Monthly Archives: March 2017

April 1917: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

  • Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Timeline: April 1, 1917 – April 30, 1917
  • A Note About German Titles
  • April 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

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Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

On July 12, 1912, Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia won a bronze medal for Germany in the equestrian team jumping event at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. A little more than two years later World War I began and in April 1917, the prince lost his life in the war.

Prince Friedrich Karl participating in the 1912 Summer Olympics; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Tassilo Wilhelm Humbert Leopold Friedrich Karl of Prussia, known as Friedrich Karl, was born on April 6, 1893 at Jagdschloss Glienicke, a hunting lodge now part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Birthplace of Prince Friedrich Karl, Jagdschloss Glienicke, by Ferdinand von Arnim, 1865; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Karl was the second of the three sons and the third of the four children of Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia and Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.  His father was a great-grandson of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. His mother was the granddaughter of Princess Feodora of Leiningen,  Queen Victoria’s half-sister from the first marriage of her mother. Friedrich Karl was the nephew of the last German Emperor and Empress, Wilhelm II and Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, who was the sister of Friedrich Karl’s mother.

Friedrich Karl had three siblings:

Like all princes of the Prussian royal house, Friedrich Karl, at the age of ten, was given the rank of lieutenant à la suite in the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards.  À la suite is a military term that identifies persons who are entitled to bear a regimental uniform, but who have no official position. By 1908, the prince was an official member of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards with the rank of lieutenant.

Prince Friedrich Karl participated in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden as a member of the German equestrian team. He won a bronze medal riding his horse Gibson Boy in the team jumping event. Because of the close connection between the equestrian events and the skills required in the military, only active officers represented their country riding their own service horses.

Germany’s bronze medal winning team in the team jumping event: Prince Friedrich Karl, Lieutenant Ernst Deloch, Lieutenant Sigismund Freyer, Lieutenant Wilhelm, Graf von Hohenau; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

During World War I, Prince Friedrich Karl served with the Imperial German Army, the combined land and air forces of the German Empire, as the captain (Rittmeister) of the Fliegerabteilung (Artillerie) 258, an aerial artillery spotting unit. In addition to his regular duties, the prince often flew his Albatros D.I, a German single-seater fighter aircraft, on patrols with the Jagdstaffel 2, one of the best-known German air squadrons in World War I

Prince Friedrich Karl landing his plane; Photo Credit – http://www.stahlgewitter.com

On March 21, 1917, British World War I flying ace Charles Pickthorn forced down a German Albatros D.I with a skull and crossbones insignia behind the British lines at Lagnicourt, France. Once on the ground, the German pilot attempted to run toward the German lines, but was shot in the back and severely wounded by Australian troops. The pilot turned out to be Prince Friedrich Karl.

Albatros D.I flown by Prince Friedrich Karl surrounded by a group of mostly Australians soldiers presumably the ones who had captured him; Photo Credit – Project 914 Archives

A German military report of March 22, 1917 said: “The aircraft operated by Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia has not returned from a flight over the enemy lines between Arras and Péronne.” The prince was taken into captivity and he died from his injuries on his 24th birthday, April 6, 1917, at the British military hospital in St. Etienne du Rouvray, France. The prince was given a funeral befitting his military rank of Rittmeister.  A division of 100 soldiers made up the funeral procession along with a band that played a mourning march. The prince was buried in the cemetery in St. Etienne du Rouvray. Two clergymen prayed at his grave and three volleys were fired. The British Air Corps donated two wreaths for his grave where a wooden cross with his name and dates was erected.

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Timeline: April 1, 1916 – April 30, 1917

  • April 2 – 3 – Australians attack Noreuil in France
  • April 6 – United States declares war on Germany
  • April 9 – May 17 – Second Battle of Arras in Arras, France, British attack a heavily fortified German line without obtaining any strategic breakthrough
  • April 9 – 12 – Canadians obtain a significant victory in the Battle of Vimy Ridge in Vimy, Pas-de-Calais, France, part of the first phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 9 – 14 – First Battle of the Scarpe near Arras, France, part of the first phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 10 – 11 – First Battle of Bullecourt near Arras, France, part of the first phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 15 – Battle of Lagnicourt in Lagnicourt, France, part of the Second phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 16 – May 9 – Second Battle of the Aisne between Soissons and Reims, France, ends in disaster for the French army
  • April 17 – 20 – Battle of the Hills in Champagne Province, France, a diversion to the Second Battle of the Aisne
  • April 19 – Second Battle of Gaza in Gaza, Palestine (now in the Gaza Strip), the Ottoman lines resist a British attack
  • April 22 – May 8 – Second Battle of Doiran near Lake Dojran, Kingdom of Serbia (present-day Macedonia)
  • April 23 – 24 – Second Battle of Scarpe near Arras, France, part of the second phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 28 – 29 – Battle of Arleux near Arras, France, part of the second phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 29 – May 20 – Series of mutinies in the French army

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A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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April 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or to The Peerage website If a person has a Wikipedia page or a website page with biographical information, their name will be linked to that page.

Captain Richard Godolphin Hume Chaloner

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Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (see above)

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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Lieutenant The Honorable George Seymour Dawson-Damer

Photo Credit – http://www.winchestercollegeatwar.com

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Richard Bernard Boyle, 7th Earl of Shannon

Photo Credit – https://www.geni.com

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2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Charles Willoughby Murray Molesworth

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Henry Molyneux Paget Howard, 19th Earl of Suffolk

Photo Credit – http://www.thepeerage.com

Sir Angus Ogilvy, Husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Sir Angus Ogilvy; Credit – Wikipedia

Sir Angus Ogilvy was the husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent, and an active member of the British Royal Family for many years. He was born The Honourable Angus James Bruce Ogilvy in London, England on September 14, 1928, the fourth child and second son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, and Lady Alexandra Coke, daughter of Thomas Coke, 3rd Earl of Leicester.

Angus had five siblings:

  • Lady Victoria Ogilvy (1918 – 2004) – married Alexander Lloyd, 2nd Baron Lloyd, had issue
  • Lady Margaret Ogilvy (1920 – 2014) – married Sir Iain Tennant, had issue
  • Lady Griselda Ogilvy (1924 – 1977) – married Major Peter Balfour, had issue
  • David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie (1926 – 2023) – married Virginia Ryan, had issue
  • The Hon. James Ogilvy (1934 – 2024) – married (1) Magdalen Ducas, had issue, divorced; (2) Lady Caroline Child-Villiers, no issue

The Ogilvy family had close ties with the British Royal Family. Angus’s grandmother Mabell Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie was a lifelong friend of Queen Mary and served as one of her ladies-in-waiting for over 50 years.  His father served as a Lord-in-Waiting to King George V and then as Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1937-1965. An uncle served as an equerry to the future King Edward VIII while he was Prince of Wales. His elder brother David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie served as Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth II from 1984 -1997 and his sister-in-law Virginia Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II from  1973 until The Queen died in 2022.

Angus attended the Heatherdown School near Ascot, and then Eton College. He was commissioned as an officer in the Scots Guards, and in 1950 he graduated from Trinity College, Oxford, with a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Following his education, he began working with the Drayton Group, a large group of trusts headed by financier Harold Drayton. In 1956, he became a Director of the Drayton Group and served as director for over fifty other companies. One of the Drayton Group’s organizations was the London and Rhodesia Mining and Land Company (Lonrho). Ogilvy brought in RW “Tiny” Rowland to run Lonhro, and over the next few years, Rowland expanded the organization into a large conglomerate of businesses, including newspapers and hotels.

In 1955, at a ball at Luton Hoo, Angus met Princess Alexandra of Kent and was instantly smitten. She was the daughter of the late Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. Eight years later, on April 24, 1963, the couple married at Westminster Abbey in London, England. Queen Elizabeth II offered Angus an Earldom but he graciously declined. He also refused a grace-and-favor residence, instead taking the lease on Thatched House Lodge in Richmond Park, owned by the Crown Estate. After Sir Angus’ death, Princess Alexandra continued to live there and had apartments at St. James’s Palace in London.

Sir Angus and Princess Alexandra had two children:

  • James Robert Bruce Ogilvy (1964), married Julia Rawlinson, had two children
    • Flora Alexandra Ogilvy (born 1994)
    • Alexander Charles Ogilvy (born 1996)
  • Marina Victoria Alexandra Ogilvy (1966), married and divorced Paul Mowatt, had two children
    • Zenouska May Mowatt (born 1990)
    • Christian Alexander Mowatt (born 1993)

By 1973, RW “Tiny” Rowland’s management style, and accusations of concealed financial records led to several of Lonrho’s directors calling for his dismissal (which Rowland managed to avoid). After public criticism from the Prime Minister and further criticism in a report from the Department of Trade in 1976, Angus resigned his directorship of Lonrho and his other directorships with businesses in London.

Although Angus had been cleared of all wrongdoing, the damage to his reputation had been done. He increased his focus on charity work, which he would continue for the remainder of his life. Among his many charities, he served in leading roles with the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Youth Clubs UK, Arthritis Care, National Children’s Homes, and the Leeds Castle Foundation. He also served as Chairman of the Advisory Council for The Prince’s Trust. For his charity work, and continued support of the monarchy, he was created a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 1988, and in 1997 was made a member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council.

In 2002 he was diagnosed with throat cancer and canceled all of his public engagements. Despite his failing health, he participated in The Queen’s Golden Jubilee festivities in June 2002 and accompanied his wife on an official visit to Thailand in February 2003. His final public appearances were at the Garter Service (pictured above) and Royal Ascot in June 2004. Sir Angus Ogilvy died on December 26, 2004, at the Kingston Hospital in Kingston upon Thames, London. Following a private funeral held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, on January 5, 2005, he was buried at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor, England.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Prince Alexander of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland

by Scott Mehl

Prince Alexander sitting on his father’s lap; Photo: Victor Ericsson, The Royal Court of Sweden, 2020

Prince Alexander of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland, is the first child of Prince Carl Philip and the former Sofia Hellqvist. He was born April 19, 2016, at 6:25 pm at the Danderyd Hospital in Danderyd, Sweden. He weighed 3595 grams and was 49 centimeters long. Prince Alexander is 5th in the line of succession to the Swedish throne.

photo: Erika Gerdemark, Swedish Royal Court

At a cabinet meeting held at The Royal Palace of Stockholm two days later, King Carl XVI Gustaf announced the names and titles of his newest grandson – His Royal Highness Prince Alexander Erik Hubertus Bertil of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland.

  • Alexander – a name liked by his parents
  • Erik – for his maternal grandfather, Erik Hellqvist, and a name of several Swedish kings
  • Hubertus – for his paternal grandfather, King Carl Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus)
  • Bertil – for Prince Bertil of Sweden, an uncle of the King and one of Prince Carl Philip’s godparents

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On October 7, 2019, the Swedish Royal Court announced that King Carl XVI Gustaf had decided to make changes regarding the children of his son Prince Carl Philip and his daughter Princess Madeleine. Their children would no longer be members of The Royal House but would continue to be members of The Royal Family. Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, and Princess Adrienne would no longer enjoy the style of Royal Highness but they would retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by King Carl XVI Gustaf. They will remain in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. In the future, they will not be expected to perform any royal duties. As a result, Alexander will be styled Prince Alexander, Duke of Södermanland.

photo: Jonas Ekströmer / TT

Prince Alexander was christened on September 9, 2016, in the Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace. His godparents are:

  • Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden – his paternal aunt
  • Lina Frejd – his maternal aunt
  • Victor Magnuson – his father’s paternal cousin
  • Jan-Åke Hansson – a close friend of his father
  • Cajsa Larsson – a close friend of his mother

Prince Alexander with his parents and godparents. photo: Mattias Edwall, Swedish Royal Court

At the christening, Prince Alexander wore the christening gown first worn by his great-grandfather, Prince Gustaf Adolf (father of the current King), in 1906. Since then, all members of the Swedish Royal Family have worn the gown at their christenings, and each child’s name is embroidered on it. The young prince was also invested with the Order of the Seraphim, Sweden’s senior, and most prestigious order of chivalry.

Prince Alexander became an older brother when Prince Gabriel Carl Walther, Duke of Dalarna was born on August 31, 2017.

Prince Alexander with his parents and baby brother in September 2017; Photo: Erika Gerdemark, The Royal Court, Sweden

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Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma – source: Wikipedia

Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, was the wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a member of the extended British Royal Family. She was born Edwina Cynthia Annette Ashley on November 28, 1901, at Broadlands, her family’s home in Romsey, Hampshire. Her parents were Wilfrid Ashley, (later 1st Baron Mount Temple) and Amalia “Maudie” Cassel. Through her father, she was a great-granddaughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury and a great-great-granddaughter of Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort. Through her mother, she was the granddaughter of Sir Ernest Cassel.

Edwina had one younger sister:

After her mother’s death, and her father’s remarriage, Edwina went off to boarding school, first at The Links in Eastbourne and then Alde House in Suffolk. Not being a good student, and not enjoying life in boarding school, the problem was solved when her grandfather invited her to live with him at his London residence, Brook House. Sir Ernest Cassel was a successful financier and capitalist who had become one of the richest men in Europe. He had been a close friend and advisor of King Edward VII who had bestowed several honors on him during his reign. Upon his death, he left an estate valued at over £6 million (approx. £240 million today), a large portion of which went to Edwina.

Edwina quickly became a prominent member of London society, and through those connections, met her future husband, then Lord Louis Mountbatten, in 1920. Louis was the younger son of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven (formerly Prince Ludwig of Battenberg) and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. A romance quickly began, and the two were engaged in India on Valentine’s Day 1922. They married on July 18, 1922, at St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster, in the presence of King George V and Queen Mary and numerous royals from other European countries. The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII, served as best man. Following a honeymoon in North America, they settled at Brook House in London and went on to have two daughters:

Edwina’s grandfather had died the previous year, leaving Edwina a very wealthy woman. In addition to £2 million (£80 million today), she also inherited several properties including Brook House in London, Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket, Suffolk, and Branksome Dene (now Zetland Court) in Bournemouth, Dorset.

She later inherited two properties from her father, upon his death in 1939. These were Broadlands, and Classiebawn Castle, in County Sligo, Ireland. The family still owns Broadlands, but Classiebawn Castle was sold in 1991. It was while at Classiebawn that Edwina’s husband was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1979.

Edwina’s wealth allowed her to pursue a life of leisure and indulge in anything she wanted to. She often set off on travels around the world, sometimes completely out of contact with her family. However, she was also quick to lend financial support to friends and relatives and was often the primary source of income for several members of her husband’s family. It was during World War II that this selfless willingness to help others developed into a life of service. She served as President of the London Division of the British Red Cross and was named Superintendent-in-Chief of the St. John Ambulance Brigade in 1942. During her husband’s time as Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia Command, she traveled extensively to the Allied prisoner-of-war camps and assisted in repatriating the prisoners.

In August 1946, her husband Louis Mountbatten was created Viscount Mountbatten of Burma. The following year, Louis was appointed to serve as the last Viceroy of India, charged with overseeing India’s independence from the United Kingdom. During this time, and the subsequent ten months when he served as Governor-General, Edwina worked tirelessly to ease the suffering amongst the poor and helpless in India. It was during this time that she became Countess Mountbatten upon her husband’s elevation to an Earldom. Her close relationship with Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, is often the source of speculation that the two were romantically involved. Although denied by official biographers and Edwina’s own daughters, the rumors continue to this day. It was no secret that both Edwina and her husband had numerous affairs and lovers through the years, so any close friendship that either of them had quickly became the subject of gossip and rumors.

In the years after India, Edwina continued her charity work and pursued her love of traveling around the world. While on an inspection tour for the St. John Ambulance Brigade in Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu), British North Borneo, Edwina died in her sleep on February 21, 1960. Her body was flown back to Britain and, per her wishes she buried at sea off the coast of Portsmouth on February 25, 1960. In a show of friendship and respect, Prime Minister Nehru sent two Indian destroyers to accompany her body during the burial.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma; Credit – By Allan warren – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12111584

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was a member of the extended British Royal Family and a distinguished Naval officer. A great-grandson of Queen Victoria (and the last great-grandson to be born during her lifetime), he was born a Prince of Battenberg but grew up fiercely British. In addition to his naval career, he also served as the last Viceroy and first Governor-General of India. Mountbatten also played a very prominent role in the lives of his nephew Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and grand-nephew King Charles III.

Prince Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas of Battenberg was born on June 25, 1900, at Frogmore House in Windsor, England the youngest child of Prince Louis (Ludwig) of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine.

Louis, known almost from birth as “Dickie”,  had three elder siblings:

Dickie was christened in the large drawing room of Frogmore House on July  17, 1900, by the Dean of Windsor, Philip Eliot. His godparents were:

Through both of his parents, he was closely related to numerous other royal families of Europe. His mother’s younger sister was Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, and in his childhood, Dickie was close to her children. At a very young age, he began a “lifelong platonic love affair” with one of them, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, and kept a framed photo of her by his bed for his entire life.

At the age of 10, Dickie was enrolled at the Lockers Park School in Hertfordshire, and then at 13 entered the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Destined for a naval career, he received his first posting in July 1916, as a midshipman on HMS Lion. After studying for two terms at Christ’s College, Cambridge, Louis was posted to HMS Renown, accompanying The Prince of Wales on a tour of Australia. The following year, on HMS Repulse, he again accompanied his cousin on a tour of India and Japan. It was during this trip that he became engaged to his future wife.

Dickie first met Edwina Ashley in October 1920, when both attended a ball at Claridge’s in London, hosted by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt III. Edwina was the daughter of Wilfrid Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple (a grandson of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury), and Amalia Cassel (daughter of Sir Ernest Cassel). The two were invited to the same house parties and shooting weekends, and a romance began. Both were guests of George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland at Dunrobin Castle in Scotland in September 1921, when Louis received word that his father had died. When Edwina’s grandfather died just ten days later, the two grew very close in their shared grief. Several months later, Edwina went to visit Dickie while he was in India with the Prince of Wales. It was there, at a Valentine’s Day Ball held at the Viceregal Lodge in Delhi, that Dickie proposed.

Louis and Edwina were married on July 18, 1922, at St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster in London, England. The wedding was a lavish affair, attended by King George V and Queen Mary and other members of the British Royal Family and other royal houses of Europe. The bridal party included The Prince of Wales, who served as Best Man, and Dickie’s four nieces – Princesses Margarita, Theodora, Cecilie, and Sophie of Greece. Following a honeymoon that took them to Canada and the United States, Dickie and Edwina settled at Brook House in London – one of the several properties Edwina had inherited from her grandfather.

They had two daughters:

Admiral Lord Mountbatten receiving the Japanese surrender at Singapore, September 1945. source: Wikipedia.

Dickie was posted to several other boats before being given his first command – HMS Daring – in 1934. This was followed by the commands of HMS Wishart (1934-1936), HMS Kelly (1939-1941), and HMS Illustrious (1941). From 1941 – 1943, he served as Chief of Combined Operations, and then from 1943 – 1946 as Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia Command. In that role, in September 1945 Mountbatten received the Japanese surrender in Singapore.

On August 27, 1946, he was created Viscount Mountbatten of Burma by King George VI. The following February, Prime Minister Clement Atlee appointed him Viceroy of India and tasked him with overseeing India’s independence from Britain. Following independence in August 1947, Mountbatten served for the next ten months as the country’s first Governor-General. On October 28, 1947, he was created Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Baron Romsey. As Mountbatten had no sons, the Letters Patent creating both the Viscountcy and the Earldom were written to allow the titles to pass to his daughters and their male heirs. Had this not been done, the titles would have ended upon Mountbatten’s death. Instead, they passed to his elder daughter, Patricia, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

Following his time in India, Mountbatten returned to military service in 1949, serving as Commander of the 1st Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet. From 1950-1952, he served as Fourth Sea Lord, and then from 1952-1954 as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. Finally, in April 1955, nearly forty-one years after his father had been forced to relinquish the role due to anti-German sentiment, Mountbatten was made First Sea Lord – the head of the British Royal Navy. The following year, he reached the rank of Admiral of the Fleet. Dickie served as First Sea Lord until October 1959, when he became Chief of the Defence Staff, serving until his retirement in July 1965. During this time, he also served as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1960-1961.

Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in uniform as Colonel of the Life Guards, with Gold Stick in Hand (1973). Source: Wikipedia, photo: by Allan Warren – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28983433

Upon retiring, he was granted several honorary appointments. He was made Colonel of the Life Guards, Gold Stick in Waiting, and Life Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marines. The Queen also appointed him Governor of the Isle of Wight. In 1974, he became the first Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight.

Lord Mountbatten was killed on August 27, 1979, when his boat was blown up by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on Donegal Bay, in County Sligo, Ireland. He had been staying at his summer home, Classiebawn Castle, in County Sligo, Ireland, with much of his family. Mountbatten, his grandson Nicholas, his son-in-law’s mother, The Dowager Baroness Brabourne, and a young crew member, Paul Maxwell, all died as a result of the blast. Mountbatten’s daughter Patricia, her husband John, and their son Timothy were all critically injured but they survived. See Unofficial Royalty: Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the End of August (scroll down).

A ceremonial funeral was held at Westminster Abbey on September 5, 1979, attended by most of the British Royal Family and many other European royals. He is buried at Romsey Abbey.

Earl Mountbatten’s tomb at Romsey Abbey. Source: Wikipedia, photo by JohnArmagh

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby, Marchioness of Milford Haven

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby, Marchioness of Milford Haven. source: Wikipedia

Countess Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby was the wife of Prince George of Battenberg (later George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven). She was born in Cannes, France on March 28, 1896, the second daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich of Russia, a grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, and Countess Sophie von Merenberg. As her parents’ marriage was morganatic, her father was stripped of his position at the Imperial Court and banished from Russia for the rest of his life. The morganatic marriage also meant that none of Mikhail’s styles or titles passed to his wife or their children. However, shortly after they married, Sophie’s uncle  Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg created Sophie Countess de Torby, a title that also passed down to Nadejda and her two siblings:

Nadejda (left), with her brother, sister, and father. source: Wikipedia

By the time she was four years old, Nadejda’s family had settled in England but they also spent part of the year at their villa in Cannes, France. The family became prominent members of British society and developed friendships with several members of the British Royal Family. Through these friendships, Nadejda met her future husband, Prince George of Battenberg.

George was the eldest son of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (later the 1st Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven). Prince Louis’ siblings included Princess Andreas of Greece, Queen Louise of Sweden, and Earl Mountbatten of Burma. His mother was the daughter of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Prince Alice of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria’s second daughter. Nadejda and George married at the Russian Embassy in London on November 15, 1916. They settled at Lynden Manor in Bray, Berkshire, and had two children:

When King George V asked his German relatives to relinquish their German titles in 1917, Nadejda and her husband became simply Mr. and Mrs. George Mountbatten. Several months later, when George’s father was created Marquess of Milford Haven, George assumed his father’s subsidiary title, Earl of Medina. It would only be another 4 years when George’s father died, and he and Nadejda became the 2nd Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven. In later years, Nadejda and her husband helped to raise George’s nephew, Prince Philippos of Greece , later The Duke of Edinburg, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

1934 saw Nadejda drawn into the international spotlight during the contentious custody trial of Gloria Vanderbilt. Nadejda was a close friend of the child’s mother  Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt and became part of the story when a former maid of Mrs. Vanderbilt suggested during testimony that her employer and the Marchioness were lovers. After publicly denouncing the allegations as “malicious, terrible lies”, Nadejda considered traveling to New York to testify on her friend’s behalf but was talked out of making the trip by King George V and Queen Mary.

However, one relative who did travel to testify in Mrs. Vanderbilt’s defense was Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who was married to Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark, a niece of Nadejda’s husband. Gottfried had briefly been engaged to Mrs. Vanderbilt in the late 1920s and was called to testify on her behalf after scandalous allegations were made in court testimony about their prior relationship.

And here’s another interesting tidbit of information relating to Mrs. Vanderbilt. Her twin sister, Thelma, Viscountess Furness, was the mistress of The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII / Duke of Windsor) in the early 1930s. It was Thelma who introduced the Prince to her good friend, Wallis Simpson. The rest, as they say, is history!

Four years later, Nadejda was widowed when her husband succumbed to bone marrow cancer in 1938. Nada was very close to her sister-in-law, Edwina, and the two often traveled together.

Nada (center) with her son David and his fiancée, Romaine Pierce Simpson, photographed in October 1949. source: Zimbio

The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven died in Cannes, France on January 22, 1963. She is buried beside her husband in the Bray Cemetery in Bray, Berkshire, England.

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George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven. source: Wikipedia

George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven was born on December 6, 1892, at the Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany. At the time of his birth, he was HSH Prince George Louis Victor Henry Serge of Battenberg, the third child and elder son of Prince Ludwig (Louis) of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. George had three younger siblings:

George with his mother, Victoria. Credit – Wikipedia

A remarkably intelligent and clever child, George had his own workshop at his father’s Heiligenberg Castle. By the age of ten, he was designing and building precise working models of steam engines. He enjoyed complex math problems “for relaxation” and was recognized by his superiors at Dartmouth Naval College for being perhaps the most clever cadet the college had ever seen. During his time in the Royal Navy, he devised a system to provide air conditioning in his cabin and invented a device that would brew his morning tea, triggered by an alarm clock.

Wedding portrait of George and Nadejda

On November 15, 1916, at the Russian Embassy in London, England, George married Countess Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby. Nadjeda was born in Cannes on March 28, 1896, the younger daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich of Russia and Countess Sophie von Merenberg. Following their wedding, George and Nadejda settled at Lynden Manor, in Bray, Berkshire, and had two children:

  • Lady Tatiana Mountbatten (1917-1988) – unmarried, was mentally disabled, was placed in St. Andrew’s Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Northampton, England, where she spent the rest of her life.
  • David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven (1919-1970) – married (1) Romaine Pierce, no issue; (2) Janet Bryce, had issue

In 1917, King George V of the United Kingdom asked his relatives to relinquish their German royal titles. On July 14, 1917, the Battenbergs gave up their titles and styles and took on the surname Mountbatten. George, having previously been created a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, became Sir George Mountbatten. Four months later, on November 7, 1917, his father was created Marquess of Milford Haven, and George assumed the courtesy title Earl of Medina. Four years later, in 1921, when his father died, George became the 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven.

In the late 1920s, having lost most of his inheritance to German inflation and having a wife with very expensive tastes, George left the Royal Navy for a business career. He worked for a brokerage house before moving to the British Sperry Gyroscope Company, where he became chairman. He also served as director for several large companies, including Electrolux and Marks & Spencer.

In 1930, George became instrumental in the upbringing of his nephew Prince Philip of Greece. Philip’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, suffered a breakdown that year, and his father, Prince Andreas of Greece, was more or less separated from the family, living with a mistress on the French Riviera. George became Philip’s primary guardian, serving as a surrogate father and arranging and financing Philip’s education.

In 1934, George and Nadejda were brought into the international spotlight during the custody battle for the young Gloria Vanderbilt in New York City. Allegations had been raised that Nadejda and Gloria’s mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, had been lovers. Nadejda traveled to New York to testify in the case, decrying the allegations as “malicious, terrible lies.”

In December 1937, George suffered a fall and broke his femur. A month later, when the injury did not appear to be healing, a further examination found that he was suffering from bone marrow cancer. Fearing that the diagnosis would cause him to decline quite quickly, the doctors chose to withhold it from him, in agreement with the family. George lingered for several months, finally losing his battle on April 8, 1938, in London, England. He is buried at the Bray Cemetery in Bray, Berkshire, England. George had accumulated a large collection of erotic art, which he left on permanent loan to the British Library. The library’s index describes the collection as “prospectuses and catalogs of erotic and obscene books, pictures and instruments, dating from 1889 to 1929. 81 parts. Collected by George Mountbatten.”

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Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, Princess of Hesse, Princess of Hanover

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Sophie of Greece and Denmark, Princess of Hesse, Princess of Hanover; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark was the third daughter of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Known in the family as “Tiny”, she was born on June 26, 1914, at Mon Repos on the isle of Corfu, Greece. She had four siblings:

Because of the unstable political situation in Greece, Sophie’s family spent several years living in Switzerland and later settled in France in the early 1920s. However, the family was soon pulled apart. Her mother suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized in 1930, and her father had given up on his marriage and spent most of his time with a mistress on the French Riviera. So it was no surprise when Sophie, at just 16 years old, became engaged to be married. She would be the first of the sisters to marry, but the others followed within the following year. On December 15, 1930, at Schloss Friedrichshof in Kronberg, Germany, Sophie married Prince Christoph of Hesse, in both Greek Orthodox and Lutheran ceremonies. He was the son of Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse and Princess Margarete of Prussia, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Sophie and Christoph were second cousins once removed through their mutual descent from Queen Victoria.

They had five children:

  • Princess Christina of Hesse (1933-2011) – married (1) Prince Andrej of Yugoslavia, had issue; (2) Robert van Eyck, had issue
  • Princess Dorothea of Hesse (born 1934) – married Prince Friedrich Karl of Windisch-Grätz, had issue
  • Prince Karl of Hesse (1937-2022) – married Countess Yvonne Szapáry von Muraszombath, Széchysziget and Szapár, had issue
  • Prince Rainer of Hesse (born 1939) – unmarried
  • Princess Clarissa of Hesse (born 1944) – married Jean-Claude Derrin (div), had issue

Sophie and Christoph lived in Berlin, Germany where he worked in an insurance company, as well as serving as a reserve officer in the Luftwaffe, the German air force. At the outbreak of World War II, Christoph entered active service, serving as a navigator in a bomb squadron, and later transferred to a fighter squadron in Tunisia and Sicily. In October 1943, Hitler recalled all the German princes from active service. Christoph was en route back to Germany when his plane crashed on October 7, 1943, and he was killed.

Meanwhile, Sophie and her five children had been living with her mother-in-law at Schloss Friedrichshof. She was also raising the four children of her brother-in-law Prince Philip of Hesse, who had been imprisoned in 1943. Forced to leave Friedrichshof when the American troops arrived, Sophie and her family moved to Schloss Wolfsgarten, home of the family of the former Grand Dukes of Hesse and by Rhine.

Sophie married a second time on April 23, 1946, in Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Her husband was Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover, the son of Ernst August III, Duke of Brunswick, a descendant of King George III through his son Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover and Duke of Cumberland, and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor. Sophie and Georg Wilhelm were second cousins. This marriage is the only known case where the British sovereign withheld permission to marry, under the Royal Marriages Act of 1772. Although Germany and Britain were at war, the groom’s father still requested consent from King George VI. King George VI wished to let them know that it would be inappropriate to give his consent due to the war but the British government would not allow it. Therefore, the request went unanswered, meaning that the marriage was not recognized under British law.

Sophie and Georg had three children:

Throughout her life, Sophie was very close to her brother Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh. Although not invited to Philip’s wedding because of her German ties, Sophie and her husband paid a private visit shortly after the wedding, spending time with Philip and Queen Elizabeth II at Birkhall in Scotland. Six years later, Sophie, her surviving sisters, and their families were all in attendance for Elizabeth’s coronation. The families visited often, and Sophie was a regular guest at the Windsor Royal Horse Show each year, as well as most private family events. In 1964, she was named one of the godparents of Philip’s youngest son Prince Edward. In 1994, Sophie and Philip traveled to Jerusalem, where their mother was posthumously honored as Righteous Among the Nations for her efforts to help Jewish families during the war.

Sophie and Philip in Jerusalem, 1994.

In her later years, Sophie lived in Schliersee, near Munich, Germany with her husband. She also regularly visited Princess Margaret of Hesse and by Rhine (the wife of Prince Ludwig) who was among her closest friends. In the summer of 2001, with her health failing, Sophie moved to a nursing home in Munich, where she later died on November 24, 2001. She was buried in the cemetery in Schliersee, and a memorial service was held two months later at Schloss Wolfsgarten, attended by her brother The Duke of Edinburgh.

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Princess Cecilie of Greece, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Cecilie of Greece, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine – source: Wikipedia

Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark was born at Tatoi Palace in Greece on June 22, 1911. She was the third daughter of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg.

Cecilie had four siblings:

Cecilie with her husband and two sons, c1933. photo: personal collection

On February 2, 1931, in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, Cecilie married her first cousin once removed, Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. He was the son of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his second wife Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich.

Cecilie and Georg Donatus (known as Don) had three children:

  • Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine (1931-1937)
  • Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine (1933 -1937)
  • Princess Johanna of Hesse and by Rhine (1936 -1939)

Cecilie’s life came to a tragic end on November 16, 1937. A very pregnant Cecilie, her husband, their two sons, and her mother-in-law, were traveling by plane to London to attend the wedding of her husband’s brother Prince Ludwig and Margaret Geddes four days later. Facing bad weather, the plane was unable to land in Brussels, Belgium as scheduled and instead was diverted to Ostend, Belgium. While attempting to land, the plane clipped a chimney on a factory near the airport and then crashed leaving no survivors.

Having received the news, a private wedding ceremony was hastily arranged for Ludwig and Margaret the following day. They then traveled to Belgium to accompany the bodies back to Darmstadt. A funeral was held a few days later, attended by all of Cecilie’s family. Cecilie and her family were all buried in the burial ground adjacent to the Neues Mausoleum at Rosenhöhe Park in Darmstadt, in Hesse, Germany

Ludwig and Margaret adopted Cecilie’s only surviving child Princess Johanna. Sadly, less than two years later, Johanna contracted meningitis and died. She was buried alongside the rest of her family.

Grave of Cecilie and her husband; Photo – www.findagrave.com

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Princess Theodora of Greece, Margravine of Baden

Princess Theodora of Greece, Margravine of Baden; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark was born on May 30, 1906, at Tatoi Palace in Greece, the second daughter of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. She had four siblings:

Theodora with her sisters in 1922. (l-r) Margarita, Cecilie, Theodora, Sophie.

Raised primarily in Greece, Theodora and her family had to leave Greece several times due to the political unrest and repeated overthrow of the monarchy.  They spent several years living in Switzerland and later settled outside of Paris.  After her mother suffered a nervous breakdown in 1930, Theodora and her sisters were quickly married, all into former reigning German royal families.

On August 17, 1931, in Baden-Baden, Germany, Theodora married Berthold, Margrave of Baden, the son of Maximilian, Margrave of Baden and Princess Marie Luise of Hanover. The couple was second cousins through their mutual descent from King Christian IX of Denmark. They took up residence at Schloss Salem in Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Theodora and Berthold  had three children:

Theodora with her husband and two elder children, c1936. source: private collection

In her later years, Princess Theodora spent time with her children and grandchildren and occasionally visited England to see her brother Philip and his family.  At just 63 years old, she died in Büdingen in Hesse, Germany on October 16, 1969, just five weeks before the death of her mother. She was buried alongside her husband in the family cemetery in Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.