Random Royal Uncle Whose Mentorship Of Prince Charles Gave Him The Possibility To Manipulate Monarchy (13 items)

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  (#6) Prince Charles Proposed To Mountbatten's Granddaughter, Amanda Knatchbull - She Declined

  Amanda Knatchbull was Prince Charles's cousin and Louis Mountbatten's granddaughter. Lord Mountbatten had been setting up the match for years, grooming Amanda to be the future Queen of England. When Charles first told Amanda's mother of his interest in her daughter, she informed him that although she approved, Amanda was only 17 and still too young.

  Eventually he made his move, but he may have been following the advice of his mentor rather than his own heart. The potential couple fell apart when Charles proposed, and Amanda said no. 
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  (#8) The Mountbatten Family Name Is German, And Went Through Some Changes To Fit In With British Society

  Lord Mountbatten's father, Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg, was born a German aristocrat. However, he moved his family to England and joined the Navy. Because of anti-German sentiment during WWI, he was forced to step down from his position as Sea Lord. 

  Since the family was living permanently in England, they decided to change their last name to Mountbatten. It helped them fit in better, since the name Battenberg was clearly of German origin. 
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  (#9) Lord Mountbatten Married A Woman Named Edwina Ashley, But Their Marriage Had A Tragic End

  Lord Mountbatten courted Edwina Ashley on his first trip to India in 1921, when she was just 19. They had a unique marriage for the time, which some have described as "a model open marriage." They lived separate lives and each had extra lovers, but they remained "chummy" and somewhat happily married. The cost of a divorce, financially and socially, was too high for either of them to bear.

  Edwina tragically passed away in 1960 at the age of 58; she suffered a stroke while on a charity mission in Malaysia. Her burial at sea back in England was reportedly the only time Lord Mountbatten's two daughters had ever seen him cry.
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  (#1) How Does Lord Mountbatten Fit Into The Complex Royal Family Tree?

  The relationship of Prince Charles to the British throne is quite simple - his parents are Queen Elizabeth II (Windsor) and Prince Philip (Mountbatten), Duke of Edinburgh. Being the first son of Queen Elizabeth's four children, he is first in line for the throne. 

  So, where does Louis Mountbatten fit in? His connection is through Prince Philip; he was Philip's uncle. Philip Mountbatten was the son of Alice of Battenberg and Andrew of Greece; Louis was Alice's brother. That made him great-uncle to Prince Charles, and it was through his young great-nephew that he tried to gain power.
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  (#4) Lord Mountbatten And Prince Philip Pushed Hard For The Royal Family to Take The Name Mountbatten

  As Lord Mountbatten pointed out to the newly married Queen Elizabeth II, it was customary for a wife to take her husband's last name. He and Elizabeth's new husband, Prince Philip, both pushed hard to change the family name from Windsor to Mountbatten. 

  But Elizabeth didn't budge. On the advice of her grandmother, Queen Mary, as well as Prime Minister Winston Churchill, she kept her historic last name and passed it on to her four children. 

  For his part, Prince Philip had a very difficult time getting past the fact that she didn't take his name. He was very open about his dissatisfaction, and was once quoted as saying, "I am nothing but a bloody amoeba. I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children." 

  As a compromise, descendants of Elizabeth and Philip who do not hold the title HRH or Prince/Princess, bear the surname of Mountbatten-Windsor.
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  (#2) Lord Mountbatten Was The One Who Set Up Prince Philip And Princess Elizabeth

  Lord Mountbatten began his habit of matchmaking in 1939. He set up a visit for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Dartmouth Royal Naval College, along with their daughters Elizabeth and Margaret. It was during that visit when 13-year-old Elizabeth met Prince Philip for the first time, since he had been placed in charge of hosting the two princesses while their family took a tour of the college.

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