Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

source: Wikipedia

Edwina Ashley, Countess Mountbatten of Burma

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 subsequent 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 also 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. But 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 to repatriate the prisoners.

In August 1946, her husband was created Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, and the following year appointed to serve as the last Viceroy of India, charged with overseeing India’s independence from Britain. 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. It was while on an inspection tour for the St. John Ambulance Brigade that Edwina died on February 21, 1960. She was in Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu), British North Borneo at the time, and passed away in her sleep. Her body was flown back to Britain and, per her wishes, 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.

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