The Sun - Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
LORD Mountbatten was beloved by many members of the monarchy.
When he passed away, his death rocked those who were close to him including Prince Phillip and Prince Charles.
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Lord Mountbatten was born Prince Louis of Battenberg in Windsor on June 25, 1900.
He was born at Frogmore House, a Grade I listed building belonging to the Crown estate.
Prince Louis was given the nickname Dickie, despite not having Richard as a name.
It was suggested by Queen Victoria, who originally suggested “Nicky”, however Dickie was used to avoid confusion with the many Nickys of the Russian Imperial Family.
He had two daughters with wife Edwina Ashley – Lady Patricia, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and Lady Pamela.
During the First World War, Lord Mountbatten served at sea with the Royal Navy.
In 1917, the name Battenberg was dropped and changed to Mountbatten by the family as anti-German sentiment was growing in the UK.
Lord Mountbatten continued his work in the navy whilst studying English Literature at the University of Cambridge.
When the Second World War began in 1939, he commanded the destroyer HMS Kelly, which later sunk off the coast of Crete by the Nazis.
He was later appointed the Chief of Combined Operations and was responsible for the botched Dieppe raid of August 1942.
This raid had almost 60% loss of lives, who were mostly Canadian, causing Mountbatten to become a controversial figure in Canada.
Lord Mountbatten later became the Supreme Allied Commander of the Southeast Asia Theatre and oversaw the recapture of Burma.
He also received the Japanese surrender in 1945, something which he viewed as a personal high-point in his life.
The South East Asia Command was disbanded and he returned to England as rear-admiral, then made a Knight of the Garter and became Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
Prime Minister Clement Attlee convinced Lord Mountbatten to serve as the last Viceroy of India in 1947.
This involved overseeing the transition of British India to independence with the aim of creating united India.
He later returned to the navy and became First Sea Lord.
His Dad had done the same job 40 years before him.
In 1959, he became Chief of the Defence Staff, the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Prime Minister.
Lord Mountbatten was assassinated aged 79 by the IRA, during a holiday at his summer home in August 1979.
A bomb was planted on his boat in Mullaghmore, Ireland, Mountbatten later went out on the boat.
However, he wasn’t alone. Passengers included:
Nicholas and Paul were killed on the boat while Doreen died of her injuries the following day. She was 83.
The IRA took responsibility for the assassination labelling it “an execution” and published a statement promising to continue the “noble struggle to drive the British intruders out of our native land”.
Skilled bombmaker Thomas McMahon was convicted of murder and he was imprisoned for life.
He was released in 1998 under the Good Friday Agreement which sought to end the Northern Ireland Troubles.
Lord Mountbatten’s great-grandmother on his mother’s side was Queen Victoria who is the great-great grandmother of the late Queen Elizabeth.
Lord Mountbatten’s sister was Princess Alice of Battenberg, who married Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark.
She was Prince Philip’s mother.
During his younger years, Lord Mountbatten travelled with Prince Edward, brother to King George VI, forming a fast friendship.
He was later appointed personal aide-de-camp by Edward VII, George VI and the late Queen Elizabeth.
The naval officer was King Charles’ great-uncle and was described by the royal as “the grandfather I never had”.
The pair’s relationship was so strong Lord Mountbatten even coached the King on his love life.
Lord Mountbatten even suggested King Charles marry his granddaughter Amanda, who turned down his proposal.
He was close to the royal family and arranged the first meeting between the Queen and Prince Philip.