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Mountbatten & his new wife -
The Hon. Edwina Ashley (Lady Louis Mountbatten)
following their marriage

Mountbatten and The Honourable Edwina Ashley were married on 18th July 1922 at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster, London in a glittering social event, with all the Royal Family in attendance, with his cousin “David” - HRH The Prince of Wales (subsequently HM King Edward VIII (1894(1936)1972)) and later HRH The Duke of Windsor), as best man.

The marriage was blessed with two daughters –

Patricia Edwina Victoria MOUNTBATTEN, born 14th February 1924 – who later succeeded her father as 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

Pamela Carmen Louise MOUNTBATTEN, born 19th April 1929, later The Lady Pamela Hicks.

Mountbatten returned back to his Naval career and following various promotions, by 1932 he had reached the rank of Commander and became commanding officer of HMS Daring and HMS Wishart respectively. In January 1936, the sad news that King George V (1865(1910-1936) had died after a long illness rocked the Empire and Mountbatten’s friend and cousin, David – succeeded as King Edward VIII (1894(1936)1972). The new era saw a great deal of promise, particularly as the new King did not like the stuffy and pompous protocols of a former generation. However the new King’s relationship with a twice divorced American – Mrs Wallis Simpson, later The Duchess of Windsor (1896-1986) caused many of the family to take sides and soon Mountbatten’s once close friendship with his cousin was to cool off, however they remained in contact and Mountbatten offered (and was turned down) to be his best-man at his marriage to Mrs Simpson. Although Mountbatten was against his cousin renouncing duty and tradition for love – which went against all the Battenberg training he had received from birth, he still wanted return the honour of David being his own best-man in 1922, but it was not to be - as David clutched to the notion that his Royal brothers would attend and be his “supporters”.

Following the Abdication of King Edward VIII (1894(1936)1972), Mountbatten continued his Naval career against the back-drop of the changing circumstances in Europe and the fear of another World War. In 1939 (just 10 days before War was finally declared) he was promoted to the rank of Captain and took command of HMS Kelly – a ship he would be forever associated with. One of his first missions was to go to Cherbourg and collect his cousin David, the former King – now HRH The Duke of Windsor, and his wife, from France and return them to England.

HMS Kelly

Mountbatten’s time on board HMS Kelly was often a dangerous and eventful time. During one of her first missions – to escort rescue tugs from mines off the Tyne estuary, HMS Kelly was struck by a mine and she sustained damage to her hull and in the end was towed back to port by one of the tugs she was employed to escort.

CONTINUED