice of Battenberg (1885–1969) m. Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
  • Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark (1905–1981) m. Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
  • Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (1906–1969) m. Berthold, Margrave of Baden
  • Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark (1911–1937) m. Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse
  • Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark (1914–2001) m. Prince Christoph of Hesse d. 1943, m. Prince George William of Hanover
  • Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark (b. 1921), m. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
  • Lady Louise Mountbatten (1889–1965) m. Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
  • George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven (1892–1938) m. Countess Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby
  • Lady Tatiana Mountbatten (1917–1988)
  • David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven (1919–1970) m. Romaine Dahlgren Pierce div. 1954, m. Janet Mercedes Bryce
  • George Mountbatten, 4th Marquess of Milford Haven (b. 1961) m. Sarah Georgina Walker div. 1996, m. Clare Steel
  • Lady Tatiana Mountbatten (b. 1990)
  • Henry Mountbatten, Earl of Medina (b. 1991)
  • Lord Ivar Mountbatten (b. 1963) m. Penelope Anne Vere Thompson div. 2011
  • Ella Mountbatten (b. 1996)
  • Alexandra Mountbatten (b. 1998)
  • Louise Mountbatten (b. 2002)
  • Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900–1979) m. Edwina Ashley
  • Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma (b. 1924) m. John Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne
  • Lady Pamela Hicks (b. 1929) m. David Nightingale Hicks
  • The heir apparent to the marquessate is the present holder's son Henry Mountbatten, Earl of Medina (b. 1991)

    The 1st Marquess's youngest daughter, Lady Louise Mountbatten, married the crown prince of Sweden in 1923. On his accession in 1950 as Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, Louise became Queen consort of Sweden.

    Earl Mountbatten of Burma

    Earl Mountbatten of Burma is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1947 for Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, youngest son of the 1st Marquess of Milford Haven and the last Viceroy of India. The letters patent creating the title specified the following special remainder to his daughters. The subsidiary titles of the Earldom are Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, of Romsey in the County of Southampton, created 1946, and Baron Romsey, of Romsey in the County of Southampton, created in 1947. Both of these titles, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, have the same special remainder as the Earldom.

  • Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma (1900–1979) m. Edwina Cynthia Annette Ashley, daughter of Wilfrid Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple and great-granddaughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
  • Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma (b. 1924) m. John Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne
  • Norton Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne (b. 1947) m. Penelope Eastwood
  • The Hon. Nicholas Knatchbull (b. 1981)
  • The Hon. Alexandra Knatchbull (b. 1982) m. Thomas Hooper
  • The Hon. Leonora Knatchbull (1986–1991)
  • The Hon. Michael-John Knatchbull (b. 1950) m. Melissa Clare Owen, div. 2006
  • Kelly Knatchbull (b. 1988)
  • Savannah Knatchbull (b. 2001)
  • The Hon. Anthony Knatchbull (1952–1952)
  • Lady Joanna Zuckerman (b. 1955) m. Baron Hubert Pernot du Breuil, div. 1995, m. Azriel Zuckerman
  • Baroness Eleuthera Roselyne Pernot du Breuil (b. 1986)
  • Alexander Zuckerman (b. 2002)
  • Lady Amanda Ellingworth (b. 1957) m. Charles Vincent Ellingworth
  • Lucas Ellingworth (b. 1991)
  • Joseph Ellingworth (b. 1992)
  • Louis Ellingworth (b. 1995)
  • The Hon. Philip Knatchbull (b. 1961) m. Atalanta Cowan
  • Daisy Isadora Knatchbull (b. 1992)
  • Phoebe Knatchbull (b. 1995)
  • Frederick Knatchbull (b. 2003)
  • John Knatchbull (b. 2004)
  • The Hon. Nicholas Knatchbull (1964–1979)
  • The Hon. Timothy Knatchbull (b. 1964) m. Isabella Julia Norman
  • Amber Diana Knatchbull (b. 2000)
  • Milo Columbus Knatchbull (b. 2001)
  • Ludovic David Knatchbull (b. 2003)
  • Isla Selina Knatchbull (b. 2005)
  • Wilhelmina Knatchbull (b. 2008)
  • Lady Pamela Hicks (b. 1929) m. David Nightingale Hicks
  • Edwina Brudenell (b. 1961) m. Jeremy Brudenell
  • Maddison May Brudenell (b. 1994)
  • Jordan Anne Brudenell (b. 1995)
  • Rowan Michael David Brudenell (b. 2001)
  • Ashley Hicks (b. 1963) m. Marina Allegra Federica Silvia Tondato, div. 2009, m. Katalina Sharkey de Solis
  • Angelica Hicks (b. 1992)
  • Ambrosia Hicks (b. 1997)
  • India Hicks (b. 1967) m. David Flint Wood
  • Wesley Flint Wood (b. 1996)
  • Felix Austen Flint Wood (b. 1997)
  • Amory John Flint Wood (b. 1999)
  • Conrad Lorenzo Flint Wood (b. 2003)
  • Domino Carmen Flint Wood (b. 2007)
  • The heir apparent to the earldom is the present holder's son Norton Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne (b. 1947)

    Marquess of Carisbrooke

    Marquess of Carisbrooke was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1917 for Prince Alexander of Battenberg, eldest son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg. He was made Viscount Launceston, in the County of Cornwall, and Earl of Berkhampsted at the same time, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The titles became extinct upon Lord Carisbrooke's death in 1960, as he had no sons.

  • Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke (1886–1960) m. Lady Irene Denison, daughter of William Denison, 2nd Earl of Londesborough
  • Lady Iris Mountbatten (1920–1982) m. Captain Hamilton Joseph Keyes O'Malley, div. 1946, m. Michael Neely Bryan, div. 1957, m. William Alexander Kemp
  • His siblings were:

  • Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), m. Alfonso XIII of Spain
  • Lord Leopold Mountbatten (1889–1922)
  • Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891–1914)
  • Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

    Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the son of Princess Alice of Battenberg and grandson of the 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, took the name Mountbatten when he became a naturalised British subject. Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten married Princess Elizabeth, daughter of George VI of the United Kingdom, on 20 November 1947. In 1952, on the accession of his wife as Queen Elizabeth II, there was some dispute regarding the dynasty to which descendants of Elizabeth and Phillip would belong. Queen Mary (the new Queen's grandmother) expressed to Prime Minister Winston Churchill her aversion to the idea of the House of Mountbatten succeeding the House of Windsor as the royal dynasty. Winston Churchill raised the matter in Parliament where it was decided that the name of the Royal House would remain Windsor, as decreed in perpetuity by Queen Mary's husband, King George V.

  • Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b. 1921) m. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
  • Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948) m. Lady Diana Spencer, div. 1996, m. Camilla Parker Bowles
  • Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (b. 1982) m. Catherine Middleton
  • Prince George of Cambridge (b. 2013)
  • Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (b. 2015)
  • Prince Henry of Wales (b. 1984)
  • Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950) m. Captain Mark Phillips, div. 1992, m. Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
  • Peter Phillips (b. 1977) m. Autumn Kelly
  • Savannah Phillips (b. 2010)
  • Isla Phillips (b. 2012)
  • Zara Tindall (b. 1981) m. Mike Tindall
  • Mia Tindall (b. 2014)
  • Prince Andrew, Duke of York (b. 1960) m. Sarah Ferguson, div. 1996
  • Princess Beatrice of York (b. 1988)
  • Princess Eugenie of York (b. 1990)
  • Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (b. 1964) m. Sophie Rhys-Jones
  • Lady Louise Windsor (b. 2003)
  • James, Viscount Severn (b. 2007)
  • Mountbatten-Windsor

    Mountbatten-Windsor is the personal surname of some of the descendants of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh under an Order in Council issued in 1960, which has not been applied consistently. While the Order specifically applies the surname "Mountbatten-Windsor" to Elizabeth's male-line descendants not holding Royal styles and titles, "Mountbatten-Windsor" has been formally used by some of her descendants who do hold Royal styles. The surname was first officially used by Princess Anne in 1973, in the wedding register for her marriage to Mark Phillips. Prince William and Kate Middleton used the names "Monsieur et Madame Mountbatten-Windsor" when filing a French lawsuit against the French magazine, Closer.

    Mountbatten-Windsor differs from the official name of the British Royal Family or Royal House, which remains Windsor. The adoption of the Mountbatten-Windsor surname applies only to members of the Royal Family who are descended from Elizabeth, and not, for example, to her cousins, or descendants of her sister, Princess Margaret.

    Legacy

    The city of Ottawa, Ontario, erected Mountbatten Avenue in memory of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. A Royal Canadian Sea Cadets corps, RCSCC #134 Admiral Mountbatten, was named after him in 1946. A 9'5" bronze statue by Franta Belsky of Lord Mountbatten of Burma was erected in 1983 outside the Foreign Office, overlooking Horse Guards Parade. The earl is dressed in the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet.

    The Mountbatten Institute (formerly known as the Mountbatten Internship Programme), an organization based in New York and London dedicated to fostering work experience and cultural exchange by placing international graduate students abroad to earn postgraduate and degrees was set up by his eldest daughter, Patricia, 2nd Countess Mountbatten. It was named in honour of the countess's father, the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma.

    References

    Mountbatten family Wikipedia