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{{Short description|British aristocrat (1901–1960)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Countess Mountbatten of Burma
| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CI|GBE|DCVO}}
| birth_name = Edwina Cynthia Annette Ashley
| image = Lady Mountbatten (Women at War 1939-1945).jpg
| caption = Mountbatten in the uniform of the [[St John Ambulance Brigade]]
| office1 = [[Governor-General of India|Viceregal consort of India]]
| term_start1 = 21 February 1947
| term_end1 = 21 June 1948
| monarch1 = [[George VI]]
| 2blankname1 = {{nowrap|Governor-<br>General}}
| 2namedata1 = [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1901|11|28}}
| birth_place = London, England<ref>{{Cite web |last=Encyclopedia |title=Mountbatten, Edwina Ashley (1901–1960 |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/mountbatten-edwina-ashley-1901-1960 |access-date=10 July 2021}}</ref>
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1960|2|21|1901|11|28}}
| death_place = [[Kota Kinabalu|Jesselton]], [[Crown Colony of North Borneo]]
| resting_place = Off the coast of [[Portsmouth]]
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma]]|18 July 1922}}
| children = {{plainlist|
* [[Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma]]
* [[Lady Pamela Hicks]]
}}
| parents = {{plainlist|
* [[Wilfrid Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple]]
* Maud Cassel
}}
}}
'''Edwina Cynthia Annette Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma''' (''{{nee}}'' '''Ashley'''; 28 November 1901 – 21 February 1960), commonly known as '''Lady Mountbatten''', was an English heiress, socialite, and relief worker. As the wife of Rear Admiral [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma]], she served as the last [[vicereine of India]] during the reign of [[George VI]] and became a close relative by marriage of the [[British royal family]]. She was appointed a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] in 1943 and a [[Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order]] in 1946 for her work with the [[St John Ambulance Brigade]] and the [[British Red Cross]] during [[World War II]].

==Early life==
[[File:Edwina Mountbatten and her mother.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Edwina with her mother circa 1907]]
Edwina Cynthia Annette Ashley was born on 28 November 1901,<ref>GRO Register of Births: MAR 1902 1a 434 ST GEO HAN SQ = London</ref> the elder daughter of [[Wilfrid Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple|Wilfrid Ashley]], later 1st [[Baron Mount Temple]], and Amalia Mary Maud Cassel (1880–1911).<ref>Janet Morgan, ''Edwina Mountbatten: A Life of Her Own'' (1991).</ref> Her younger sister was [[Mary Cholmondeley, Lady Delamere|Mary Ashley]] (Lady Delamere). Through her father she was a great‑granddaughter of the reforming [[Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury|7th Earl of Shaftesbury]]. Her mother was the only child of the international financier [[Sir]] [[Ernest Cassel]] (1852–1921), a close friend and private adviser to the future [[King Edward VII]]. Cassel born in [[Cologne]], Prussia, to a Jewish family, became one of the wealthiest and most influential men in Europe.

Following her mother's death and her father's remarriage to [[Molly Forbes-Sempill]] (formerly the wife of Rear-Admiral [[Arthur Forbes-Sempill]]), Edwina was sent to [[boarding schools]], first the Links in Eastbourne and later Alde House in Suffolk. She disliked both establishments. Alongside a strained relationship with her stepmother, she was [[bullied]] because her grandfather was rich, German, and Jewish. She later described her experience at school as "sheer hell".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tunzelmann |first=Alex von |title=Indian Summer |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2007 |isbn=9781471166440 |location=India |pages=60}}</ref> Her grandfather eventually intervened, inviting her to live with him and to act as hostess at his London residence, [[Brook House (Park Lane)|Brook House]]. His other properties, including [[Moulton Paddocks]] and Branksome Dene, later formed part of her inheritance.{{Citation needed|date = April 2021}}
{{clear left}}
[[File:Louis and Edwina Mountbatten 02.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Edwina and Louis Mountbatten early in marriage]]
Edwina first met [[Louis Mountbatten]], a relation of the [[British royal family]] and nephew of [[Empress Alexandra of Russia]], at a ball at Claridge's in October 1920.<ref>{{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}}</ref> By then she was already a [[Debutante|prominent figure]] in London society.

[[File:Lady Louis Mountbatten.jpg|thumb|Edwina in her wedding dress, 1923, by [[Philip de László]]]]
The couple married on 18 July 1922 at [[St Margaret's, Westminster]]. More than 8,000 people gathered to witness the event, which was attended by [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]], [[Queen Alexandra]], and the Prince of Wales (the future [[King Edward VIII]]), who served as Mountbatten's best man. Contemporary newspapers dubbed it the "wedding of the year".<ref>Von Tunzelmann, p. 71.</ref> Their honeymoon included visits to several European royal courts and a tour of the United States, during which they visited [[Niagara Falls]] because, as Edwina remarked, "all honeymooners went there".<ref name="life1942081763">{{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]]}}</ref> While in California they appeared in a private silent film made by [[Charlie Chaplin]], ''Nice And Friendly'', which was never commercially released.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

===Wealth and inheritance===
On the death of her maternal grandfather in 1921, Edwina inherited a life interest in a trust fund derived from a 25/64 share of his residuary estate, valued at approximately £7,330,000 (about £390 million in 2023). After specific bequests, administrative costs, and death duties, the amount placed in trust for her benefit was about £1,600,000.<ref name="DT1960-03-17-p13">{{cite news |title=Trustees to Pay Duty: Lady Mountbatten's Life Interest |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=17 March 1960 |page=13 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-trustees-to-pay-duty/181031771/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=14 September 2025}}</ref> She also inherited Brook House. At the time, her future husband's salary as a [[Royal Navy]] lieutenant<ref>Mountbatten was promoted Royal Navy lieutenant on 15 April 1920.{{London Gazette |issue=32461 |date=20 September 1921 |page=7384}}</ref> was £310 a year (about £16,400 in 2023),{{Inflation-fn|UK-GDP|df=y}} supplemented by his private income.<ref>Lownie, Andrew (2019), p. 1563</ref> She later inherited [[Broadlands]], the family seat in Hampshire, from her father.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hoey |first=Brian |title=Mountbatten: The Private Story |location=London |publisher=Pan Books in association with Sidgwick & Jackson |date=1995 |orig-year=1994 |page=106 |isbn=9780330340342 |oclc=1412657154 |url=https://archive.org/details/mountbattenpriva0000hoey/page/106/mode/2up |via=Internet Archive |access-date=14 September 2025}}</ref>

During the 1930s Edwina and Mountbatten enjoyed a combined pre‑tax income of £113,000.<ref name="DailyTelegraphCountessMountbatten1960">{{cite news |title=Obituary: Countess Mountbatten |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=22 February 1960 |page=16 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-obituary-countess-m/191877914/ |access-date=22 February 2026 }}</ref> Mountbatten later told their elder daughter that, before the Second World War, the couple sometimes struggled to spend their post‑tax income of £60,000 a year.

By the [[End of the Second World War in Europe|end of the war]] the highest rate of income tax in Britain had risen to 19s 6d in the pound (97.5 per cent), reducing the Mountbattens' post‑tax income from Edwina’s trust to £4,500. They sought parliamentary approval to amend the trust's restrictive terms, arguing that their extensive programme of public duties placed an exceptional burden on their private resources. The resulting "''Mountbatten Estate Bill''" was introduced in 1949. During committee hearings, Edwina's representative, Sir Walter Monckton KC, noted that she had enjoyed a post‑tax income of about £40,000 before the war.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mountbatten Bill in Lords |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=8 April 1949 |page=5 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-mountbatten-bill-in/181030921/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=14 September 2025}}</ref>

The valuation of Edwina's trust fund was handled separately from her personal estate, with the trustees responsible for paying tax from the trust's assets; unlike her personal fortune, probate of the trust was not required to be published.<ref name="DT1960-03-17-p13" />

==Second World War==
After the outbreak of the [[Second World War]], Edwina travelled to the United States, where she expressed gratitude for the fundraising efforts undertaken on behalf of the [[British Red Cross]] and [[St John Ambulance Brigade]]. In 1942, she was appointed Superintendent‑in‑Chief of the St John Ambulance Brigade, a role in which she served extensively. In 1945, she assisted in the repatriation of prisoners of war in [[Southeast Asia]]. She was appointed [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] in 1943 and advanced to [[Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order]] (DCVO) in 1946. She also received the [[American Red Cross Medal]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mountbattenofburma.com/page59.html |title=Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma |access-date=13 March 2017 |archive-date=12 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312013609/http://mountbattenofburma.com/page59.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1943, Edwina became president of the animal‑welfare organisation [[Our Dumb Friends' League]].<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Vicereine of India==
[[File:NehruEd.jpg|thumb|right|Prime Minister Nehru with Edwina in 1951]]
At a rally in Singapore, Edwina was knocked over in a surge of people. [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and Mountbatten linked arms and pushed through the crowd to help her. The incident led to the three dining together, and, as Mountbatten later recalled, they "talked about everything under the sun", marking the beginning of their friendship.

Shortly afterwards, Mountbatten was appointed the last [[Viceroy of India]]. Edwina served as the final [[vicereine]] during the closing months of the [[British Raj]] and the first months of the [[Partition of India|post‑Partition]] period (February 1947 to June 1948), when Mountbatten became [[Governor-General of India]], though not of the [[Dominion of Pakistan]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dalrymple |first=Sam |author-link=Sam Dalrymple (historian) |title=Shattered Lands Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2025 |isbn=978-93-6989-485-7 |edition=1st}}</ref>

From 28 October 1947 she was styled ''Countess Mountbatten of Burma'', following her husband's elevation to an [[earldom]]. In the aftermath of the violence that accompanied Partition, Edwina's priority was to mobilise the large‑scale relief efforts required, work for which she was widely praised. She also organised [[cholera]] vaccinations and sanitation facilities for displaced people.<ref name="y160">{{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}}</ref>

[[File:Lady Mountbatten at Police Hospital, Delhi.jpg|thumb|right|Edwina at Police Hospital, [[Delhi]], 1947]]
After her viceroyalty she continued her public service, including further work for the St John Ambulance Brigade. She became a governor of the [[The Peckham Experiment|Peckham Experiment]] in 1949.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Edwina and Mountbatten had two daughters: [[Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma|Patricia]] (14 February 1924 – 13 June 2017) and [[Lady Pamela Hicks|Pamela]] (born 19 April 1929).<ref>Von Tunzelmann, p. 73.</ref> In 1944, the journalist [[Drew Pearson (journalist)|Drew Pearson]] described Edwina as "one of the most beautiful women in England".<ref name="PEARSON-TRACTOR-STPETETMS">{{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}}</ref>

She was extremely close to her sister‑in‑law, the [[Nadejda Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven|Marchioness of Milford Haven]], the wife of [[George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven|Lord Milford Haven]]. The two frequently travelled together on adventurous journeys, often in difficult or dangerous parts of the world.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Death==
Edwina died in her sleep on 21 February 1960, aged 58, in [[Kota Kinabalu|Jesselton]] (now Kota Kinabalu), [[Crown Colony of North Borneo|North Borneo]] (now [[Sabah]]), while on an inspection tour for the St John Ambulance Brigade.<ref name="smh21feb">{{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}}</ref> In accordance with her wishes, she was buried at sea off the coast of [[Portsmouth]] from {{HMS|Wakeful|1943|6}} on 25 February; [[Geoffrey Fisher]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], officiated.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Her Grave The Sea 1960 |url=http://www.britishpathe.com/video/her-grave-the-sea |publisher=British Pathe}}</ref>

On hearing the news, [[Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother]] remarked, "Dear Edwina, she always liked to make a splash."<ref>As quoted in ''The Straits Times'' [Singapore] (7 August 2000).</ref> Nehru ordered the [[Indian Navy]] frigate {{INS|Trishul|F143|6}}, then in port for repairs, to escort ''Wakeful'' and cast a wreath.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>

Following Edwina's death, her gross personal estate was valued at £589,655, with a net value of £478,618.<ref>{{cite news |title=£478,618 Will of Lady Mountbatten |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=25 March 1960 |page=1 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-478618-will-of-lad/181031414/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=14 September 2025}}</ref> Death duties of £333,153 were levied on the estate; Mountbatten reportedly complained to friends that his net inheritance from his wife's estate would equate to about one shilling in the pound (5 per cent). Each of her daughters received 7.5 per cent of the personal estate after the payment of duties.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hoey |first=Brian |title=Mountbatten: The Private Story |location=London |publisher=Sidgwick & Jackson |date=1994 |page=118 |url=https://archive.org/details/mountbatten0000bria/page/118/mode/2up |via=Internet Archive |isbn=9780283061738 |oclc=31301664 |access-date=14 September 2025}}</ref>

== Honours ==
* [[File:Royal Victorian Order UK ribbon.png|frameless|47x47px]] Dame Commander of the [[Royal Victorian Order]] (DCVO) – 1 January 1946<ref>{{Cite web |title=The London Gazette, 1 January 1946 |url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/37407/pages/12}}</ref>
* [[File:Order of St John (UK) ribbon.svg|frameless|47x47px]] [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem]] (Dame Grand Cross: 1 January 1946;<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37417|page=203|date=1 January 1946}}</ref> Commander: 19 December 1928<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33453|page=49|date=19 December 1928}}</ref>
* [[File:UK Order of the Crown of India ribbon.svg|frameless|47x47px]] Lady of the Imperial [[Order of the Crown of India]] (CI) -21 February 1947
* [[File:Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon.svg|frameless|47x47px]] Dame Grand Cross of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (GBE: 1 January 1948;<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=38161|supp=y|page=25|date=1 January 1948}}</ref> CBE: 1 January 1943<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35841|page=16|date=1 January 1943}}</ref>
* [[File:Service Medal of the Order of St John Ribbon.svg|frameless|47x47px]] [[Service Medal of the Order of St John]]
* [[File:UK King George V Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|frameless|47x47px]] [[King George V Silver Jubilee Medal]]<ref name=":0">{{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}}</ref>
* [[File:UK King George VI Coronation Medal ribbon.svg|frameless|47x47px]] [[King George VI Coronation Medal]]<ref name=":0" />
* [[File:UK Queen EII Coronation Medal ribbon.svg|frameless|47x47px]] [[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal]]<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
Lady Mountbatten of Burma has been portrayed by:
* Jane Myerson in the 1982 epic biographical film [[Gandhi (film)|''Gandhi'']]
* [[Janet Suzman]] in the 1986 television drama ''[[Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy]]''
* [[Maria Aitken]] in the 1998 biographical film ''[[Jinnah (film)|Jinnah]]''<ref>{{IMDb title|id=0183306|title=Jinnah|description=(1998)}}</ref>
* [[Gillian Anderson]] in [[Gurinder Chadha]]'s drama film ''[[Viceroy's House (film)|Viceroy's House]]'' (2017)<ref>{{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}}</ref>
* [[Lucy Russell (actress)|Lucy Russell]] in series 2 of ''[[The Crown (TV series)|The Crown]]'' (2017)<ref>{{Citation |title="The Crown" Misadventure (TV Episode 2017) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6366744/fullcredits |access-date=2017-12-11}}</ref>

==References==
;Notes
*{{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}}
:Citations
{{Reflist|33em}}

==Further reading==
* [[Janet Morgan, Lady Balfour of Burleigh|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}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma|Edwina Mountbatten}}
*[https://www.lordmountbattenofburma.com Tribute & Memorial Website to Louis, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918190711/https://www.lordmountbattenofburma.com/ |date=18 September 2020 }}
* {{NPG name|name=Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/012555}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mountbatten, Edwina}}
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1960 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century British nobility]]
[[Category:20th-century English women]]
[[Category:Blue Cross workers]]
[[Category:British socialites]]
[[Category:British countesses by marriage]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Crown of India]]
[[Category:Dames Commander of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Dames Grand Cross of the Order of St John]]
[[Category:Daughters of barons]]
[[Category:Mountbatten family|Edwina]]
[[Category:Burials at sea]]
[[Category:British people of German-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:People from Test Valley]]
[[Category:Ashley-Cooper family|Edwina]]
[[Category:Viceregal consorts of India]]
[[Category:Wives of knights]]
[[Category:Lord Mountbatten]]
[[Category:British women in World War II]]

Lady Mountbatten - Revision history

TreyHarbison at 14:18, 8 May 2026