Crimes that shook Britain: Who was King Charles’ uncle Louis Mountbatten --[Reported by Umva mag]

LORD Mountbatten was a prominent member of the Royal Family before his death in a shock explosion. 

The death of the politician and mentor to King Charles III is covered in Channel 5’s Crimes that shook Britain which will air at 10pm on October 10, 2024.

He had a long and varied career, which saw him become the last Viceroy of India and the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff. 

Here’s everything you need to know about Lord Mountbatten, known as King Charles’ “honorary grandfather”.

Royal Connections

Mountbatten was born on June 25, 1900, in Berkshire to Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine and Prince Louis of Battenberg. 

His sister was Princess Alice of Battenberg who was the mother of the late Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. 

He was nicknamed “Dickie” by the family, despite not being named Richard.

His actual name was Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten.

Life during the World Wars

Lord Mountbatten was posted as a midshipman during the First World War and was, at one point, stationed on the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

He eventually rose to the rank of a substantive sub-lieutenant. 

After the First World War, he attended Christ’s College, Cambridge and studied English Literature as part of a scheme to give junior officers a greater education. 

Mountbatten went on to become the commander of the destroyer HMS Daring and later the HMS Kelly. 

During his time at the Admiralty, he was known as the “Master of Disaster” because of his habit of getting into messes. 

He became the Chief of Combined Operations Headquarters in October 1941, due to being a favourite of Winston Churchill. 

Viceroy of India

Lord Mountbatten was seen to have sympathies with the Labour Party, leading the then-Prime Minister Clement Attlee to encourage King George VI to appoint Mountbatten as Viceroy of India. 

He oversaw the transfer of power as the country gained independence, but struggled to keep India united as he had promised to do. 

Critics said that he was too reckless in splitting the country, which became modern day India and Pakistan though Mountbatten argued that he wanted to avoid a religious civil war.

He became Governor-General of the newly independent India on August 15, 1947, at the request of the prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru whom Mountbatten remained close to after his time as Governor-General concluded.

Reportedly, he was unpopular with the new government in Pakistan who felt that he was hostile towards them. 

Life in politics

Mountbatten became the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff from 1955 to 1959 and even advised Anthony Eden against trying to regain control of the Suez Canal.

According to a memoir by Peter Wright, a scientific officer for MI5, Mountbatten attended a meeting to undermine the Labour government led by Harold Wilson. 

The secret meeting was allegedly held in 1968 and Andrew Lownie, a royal biographer, claimed that the Queen was the person who persuaded Mountbatten not to go through with the plot.

A mentor to King Charles III

Lord Mountbatten was the great-uncle to King Charles III who nicknamed him “Honorary Grandfather”. 

He encouraged King Charles to enjoy the freedom that he would lose when he got married and eventually would become king. 

Mountbatten had been behind the meeting of the late Queen Elizabeth and her late husband Prince Phillip. 

He assigned Phillip to keep the future Queen and her father busy while they were visiting a Naval College.

Lord Mountbatten’s shock death

Lord Mountbatten’s death is covered in depth on Channel 5’s Crimes that Shook Britain, which air at 22:00pm on October 10, 2024. 

He was holidaying at his summer home, Classiebawn Castle, in the north-west of Ireland. 

The surrounding area was close to a refuge for IRA members, who were engaged in a conflict with pro-unionist forces. 

On August 27, 1979, Lord Mountbatten went lobster-potting on his boat Shadow V.

Unbeknownst to him, an IRA member named Thomas McMahon had hidden a radio controlled bomb on the boat the night before. 

When Mountbatten set off on the boat with his family, the 23kg bomb was set off and the boat was destroyed. 

Lord Mountbatten’s legs were almost completely blown off but he did survive the explosion for a few moments. 

However, as he was being dragged back to shore, he passed away. 

He was not alone on the boat, with his twin grandson’s Nicholas and Timothy being killed in the blast. 

Their parents, Patricia, Lady Brabourne (Mountbatten’s daughter) and her husband Lord Bradbourne survived the blast.

Lord Bradbourne’s mother was on the boat too and passed away from her injuries a day after the attack. 

There was a widespread public outcry, with US President Jimmy Carter and Pope John Paul II sending a message to Queen Elizabeth II. 

The British prime minister at the time was Margaret Thatcher who said: “His death leaves a gap that can never be filled. The British people give thanks for his life and grieve at his passing.”

Lord Mountbatten received a ceremonial funeral at Westminster Abbey which was attended by the Royal Families of Britain and Europe. 

Thomas McMahon was arrested and convicted for the assassination on November 23 1979. 

He stayed in prison until 1998 when he was released as part of the Good Friday Agreement. 

Crimes that shook Britain

The Channel 5 show Crimes that shook Britain will dive into Mountbatten’s death and will air at 10pm on October 10, 2024. 

The show is presented by Dermot Murnaghan, who is known for being the first TV broadcaster to report on the death of Queen Elizabeth II. 

Other episodes of the show have focused on the murder of Jill Dando and Stephen Lawrence. 

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