Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma#Life after marriage

File:Edwina Mountbatten and her mother.jpg

Edwina Cynthia Annette Ashley was born in 1901, the elder daughter of Wilfrid Ashley (later 1st Baron Mount Temple), who was a Conservative member of Parliament.Janet Morgan, Edwina Mountbatten: A Life of Her Own (1991). Her younger sister was Mary Ashley (Lady Delamere). Patrilineally, she was a great-granddaughter of the reformist 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. Edwina's mother, Amalia Mary Maud Cassel (1879–1911), was the only child of the international magnate Sir Ernest Cassel (1852–1921), friend and private financier to the future King Edward VII. Cassel had been born in Cologne, Prussia, of Jewish origin. He was one of the richest and most powerful men in Europe.

After Wilfred Ashley's remarriage in 1914 to Molly Forbes-Sempill (ex-wife of Rear-Admiral Arthur Forbes-Sempill), Edwina Ashley was sent away to boarding schools, first to the Links in Eastbourne, then to Alde House in Suffolk, at neither of which was she a willing pupil. Edwina was unhappy during the time because, in addition to a sour relationship with her stepmother, she was bullied at school on account of her grandfather being rich, German, and Jewish. She later described her experience at school as 'sheer hell'.{{Cite book |last=Tunzelmann |first=Alex von |title=Indian Summer |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2007 |isbn=9781471166440 |location=India |pages=60}} Her grandfather, Sir Ernest, solved the domestic dilemma by inviting her to live with him and, eventually, to act as hostess at his London residence, Brook House. Later, his other mansions, Moulton Paddocks and Branksome Dene, would become part of her inheritance from him.{{Citation needed|date = April 2021}}

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File:Louis and Edwina Mountbatten 02.jpg

Edwina Ashley first met Louis Mountbatten, a relative of the British royal family and a nephew of Empress Alexandra of Russia, at a ball at Claridge's hotel in October 1920.{{Cite book |last=Lownie |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Lownie |title=The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves |publisher=Blink Publishing |year=2019 |isbn=978-1788702560 |location=London |page=1560 |chapter=First Loves}} By this time, she was a leading member of London society. Her maternal grandfather died in 1921, leaving her £7,5 million (over 300 million pounds in current values in 2019) and his palatial London townhouse, Brook House, at a time when her future husband's salary as Royal Navy lieutenantMountbatten was promoted Royal Navy lieutenant on 15 April 1920.{{London Gazette |issue=32461 |date=20 September 1921 |page=7384}} was £310 a year (equivalent to £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|310|1921|r=0}}}} in {{Inflation-year|UK}}{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}}), which was doubled by his private income.Lownie, Andrew (2019), p. 1563 Later, she inherited the country seat of Broadlands, Hampshire, from her father, Lord Mount Temple.

File:Lady Louis Mountbatten.jpg]]

Ashley and Mountbatten married on 18 July 1922 at St Margaret's, Westminster. The wedding attracted more than 8,000 people, including members of the royal family such as Queen Mary, Queen Alexandra, and the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII), who served as the groom's best man. It was dubbed "wedding of the year".Von Tunzelmann, p. 71. There followed a honeymoon tour of European royal courts and America which included a visit to Niagara Falls (because "all honeymooners went there").{{Cite magazine |date=17 August 1942 |title=Lord Louis Mountbatten |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v04EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA63 |access-date=20 September 2012 |magazine=Life |page=63 |via=Google Books}} During their honeymoon in California, the newlyweds starred in a silent home movie by Charlie Chaplin called Nice And Friendly, which was not shown in cinemas.{{Cite web |title=Nice and Friendly |url=https://www.charliechaplin.com/en/films/9-Limelight/articles/300-Nice-and-Friendly |access-date=5 August 2022 |website=Charlie Chaplin Official Website}}

The Mountbattens had two daughters, Patricia (14 February 1924 – 13 June 2017) and Pamela (born 19 April 1929).Von Tunzelmann, p. 73.

Drew Pearson described Edwina in 1944 as "one of the most beautiful women in England".{{Cite news |last=Pearson |first=Drew |date=16 September 1944 |title=Ford May Convert Willow Run into Huge Tractor Plant |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19440916&id=qpExAAAAIBAJ&pg=6922,2014592 |access-date=19 May 2013 |work=St. Peterburg Times}}

Edwina and her sister-in-law, the Marchioness of Milford Haven (wife of Lord Milford Haven), were extremely close friends and the two frequently went together on rather daring adventures, travelling rough in difficult and often dangerous parts of the world.{{Cite book |last=Hough |first=Richard |title=Edwina Countess Mountbatten of Burma |publisher=William Morrow and Company, Inc. |year=1984 |isbn=0-688-03766-6 |location=New York}}

After the outbreak of the Second World War, Mountbatten visited the United States, where she expressed gratitude for efforts to raise funds for the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance Brigade. In 1942, she was appointed Superintendent-in-Chief of the St John Ambulance Brigade, serving extensively. In 1945, she assisted in the repatriation of prisoners of war in South East Asia. She was appointed a CBE in 1943 and made a Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (DCVO) in 1946. She also received the American Red Cross Medal.[http://mountbattenofburma.com/page59.html Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma]

In 1943, Mountbatten was appointed president of the animal welfare organization Our Dumb Friends' League.{{cite news|url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-viewer?issue=BL%2F0000563%2F19430807&page=5|title=Dumb Friends League|newspaper=The Evening Telegraph |date=August 7, 1943|page=5|url-access=subscription}}

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Edwina Mountbatten was the last vicereine of India, serving during the final months of the British Raj and the first months of the post-Partition period (February 1947 to June 1948) when Louis Mountbatten was the last viceroy of India and then, after the partition of India and Pakistan in June 1947, the governor-general of India, but not of the Dominion of Pakistan.

File:Lady Mountbatten at Police Hospital, Delhi.jpg, 1947]]

From 28 October 1947 onwards, Edwina Mountbatten was styled as the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, after her husband was elevated to an earldom. Following the violent disruption that accompanied the partition of India, Lady Mountbatten's priority was to mobilise the enormous relief efforts required, work for which she was widely praised. She also organised cholera vaccinations and sanitation facilities for the Indians.{{cite book | last=Singh | first=R.R.M.K. | title=Indira Gandhi | publisher=K.K. Publications | year=2021 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PIdCEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA125 | language=mt | access-date=2024-12-20 | page=125}}

After her viceroyalty in India, her public service included service for the St John Ambulance Brigade. She was a governor of The Peckham Experiment in 1949.{{Cite journal |date=September 1949 |title=The Bulletin of the Pioneer Centre |url=http://www.sochealth.co.uk/1949/09/21/peckham/ |journal=Peckham |volume=1 |issue=5 |access-date=21 October 2016}}

Lady Mountbatten died in her sleep aged 58 of unknown causes on 21 February 1960 in Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu), North Borneo (now Sabah), while on an inspection tour for the St John Ambulance Brigade.{{Cite news |date=21 February 1960 |title=Lady Mountbatten dies in sleep on visit to Borneo |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19600222&id=pbcyAAAAIBAJ&pg=4298,2221738 |access-date=14 June 2013 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |location=London |agency=Australian Associated Press}} In accordance with her wishes, she was buried at sea off the coast of Portsmouth from HMS Wakeful on 25 February 1960; Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury, officiated.{{Cite web |title=Her Grave The Sea 1960 |url=http://www.britishpathe.com/video/her-grave-the-sea |publisher=British Pathe}}

On learning of the news, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother observed, "Dear Edwina, she always liked to make a splash."As quoted in The Straits Times [Singapore] (7 August 2000). Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had the Indian Navy frigate INS Trishul, already stationed in the city for repair for weeks, to escort the Wakeful and cast a wreath.{{Cite web |title=A TASTE OF OTHER SUMMERS - Love may not be the only theme of the Nehru-Edwina letters |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1091101/jsp/opinion/story_11665506.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091105042032/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091101/jsp/opinion/story_11665506.jsp |archive-date=5 November 2009}}{{Cite book |last=Morgan |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Morgan, Lady Balfour of Burleigh |title=Edwina Mountbatten - A Life of Her Own |publisher=Fontana |year=1992 |isbn=0006377874 |location=London |page=481 |chapter=Leave-taking}}{{Cite book |last=Hough |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Hough |title=Edwina - Countess Mountbatten of Burma |publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |year=1983 |isbn=0297782843 |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/edwina00rich/page/217 217] |chapter='Love and Serve' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/edwina00rich/page/217}} Her will was proven in London on 21 March 1960, with her estate valued for probate at £589,655 (equivalent to £{{formatnum:{{inflation|UK|589655|1960|r=-2}}}} as of {{CURRENTYEAR}}).{{Cite web |last= |date=1960 |title=Countess Mountbatten of Burma, The Right Honourable Edwina Cynthia Annette C.I. G. B. E. D. C. V. O. |url=https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=Mountbatten&yearOfDeath=1960&page=1#calendar |access-date=1 March 2020 |website=probatesearchservice.gov |publisher=UK Government}}

• File:Royal Victorian Order UK ribbon.png Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (DCVO) – 1 January 1946{{Cite web |title=The London Gazette, 1 January 1946 |url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/37407/pages/12}}
• File:Order of St John (UK) ribbon.svg Dame Grand Cross of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (GCStJ: 1 January 1946;{{London Gazette|issue=37417|page=203|date=1 January 1946}} CStJ: 19 December 1928{{London Gazette|issue=33453|page=49|date=19 December 1928}}
• File:UK Order of the Crown of India ribbon.svg Lady of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India (CI) -21 February 1947
• File:Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon.svg Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE: 1 January 1948;{{London Gazette|issue=38161|supp=y|page=25|date=1 January 1948}} CBE: 1 January 1943{{London Gazette|issue=35841|page=16|date=1 January 1943}}
• File:Service Medal of the Order of St John Ribbon.svg Service Medal of the Order of St John
• File:UK King George V Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg King George V Silver Jubilee Medal{{Cite web |title=Louis Mountbatten, Earl Mountbatten of Burma; Edwina Cynthia Annette (née Ashley), Countess Mountbatten of Burma - National Portrait Gallery |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw14075/Louis-Mountbatten-Earl-Mountbatten-of-Burma-Edwina-Cynthia-Annette-ne-Ashley-Countess-Mountbatten-of-Burma |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=www.npg.org.uk |language=en}}
• File:UK King George VI Coronation Medal ribbon.svg King George VI Coronation Medal
• File:UK Queen EII Coronation Medal ribbon.svg Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal{{Cite web |last=John |first=Museum of the Order of St |date=2017-04-12 |title=Edwina Mountbatten; Before Viceroy's House |url=https://museumstjohn.org.uk/edwina-mountbatten-viceroys-house/ |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Museum of the Order of St John |language=en-GB}}

Lady Mountbatten of Burma has been portrayed by:

• Janet Suzman in the 1986 television drama Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy
• Maria Aitken in the 1998 biographical film Jinnah{{IMDb title|qid=Q3234769|title=Jinnah (1998)}}
• Gillian Anderson in Gurinder Chadha's drama film Viceroy's House (2017){{Cite news |last=Wiseman |first=Andreas |date=30 April 2015 |title=Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson topline partition drama 'Viceroy's House' |url=http://www.screendaily.com/news/bonneville-anderson-topline-partition-drama-viceroys-house/5087176.article |access-date=19 February 2016 |work=Screen Daily}}
• Lucy Russell in series 2 of The Crown (2017){{Citation |title="The Crown" Misadventure (TV Episode 2017) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6366744/fullcredits |access-date=2017-12-11}}

{{Reflist|33em}}

• {{Cite book |last=Alex von Tunzelmann |author-link=Alex von Tunzelmann |title=Indian Summer The Secret History of the End of an Empire |publisher=Pocket Books}}

• Morgan, Janet Edwina Mountbatten: A Life of Her Own, Scribners, 1991. {{ISBN|978-0684193465}}
• Ziegler, Philip, Mountbatten: the official biography, Collins, 1985. {{ISBN|978-0006370475}}
• Hough, Richard, Mountbatten: Hero of our time, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1980. {{ISBN|978-0297786221}}

{{Commons category|Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma|Edwina Mountbatten}}

• [https://www.lordmountbattenofburma.com Tribute & Memorial Website to Louis, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma]
• {{NPG name|name=Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma}}
• {{PM20|FID=pe/012555}}

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Edwina

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Edwina

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