Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke
Encyclopedia
Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, GCB
, GCVO
, GJStJ
(born Prince Alexander Albert of Battenberg; 23 November 1886 – 23 February 1960) was a member of the Hessian
princely Battenberg family
and the extended British Royal Family
, a grandson of Queen Victoria
. He was a Prince of Battenberg from his birth until 1917, when the British Royal Family relinquished their German titles during the First World War
and changed their name to Windsor
.
in Berkshire
and was educated at Wellington College
. His father was Prince Henry of Battenberg
, the son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine
and Julie Therese née Countess of Hauke
. His mother was Princess Henry of Battenberg
(née The Princess Beatrice), the fifth daughter and the youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
Prince Henry of Battenberg was the product of a morganatic marriage
, and took his style of Prince of Battenberg from his mother, Julia von Hauke, who was created Princess of Battenberg in her own right. At his birth, Alexander, was styled His Serene Highness Prince Alexander of Battenberg, because the child of a morganatic marriage is ineligible for "Grand-Ducal Highness" status. However, three weeks after his birth, on 13 December 1886, he was styled His Highness under a Royal Warrant
passed by his grandmother Queen Victoria.
from 1902 to 1908.
In 1911 he joined the British Army
, being appointed Second Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards
on 22 November 1911, and was promoted to Lieutenant on 15 August 1913. He was seconded to the staff to act as an extra aide-de-camp on 10 April 1915 and promoted Captain the same year. On 1 June 1917 he was authorised to wear the insignia of the Russian Order of St Vladimir, fourth class with Swords, awarded "for distinguished service to the Allied cause". He resigned his commission on 19 June 1919 and was placed on the General Reserve of Officers, ranking as a Captain with seniority of 15 July 1915. He held several other foreign orders and decorations: Grand Cross of Order of Charles III (Spain), Order of Leopold, with swords (Belgium), Order of Alexander Nevsky (Russia), Order of Naval Merit, fourth class (Spain), Order of the Nile
(Egypt), Order of the Crown
(Romania), and Croix de guerre
, with palms (France).
led King George V
to change the name of the Royal House
in July 1917 from the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the House of Windsor
. He also relinquished, on behalf of his various relatives who were British subjects, the use of all German titles and styles.
The Battenberg family relinquished their titles of Prince and Princess of Battenberg and the styles of Highness and Serene Highness. Under Royal Warrant
, they instead took the surname Mountbatten, an Anglicised
form of Battenberg. As such, Prince Alexander became Sir Alexander Mountbatten. On 7 November 1917, he was created Marquess of Carisbrooke
, Earl of Berkhampsted
and Viscount Launceston
.
In the 1930's, author E.F. Benson dedicated two of his famous novels "Mapp and Lucia" and "Lucia's Progress" to the Marquess of Carisbrooke.
(4 July 1890 – 16 July 1956), the only daughter of the 2nd Earl of Londesborough and Lady Grace Adelaide Fane, at the Chapel Royal
in St James's Palace.
Lord and Lady Carisbrooke had one child, a daughter:
According to the published diaries of Cecil Beaton
, in his later years Lord Carisbrooke had a longtime male lover, Simon Fleet. More is written about Lord Carisbrooke and his wife in the published diaries of James Lees-Milne
.
, and was buried at the Battenberg Chapel in St. Mildred's Church, Whippingham
on the Isle of Wight
. The title 'Marquess of Carisbrooke' became extinct upon his death.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, GCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, GJStJ
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
(born Prince Alexander Albert of Battenberg; 23 November 1886 – 23 February 1960) was a member of the Hessian
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
princely Battenberg family
Battenberg family
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 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, at her...
and the extended British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, a grandson of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. He was a Prince of Battenberg from his birth until 1917, when the British Royal Family relinquished their German titles during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and changed their name to Windsor
House of Windsor
The House of Windsor is the royal house of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V by royal proclamation on the 17 July 1917, when he changed the name of his family from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor, due to the anti-German sentiment in the United Kingdom...
.
Early life
Prince Alexander was born in 1886 at Windsor CastleWindsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
and was educated at Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
. His father was Prince Henry of Battenberg
Prince Henry of Battenberg
Colonel Prince Henry of Battenberg was a morganatic descendant of the Grand Ducal House of Hesse, later becoming a member of the British Royal Family, through his marriage to Princess Beatrice.-Early life:...
, the son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine
Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine
Prince Alexander Ludwig Georg Friedrich Emil of Hesse, GCB was the third son and fourth child of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and Wilhelmina of Baden.-Questioned parentage:...
and Julie Therese née Countess of Hauke
Julia von Hauke
Princess Julia of Battenberg was the wife of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, the mother of Alexander, Prince of Bulgaria, and ancestress to the current generations of the British and the Spanish royal families.-Life:Julie Therese Salomea Hauke was born in Warsaw, in Congress Poland, then...
. His mother was Princess Henry of Battenberg
Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom
The Princess Beatrice was a member of the British Royal Family. She was the fifth daughter and youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Juan Carlos, King of Spain, is her great-grandson...
(née The Princess Beatrice), the fifth daughter and the youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
Prince Henry of Battenberg was the product of a morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
, and took his style of Prince of Battenberg from his mother, Julia von Hauke, who was created Princess of Battenberg in her own right. At his birth, Alexander, was styled His Serene Highness Prince Alexander of Battenberg, because the child of a morganatic marriage is ineligible for "Grand-Ducal Highness" status. However, three weeks after his birth, on 13 December 1886, he was styled His Highness under a Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
passed by his grandmother Queen Victoria.
Military service and honours
Prince Alexander served in the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
from 1902 to 1908.
In 1911 he joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, being appointed Second Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
on 22 November 1911, and was promoted to Lieutenant on 15 August 1913. He was seconded to the staff to act as an extra aide-de-camp on 10 April 1915 and promoted Captain the same year. On 1 June 1917 he was authorised to wear the insignia of the Russian Order of St Vladimir, fourth class with Swords, awarded "for distinguished service to the Allied cause". He resigned his commission on 19 June 1919 and was placed on the General Reserve of Officers, ranking as a Captain with seniority of 15 July 1915. He held several other foreign orders and decorations: Grand Cross of Order of Charles III (Spain), Order of Leopold, with swords (Belgium), Order of Alexander Nevsky (Russia), Order of Naval Merit, fourth class (Spain), Order of the Nile
Order of the Nile
The Order of the Nile is Egypt's highest state honor. The award was instituted in 1915 by Sultan Hussein Kamel to be awarded by Egypt for exceptional services to the nation...
(Egypt), Order of the Crown
Order of the Crown (Romania)
The Order of the Crown is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania...
(Romania), and Croix de guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
, with palms (France).
Marquess of Carisbrooke
Anti-German feeling during the First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
led King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
to change the name of the Royal House
Royal House
A royal house or royal dynasty consists of at least one, but usually more monarchs who are related to one another, as well as their non-reigning descendants and spouses. Monarchs of the same realm who are not related to one another are usually deemed to belong to different houses, and each house is...
in July 1917 from the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the House of Windsor
House of Windsor
The House of Windsor is the royal house of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V by royal proclamation on the 17 July 1917, when he changed the name of his family from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor, due to the anti-German sentiment in the United Kingdom...
. He also relinquished, on behalf of his various relatives who were British subjects, the use of all German titles and styles.
The Battenberg family relinquished their titles of Prince and Princess of Battenberg and the styles of Highness and Serene Highness. Under Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
, they instead took the surname Mountbatten, an Anglicised
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
form of Battenberg. As such, Prince Alexander became Sir Alexander Mountbatten. On 7 November 1917, he was created Marquess of Carisbrooke
Marquess of Carisbrooke
The title of Marquess of Carisbrooke was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1917 for Prince Alexander of Battenberg, eldest son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg...
, Earl of Berkhampsted
Marquess of Carisbrooke
The title of Marquess of Carisbrooke was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1917 for Prince Alexander of Battenberg, eldest son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg...
and Viscount Launceston
Viscount Launceston
The peerage title of Viscount Launceston, named for Launceston in Cornwall, has been twice created, each time for an individual connected with the British Royal Family....
.
In the 1930's, author E.F. Benson dedicated two of his famous novels "Mapp and Lucia" and "Lucia's Progress" to the Marquess of Carisbrooke.
Marriage
On 19 July 1917, he married Lady Irene Francis Adza Denison, GBEIrene Mountbatten, Marchioness of Carisbrooke
Lady Irene Francis Adza "Iris" Denison, Marchioness of Carisbrooke, GBE, DJ.St.J was born in London, England, the daughter of William Francis Henry Denison, 2nd Earl of Londesborough and Lady Grace Adelaide ....
(4 July 1890 – 16 July 1956), the only daughter of the 2nd Earl of Londesborough and Lady Grace Adelaide Fane, at the Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
in St James's Palace.
Lord and Lady Carisbrooke had one child, a daughter:
- Lady Iris MountbattenLady Iris MountbattenThe Lady Iris Mountbatten was born in Kensington Palace, London on 13 January 1920, the only child of Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, eldest of three sons and one daughter of The Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg...
(13 January 1920 – 1 September 1982)
Cecil Beaton
Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, CBE was an English fashion and portrait photographer, diarist, painter, interior designer and an Academy Award-winning stage and costume designer for films and the theatre...
, in his later years Lord Carisbrooke had a longtime male lover, Simon Fleet. More is written about Lord Carisbrooke and his wife in the published diaries of James Lees-Milne
James Lees-Milne
James Lees-Milne was an English writer and expert on country houses. He was an architectural historian, novelist, and a biographer. He is also remembered as a diarist.-Biography:...
.
Death
Lord Carisbrooke died in 1960, aged seventy-three, at Kensington PalaceKensington Palace
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century and is the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and...
, and was buried at the Battenberg Chapel in St. Mildred's Church, Whippingham
St. Mildred's Church, Whippingham
St. Mildred's Church, Whippingham is a parish church in the Church of England located in Whippingham, Isle of Wight.-History:The chancel of the church was built in 1854 and 1855 by the architect Albert Jenkins Humbert although Prince Albert is thought to have had a guiding hand.The remainder of the...
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. The title 'Marquess of Carisbrooke' became extinct upon his death.
Titles, styles and honours
- 1886–1910: His Serene Highness Prince Alexander of Battenberg/His Highness Prince Alexander of Battenberg (effective in the United Kingdom, not in Germany)
- 1910–1911: His Serene Highness Prince Alexander of Battenberg KCVO/His Highness Prince Alexander of Battenberg, KCVORoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
- 1911–1917: His Serene Highness Prince Alexander of Battenberg GCVO/His Highness Prince Alexander of Battenberg, GCVORoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
- 1917: Sir Alexander Mountbatten, GCVO
- 1917–1927: The Most Hon The Marquess of Carisbrooke, GCVO
- 1927–1960: The Most Hon The Marquess of Carisbrooke, GCBOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, GCVO