Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Encyclopedia
Edwina Cynthia Annette Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma,, GBE
, DCVO
, CI
, DStJ
(28 November 1901 – 21 February 1960) was an English
heiress, socialite, relief-worker, wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
, and last Vicereine of India
.
(of the 1932 creation), who was a Conservative
Member of Parliament
.
Paternally, Ashley descended from the Earls of Shaftesbury
who had been ennobled as baron
s in 1661, and ranked as baronet
s since 1622. She was a great-granddaughter of the reformist 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
through his younger son, The Hon. Evelyn Melbourne Ashley (1836–1907) and his wife, Sybella Farquhar (d. 1886), a granddaughter of the 6th Duke of Beaufort. From this cadet branch
of the Ashley-Cooper peers
would come inheritance of the estate of Broadlands
, and of Classiebawn Castle in Sligo
, Ireland
.
Ashley's mother was Amalia Mary Maud Cassel (1879–1911), daughter of the international magnate Sir Ernest Cassel
, friend and private financier to the future King Edward VII
. Cassel was one of the richest and most powerful men in Europe
. He lost his beloved wife (Annette Maxwell), for whom he had converted from Judaism
to Roman Catholicism. He also lost his only child, Amalia. He was then to leave the bulk of his vast fortune to Edwina, his elder granddaughter.
After Ashley's father's re-marriage in 1914 to Molly Forbes-Sempill, she was sent away to boarding school
s, first to The Links in Eastbourne, then to Alde House in Suffolk, at neither of which was she a willing pupil. Her grandfather, Sir Ernest, solved the domestic dilemma by inviting her to live with him and, eventually, to act as hostess at his London residence, Brooke House. Later, his other mansions, Moulton Paddocks and Branksome Dene, would become part of her Cassel inheritance.
society. Her grandfather died in 1921, leaving her £2 million, the country seat of Broadlands
, Hampshire and the palatial London townhouse, Brooke House, at a time when her future husband's salary was £610 per annum. Ashley and Mountbatten were married on 18 July 1922 at St. Margaret's, Westminster
. Louis Mountbatten's family, the world famous British Royal Family
, were all present and the then Prince of Wales
--(the future King Edward VIII
)--was best man.
(born 14 February 1924) and Pamela
(born 19 April 1929).
Lady Mountbatten lived a fashionable and privileged life almost totally dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure
— and indeed took off on an extended period at sea during the mid-1930s when for many months no one had any idea of her whereabouts: Publishers Weekly summarises the Janet Morgan biography of Lady Mountbatten: "Edwina Ashley wed Lord Louis ('Dickie') Mountbatten in 1922 at the age of 20, then embarked on two decades of frivolity. Not satisfied having two well-behaved daughters and an 'enthusiastic boy' of a husband, she took refuge in lovers and sparked scandals." But at the outbreak of the Second World War
she acquired a new purpose in life and devoted her considerable intelligence and energy to the service of others. She is especially remembered for her service in the post-Partition period of India and Pakistan, when her husband was the Governor General of the truncated independent India, Pakistan having been partitioned off as a result of the movement led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
Lord and Lady Mountbatten served as, respectively, the last Viceroy and Vicereine of pre-Partition India, after the British government gave him plenipotentiary
power to arrange the Independence of British India. After Partition, Lord Mountbatten remained briefly as the first of the two Governors General of India — in 1950 the link with the monarchy was severed and India's governor general was replaced with a non-executive president.
Lady Mountbatten in all renderings of the violent disruption that followed the Partition of India is universally praised for her heroic efforts in relieving the misery.
, whose bisexual liaisons are perhaps better documented than those attributed to Edwina. Along with Nancy Cunard
, she was alleged to have been lovers with American actor Paul Robeson
, although she successfully brought suit against a newspaper for printing the story since, she testified, she had never met the man. However, her real liaison had been with cabaret star Leslie Hutchinson
. Their affair was to lead to his social ostracism and destroyed his professional career.
It was rumoured during Mountbatten's viceroyalty, and remains widely believed, that his wife had an affair
with Jawaharlal Nehru
, who became India's first prime minister during their stay in India, and that the pair may have resumed that connection on Nehru's subsequent visits to England. The allegation was made in Richard Hough's 1980 biography Mountbatten: Hero of Our Times. However, the affair is denied by the Mountbatten family, although other liaisons during the couple's open marriage
have been admitted. Lord Mountbatten's son-in-law and former naval aide-de-camp, Lord Brabourne
, citing the extensive, preserved correspondence between his mother-in-law and Nehru, was quoted on 12 February 2003 in the Indian news periodical The Pioneer to the effect that, "Philip Ziegler and Janet Morgan [biographers, respectively, of Louis and of Edwina Mountbatten] are the only two people who have seen the letters apart from the two families, and neither of them thinks there was anything physical."
However, Alex von Tunzelmann
in her book Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire
allegedly claims that "Edwina in her letters to Lord Mountbatten has written that her relationship with Nehru was mostly platonic. Mostly, but not always".
, British North Borneo
while on an inspection tour for the St John Ambulance Brigade. In accordance with her wishes, Lord Mountbatten buried her at sea off the coast of Portsmouth
off HMS Wakeful on 25 February 1960; Nehru sent two Indian destroyers to accompany her body; Geoffrey Fisher
, the Archbishop of Canterbury
, officiated.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, DCVO
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...
, CI
Order of the Crown of India
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
, DStJ
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...
(28 November 1901 – 21 February 1960) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
heiress, socialite, relief-worker, wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, and last Vicereine of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Lineage and wealth
Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma was born Edwina Cynthia Annette Ashley in 1901, the elder daughter of Wilfred William Ashley, later 1st Baron Mount TempleBaron Mount Temple
Baron Mount Temple was a title that was created twice in British history, both times in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came on 25 May 1880 when the Liberal politician the Honourable William Cowper-Temple was made Baron Mount Temple, of Mount Temple in the County of Sligo...
(of the 1932 creation), who was a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Paternally, Ashley descended from the Earls of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II...
who had been ennobled as baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
s in 1661, and ranked as baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
s since 1622. She was a great-granddaughter of the reformist 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury KG , styled Lord Ashley from 1811 to 1851, was an English politician and philanthropist, one of the best-known of the Victorian era and one of the main proponents of Christian Zionism.-Youth:He was born in London and known informally as Lord Ashley...
through his younger son, The Hon. Evelyn Melbourne Ashley (1836–1907) and his wife, Sybella Farquhar (d. 1886), a granddaughter of the 6th Duke of Beaufort. From this cadet branch
Cadet branch
Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have...
of the Ashley-Cooper peers
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
would come inheritance of the estate of Broadlands
Broadlands
Broadlands is an English country house, located near the town of Romsey in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom.-History:The original manor and area known as Broadlands has belonged to Romsey Abbey since before the time of the 11-century English Norman Conquest.After the Dissolution of the...
, and of Classiebawn Castle in Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Ashley's mother was Amalia Mary Maud Cassel (1879–1911), daughter of the international magnate Sir Ernest Cassel
Ernest Cassel
Sir Ernest Joseph Cassel, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, PC was a German-born British merchant banker and capitalist.-Biography:...
, friend and private financier to the future King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
. Cassel was one of the richest and most powerful men in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He lost his beloved wife (Annette Maxwell), for whom he had converted from Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
to Roman Catholicism. He also lost his only child, Amalia. He was then to leave the bulk of his vast fortune to Edwina, his elder granddaughter.
After Ashley's father's re-marriage in 1914 to Molly Forbes-Sempill, she was sent away to boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
s, first to The Links in Eastbourne, then to Alde House in Suffolk, at neither of which was she a willing pupil. Her grandfather, Sir Ernest, solved the domestic dilemma by inviting her to live with him and, eventually, to act as hostess at his London residence, Brooke House. Later, his other mansions, Moulton Paddocks and Branksome Dene, would become part of her Cassel inheritance.
Marriage to Mountbatten
By the time Lord Louis Mountbatten first met her in 1920, she was a leading member of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
society. Her grandfather died in 1921, leaving her £2 million, the country seat of Broadlands
Broadlands
Broadlands is an English country house, located near the town of Romsey in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom.-History:The original manor and area known as Broadlands has belonged to Romsey Abbey since before the time of the 11-century English Norman Conquest.After the Dissolution of the...
, Hampshire and the palatial London townhouse, Brooke House, at a time when her future husband's salary was £610 per annum. Ashley and Mountbatten were married on 18 July 1922 at St. Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
. Louis Mountbatten's family, the world famous 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...
, were all present and the then Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
--(the future King Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
)--was best man.
Life after marriage
The Mountbattens had two daughters, PatriciaPatricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Patricia Edwina Victoria Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, is a British peeress and former lady-in-waiting to her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the elder daughter of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and his wife, the heiress Edwina Ashley, a patrilineal...
(born 14 February 1924) and Pamela
Lady Pamela Hicks
Lady Pamela Carmen Louise Hicks, née Mountbatten is a British aristocrat. She is the younger daughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma by his wife, the former Edwina Ashley. Through her father, Lady Hicks is a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.- Family background :Hicks was...
(born 19 April 1929).
Lady Mountbatten lived a fashionable and privileged life almost totally dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure
Pleasure
Pleasure describes the broad class of mental states that humans and other animals experience as positive, enjoyable, or worth seeking. It includes more specific mental states such as happiness, entertainment, enjoyment, ecstasy, and euphoria...
— and indeed took off on an extended period at sea during the mid-1930s when for many months no one had any idea of her whereabouts: Publishers Weekly summarises the Janet Morgan biography of Lady Mountbatten: "Edwina Ashley wed Lord Louis ('Dickie') Mountbatten in 1922 at the age of 20, then embarked on two decades of frivolity. Not satisfied having two well-behaved daughters and an 'enthusiastic boy' of a husband, she took refuge in lovers and sparked scandals." But at the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she acquired a new purpose in life and devoted her considerable intelligence and energy to the service of others. She is especially remembered for her service in the post-Partition period of India and Pakistan, when her husband was the Governor General of the truncated independent India, Pakistan having been partitioned off as a result of the movement led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
Lord and Lady Mountbatten served as, respectively, the last Viceroy and Vicereine of pre-Partition India, after the British government gave him plenipotentiary
Plenipotentiary
The word plenipotentiary has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent his government as a prerogative...
power to arrange the Independence of British India. After Partition, Lord Mountbatten remained briefly as the first of the two Governors General of India — in 1950 the link with the monarchy was severed and India's governor general was replaced with a non-executive president.
Lady Mountbatten in all renderings of the violent disruption that followed the Partition of India is universally praised for her heroic efforts in relieving the misery.
Other relationships
The Mountbattens' non-traditional marriage, great wealth, and leftish politics seem to have elicited much speculation about their "decadent" escapades, despite the tender correspondence the couple maintained throughout their adult lives. Lady Mountbatten occasionally travelled with her husband's sister-in-law, Lady Milford HavenNadejda Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven
Nadejda Mikhailovna Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven was the second daughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia and his morganatic wife Sophie, Countess von Merenberg. She was a younger sister of Countess Anastasia de Torby.Her paternal grandparents were Grand Duke Michael...
, whose bisexual liaisons are perhaps better documented than those attributed to Edwina. Along with Nancy Cunard
Nancy Cunard
Nancy Clara Cunard was a writer, heiress and political activist. She was born into the British upper class but strongly rejected her family's values, devoting much of her life to fighting racism and fascism...
, she was alleged to have been lovers with American actor Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
, although she successfully brought suit against a newspaper for printing the story since, she testified, she had never met the man. However, her real liaison had been with cabaret star Leslie Hutchinson
Leslie Hutchinson
Leslie Arthur Julien Hutchinson, known as "Hutch" was one of the biggest cabaret stars in the world during the 1920s and 1930s.-Career:...
. Their affair was to lead to his social ostracism and destroyed his professional career.
It was rumoured during Mountbatten's viceroyalty, and remains widely believed, that his wife had an affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
with Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, who became India's first prime minister during their stay in India, and that the pair may have resumed that connection on Nehru's subsequent visits to England. The allegation was made in Richard Hough's 1980 biography Mountbatten: Hero of Our Times. However, the affair is denied by the Mountbatten family, although other liaisons during the couple's open marriage
Open marriage
Open marriage typically refers to a marriage in which the partners agree that each may engage in extramarital sexual relationships, without this being regarded as infidelity. There are many different styles of open marriage, with the partners having varying levels of input on their spouse's...
have been admitted. Lord Mountbatten's son-in-law and former naval aide-de-camp, Lord Brabourne
John Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne
John Ulick Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne, CBE , professionally known as John Brabourne, was a British peer, television producer and Academy-award nominated film producer....
, citing the extensive, preserved correspondence between his mother-in-law and Nehru, was quoted on 12 February 2003 in the Indian news periodical The Pioneer to the effect that, "Philip Ziegler and Janet Morgan [biographers, respectively, of Louis and of Edwina Mountbatten] are the only two people who have seen the letters apart from the two families, and neither of them thinks there was anything physical."
However, Alex von Tunzelmann
Alex von Tunzelmann
-Education:Tunzelmann was educated in Brighton and at University College, Oxford University. There she read history and edited both Cherwell and Isis...
in her book Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire
Indian Summer: The Secret history of the end of an empire
Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire is a history book written by Alex von Tunzelmann. The book covers the end of the British Empire and the partition of the Indian subcontinent that resulted in thousands of deaths...
allegedly claims that "Edwina in her letters to Lord Mountbatten has written that her relationship with Nehru was mostly platonic. Mostly, but not always".
Death
Lady Mountbatten continued to lead a life of service after her Viceroyalty in India. She died in her sleep at age 58 of unknown causes in 1960 in JesseltonKota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu , formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount...
, British North Borneo
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
while on an inspection tour for the St John Ambulance Brigade. In accordance with her wishes, Lord Mountbatten buried her at sea off the coast of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
off HMS Wakeful on 25 February 1960; Nehru sent two Indian destroyers to accompany her body; Geoffrey Fisher
Geoffrey Fisher
Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, GCVO, PC was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1945 to 1961.-Background:...
, the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, officiated.
Shorthand titles
- Miss Edwina Ashley (28 November 1901–18 July 1922)
- Lady Louis Mountbatten (18 July 1922–23 August 1946)
- The Rt Hon. The Viscountess Mountbatten of Burma (23 August 1946–28 October 1947)
- The Rt Hon. The Countess Mountbatten of Burma (28 October 1947–21 February 1960)
Honours
- Lady of the Imperial Order of the Crown of IndiaOrder of the Crown of IndiaThe Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
- Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian OrderRoyal 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...