by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015
Irene Mountbatten, Marchioness of Carisbrooke; Credit -Wikipedia
Lady Irene Francis Adza Denison was born on July 4, 1890, in London, England. While not royal, Lady Irene came from an aristocratic background. She was the only daughter and the eldest of the three children of William Francis Henry Denison, 2nd Earl of Londesborough and Lady Grace Adelaide Fane, the daughter of Francis Fane, 12th Earl of Westmorland and Lady Adelaide Ida Curzon, daughter of Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe and Lady Harriet Brudenell, second daughter of Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan.
Lady Irene had two brothers:
- George Francis William Henry Denison, 3rd Earl of Londesborough (July 17, 1892 – September 12, 1920), unmarried
- Hugo William Cecil Denison, 4th Earl of Londesborough (November 13, 1894 – April 17, 1937), married Marigold Rosemary Joyce Lubbock, had one daughter, earldom extinct upon his death
Lady Irene’s family was well-connected. For her 18th birthday, a party was held at St. Dunstan’s Lodge in Regents Park, London, and The Duke and Duchess of Connaught attended along with their daughter Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden, and her husband, the Crown Prince (the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden). Lady Irene was a debutante in 1908, the same year as her 18th birthday party. A periodical from the time called Lady Irene an interesting debutante and said that she is “fond of sport…shares her parents’ interest in the drama” and “…acted from childhood.” During World War I, Lady Irene volunteered at the Countess of Lytton’s Hospital, where wounded soldiers received care.
On July 19, 1917, at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London, Lady Irene married Alexander Mountbatten, Marquess of Carisbrooke, the eldest son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg. Because the wedding was during World War I, there were no bridesmaids or formal reception. The photo below shows a crowd observing the arrival of the guests at the wedding.
Alexander and Irene had one daughter:
- Lady Iris Victoria Beatrice Grace Mountbatten (1920 – 1982), married 1) Captain Hamilton O’Malley, divorced, no issue; married 2) Michael Bryan, divorced, had issue; married 3) William Kemp, no issue
Lady Iris Victoria Beatrice Grace Kemp (née Mountbatten) by Bassano Ltd, whole-plate film negative, 26 November 1934 NPG x151240 © National Portrait Gallery, London
Irene and Alexander lived at King’s Cottage, overlooking Kew Gardens, one of the grace and favor houses at the disposal of the Sovereign. They spent their last years living in apartments at Kensington Palace.
Irene died July 16, 1956, at the age of 66 in London, England. Her ashes were interred at St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England. Alexander died less than four years later from a cerebral hemorrhage at Kensington Palace on February 23, 1960, at the age of 73. His ashes were also interred at St. Mildred’s Church, where his parents married and where they were buried.
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