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As old age fell upon Mountbatten, he did reduce his charitable works and it was thought that at last Mountbatten would spend more time at a slower pace at his beloved Broadlands, but 1978 brought the idea of opening Broadlands to the public, which in true Mountbatten style was a project that he threw himself into. He personally oversaw everything and on 19th May 1979 - Broadlands was officially opened by HRH The Prince of Wales., KG, KT, GCB, OM, AK, QSO, CD, PC, ADC(P) (b.1948)

Classiebawn Castle

As part of the Palmerston inheritance, Mountbatten’s wife - Edwina, brought to the Mountbatten family the wonderful Classiebawn Castle, Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo, in the Republic of Ireland. The castle is a neo-Gothic Victorian mansion, considered by some to be ugly - but Mountbatten said of it that “no place had ever thrilled me more”, and from its strategic outlook over Donegal Bay, and to this day stands proud over the dramatic coastline it surveys. Every year the family would spend August on holiday there, with carefree fishing onboard Mountbatten’s boat “Shadow V”, setting lobster pots and riding horses along the sandy beach. Although Mountbatten, was a high profile figure with considerable Royal connections - it was always thought that the threat of kidnap or violence to him was remote. He once said (modestly) -

“Do you really think the IRA would think of me a worthwhile target?”

Mountbatten was wrong. For the Irish Republican Army (IRA) indeed saw this grand old man a prime target and it was at their hands, that he was murdered. At exactly 1145am on 27th August 1979, the peace of the Mountbatten family holiday, and the silence over the calm Donegal waters was broken with an explosion. Mountbatten had set to sea in his 30 feet long wooden boat “Shadow V” with his eldest daughter Patricia (now The 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma) (b.1924), her husband John (The Rt Hon The 7th Lord Brabourne (1924-2005)), and his elderly mother - Doreen, The Dowager Lady Brabourne, CI (1896-1979). They were joined by Mountbatten’s grandsons (who were identical twins of Patricia and John) - The Hon. Nicholas Knatchbull (1964-1979) and The Hon. Timothy Knatchbull (b.1964), and a young local lad acting as a crew member, Paul Maxwell (1964-1979). The family had gone to collect the lobster pots that they had set the previous day, but concealed beneath the decking was a plastic tube, 17 inches long, full of gelignite - which the IRA had planted some time before. Mountbatten’s boat was just 200 yards from shore when the IRA detonated their remote-controlled 50lb bomb. The boat disintegrated and countless fragments of wreckage showered down onto the water. Mountbatten (aged 79) was killed immediately.

The force of the explosion killed Mountbatten’s grandson - The Hon. Nicholas Knatchbull (aged 14), Paul Maxwell (aged 15), The Dowager Lady Brabourne, CI (aged 83), but mercifully Mountbatten’s daughter Patricia and her husband John survived, despite sustaining severe injuries. The pointless and futile murder of 2 elderly people and 2 young teenagers achieved nothing, despite the IRA’s protestations. On the same day, the IRA ambushed and killed 18 British soldiers at Warrenpoint, Co. Down and 4 Army bandsmen were also killed in Brussels.

Mountbatten and his family
on board “Shadow V”

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