Earl Mountbatten of Burma

Earldom of Mountbatten of Burma
Quarterly, 1st: azure, three cross-crosslets fitchée between two bendlets or (Knatchbull); 2nd: argent, two pallets sable (Mountbatten); 3rd: azure, a lion rampant double queued barry of ten argent and gules crowned or a bordure compony of the second and third (Hesse, with a bordure for difference); 4th: the Royal Arms differenced with a label of three points argent the centre point charged with a rose gules barbed vert and each of the other points with an ermine spot (Princess Alice).[1]
Creation date28 October 1947
Created byGeorge VI
PeeragePeerage of the United Kingdom
First holderLouis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma
Present holderNorton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl
Heir apparentNicholas Louis Charles Norton Knatchbull
Remainder tothe 1st Earl's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten; the 1st Earl's daughters and heirs male of their bodies lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titlesViscount Mountbatten of Burma
Baron Brabourne
Baron Romsey
Baronet 'of Mersham Hatch'
Seat(s)Broadlands[2]
Former seat(s)Classiebawn Castle Newhouse [3]

Earl Mountbatten of Burma is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1947 for Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, who in 1946 had been created the first Viscount Mountbatten of Burma. He was later promoted to Admiral of the Fleet.

The family seat is Newhouse Manor, near Ashford, Kent.

Creation

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The Earldom was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom on 28 October 1947 for Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma. [4]

The subsidiary titles of the earldom are Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, of Romsey in the County of Southampton (created earlier in 1946), and Baron Romsey, of Romsey in the County of Southampton (created together with the Earldom in 1947). All these peerages are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and have the same special remainder (see below).

Lord Romsey was the courtesy title by which Lady Mountbatten's eldest son and heir was known until in 2005 he succeeded his father John Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne as Baron Brabourne, of Brabourne in the County of Kent. Subsequently, with the death of his mother on 13 June 2017, he became the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma. As a consequence, both the Brabourne peerage and the Knatchbull Baronetcy, of Mersham Hatch, in the Baronetage of England (created in 1641 for Sir Norton Knatchbull) became subsidiary titles to the Earldom.

Lord Brabourne is now the courtesy title by which Lord Mountbatten's eldest son is known.[5]

Special remainder

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When elevated to the peerage, the first Earl had no son, and the letters patent creating the peerages granted to him were all subject to the following special remainder, in the absence of heirs male:

...to his eldest daughter Patricia Edwina Victoria, Baroness Brabourne...and the heirs male of her body lawfully begotten; and in default of such issue to every other daughter lawfully begotten of the said Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas... successively in order of seniority of age and priority of birth and to the heirs male of their bodies lawfully begotten...

As a result, since the first Lord Mountbatten never had a son, his elder daughter, Patricia, succeeded as the 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma upon her father's death.[6] Should the legitimate male line of descent of the 2nd Countess become extinct, the peerages would be inherited by her sister, Lady Pamela Hicks, and her legitimate heirs male. (But there are ten living male-line descendants of the 2nd Countess, as of 2024.) Should the legitimate male lines of both sisters fail, the peerages would become extinct.

While the male-line heirs of Lady Pamela Hicks are in the line of succession to the earldom, they are not in line of succession to the Barony of Brabourne. Should the 7th Baron Brabourne's line become extinct, that peerage would revert to a male-line descendant of the 1st Baron Brabourne's 3rd son. [7]

Earls Mountbatten of Burma (1947)

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Created by George VI of the United Kingdom
# Name Period Spouse Notes Other titles Arms
1 Louis Mountbatten
(1900–1979)		 1947–1979 married, 1922,
Edwina Ashley
(1900–1960)		 Born a prince of Battenberg, he renounced the title and adopted the name Mountbatten 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma
and 1st Baron Romsey
2 Patricia Knatchbull
(1924–2017)		 1979–2017 married, 1946,
John Knatchbull,
7th Baron Brabourne
(1924–2005)		 Elder daughter of the 1st Earl 2nd Viscountess Mountbatten of Burma and 2nd Baroness Romsey
(in her own right)
Baroness Brabourne
(by marriage)
3 Norton Knatchbull
(born 1947)		 since 2017 married, 1979,
Penelope Eastwood
(born 1953)		 Eldest son of the 2nd Countess 3rd Viscount Mountbatten of Burma and 3rd Baron Romsey
(inherited from mother)
8th Baron Brabourne and 17th Knatchbull Baronet of Mersham Hatch
(inherited from father)
[1]

The heir apparent is the present holder's only son, Nicholas Louis Charles Norton Knatchbull, Lord Brabourne (born 1981).

Line of succession

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Source: [11]

Coat of arms of the 1st earl

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Arms of The 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma

Quarterly: 1st and 4th, azure a lion rampant double-queued barry of ten argent and gules armed and langued of the last crowned or within a bordure company of the second and third (Hesse); 2nd and 3rd, argent two pallets sable (Battenberg); charged on the honour point with an escutcheon of the arms of the late Princess Alice, namely: the royal arms differenced by a label of three points argent the centre point charged with a rose gules barbed Vert and each of the other points with an ermine spot sable. The shield is encircled with the Order of the Garter, of which the 1st earl was a member.

References

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  1. ^ a b Arms granted to Earls Mountbatten of Burma who descend from the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma's elder daughter: see "No. 44059". The London Gazette. 21 July 1966. p. 8227.
    "ROYAL LICENCE
    Whitehall, London S.W.I.
    30th June 1966.
    The QUEEN has been graciously pleased to give and grant unto Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas (Mountbatten), Earl Mountbatten of Burma, K.G., G.C.B., O.M., G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., D.S.O., P.C., Admiral of the Fleet, Her Majesty's Royal Licence and Authority that every person being a descendant of his elder daughter and coheir presumptive Patricia Edwina Victoria wife of John Ulick (Knatchbull) Baron Brabourne upon whom the title and dignity of Earl Mountbatten of Burma may descend by virtue of His Majesty's Letters Patent of Creation bearing date the 18th day of October 1947 may bear and use in lieu of and in substitution for his own paternal Arms, Crests and Supporters, the Arms of Knatchbull quarterly with the Arms of Mountbatten, the Arms of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Arms of Princess Alice Maud Mary, Grand Duchess of Hesse and the Rhine together with the Crests of Knatchbull, of Mountbatten and of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Supporters of Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, of Romsey in the County of Southampton, the whole with due and proper differences according to the Laws of Arms, the said Arms, Crests and Supporters being first duly exemplified according to the Laws of Arms and recorded in Her Majesty's College of Arms: otherwise the said Royal Licence and Permission to be void and of none effect.
    And to command that the said Royal Concession and Declaration be recorded in the said College of Arms."
  2. ^ "Broadlands". lordmountbattenofburma.com.
  3. ^ "Classiebawn Castle".
  4. ^ "Louis, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma". lordmountbattenofburma.com.
  5. ^ "Prince Charles’s godson gets engaged to a professional mermaid", Metro, 12 January 2019
  6. ^ "the 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma". lordmountbattenofburma.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  7. ^ "John, 7th Lord Brabourne". lordmountbattenofburma.com.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Also in the line of succession to the Barony of Brabourne, in order, starting with Nicholas Knatchbull.
  9. ^ Davies-Evitt, Dora (27 June 2022). "Prince Charles's godson welcomes first child". Tatler. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Exclusive: Kata Hicks on the end of her marriage and moving on". Tatler. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  11. ^ Morris, Susan; Bosberry-Scott, Wendy; Belfield, Gervase, eds. (2019). "Mountbatten of Burma, Earl (Knatchbull)". Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage. Vol. 1 (150th ed.). London: Debrett's Ltd. pp. 3730–3735. ISBN 978-1-999767-0-5-1.
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