Mountbatten's body was brought back to Great Britain after his assassination, where it briefly rested in Romsey Abbey. The day before the funeral it was brought to The Queen's Chapel, St James's Palace. On the morning of 5 September, his flag-draped coffin was carried on a gun carriage drawn by 122 Royal Navy ratings to Westminster Abbey for the ceremonial funeral.
The televised funeral service was presided over by Edward Carpenter, Dean of Westminster, with the commendation given by Donald Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury, and clergy from several Christian denominations leading prayers. It was attended by members of Mountbatten's family, the British royal family, members of European royal houses, politicians, diplomats and military leaders from around the world.
Following the service, he was interred in Romsey Abbey.
Planning
Correspondence between Sir Philip Moore, Private Secretary to the Queen, and Sir Keith Holyoake, Governor-General of New Zealand, relating to Mountbatten's death
Mountbatten himself had been heavily involved in the planning of his own funeral down to the smallest detail.[1] He had even arranged a summer menu and a winter menu to be served on the train from London to Romsey, dependent on which season he should die in.[2] As a royal ceremonial funeral, it was planned in consultation with the Lord Chamberlain's Office, and given the code name "Operation Freeman."[3][4] He ensured all branches of the Armed Forces would be represented.[4] The cost of the funeral was borne by both the government and Mountbatten's family.[3]
At 10:30 AM BST on the morning of the funeral, Mountbatten's coffin, draped in the Union Flag, was borne from The Queen's Chapel on the Royal Navy State Funeral Gun Carriage.[6] The gun carriage was drawn by 122 Royal Navy ratings, rather than horses, an honour typically reserved for state funerals, yet a detail which emphasized Mountbatten's lifelong links with the Royal Navy.[7] His bicorne Admiral's hat, gold stick and sword of honour sat atop the coffin.
The music during the service was under the direction of Douglas Guest, the organist and master of the choristers of Westminster Abbey. The organ was played by the sub-organist, Christopher Herrick. The fanfare, composed by Sir Vivian Dunn, "Last Post" and "Reveille" were played by trumpeters and buglers from Royal Marines School of Music. As the coffin was carried into the abbey, William Croft's funeral sentences were sung by the choir.[10]
The "Dead March" from Act Three of Saul (HWV 53) by George Frideric Handel was played on the organ as the coffin was carried out of the abbey.[10]
Guests and participants
The service was attended by 1,800 invited guests. Due to the injuries they sustained in the explosion, Mountbatten's elder daughter and son-in-law, the now 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma and Lord Brabourne, and grandson, Timothy Knatchbull, were absent from the funeral. His younger daughter, Lady Pamela Hicks, and her family led the Mountbatten family, Queen Elizabeth II and the entire British royal family attended, as did numerous members of European royal families. It was the largest gathering of royalty in London since the funeral of King George VI in 1952.[8] Mountbatten, who had been Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia Command and oversaw the recapture of Burma and Singapore from the Japanese in the Second World War, had requested that no representatives from Japan be invited.[11] Notable guests in attendance and participants in the service include:
Mountbatten's remains were interred in Romsey Abbey.[9] Per his wishes, his tomb was aligned north–south, rather than the conventional east–west, so that it faced the sea where his wife Edwina was buried.[15]
A memorial service for victims of the bombing which killed Mountbatten was held on Thursday, 27 December 1979 at St Paul's Cathedral. Lady Mountbatten, Lord Brabourne, and Timothy Knatchbull, who were unable to present at the funeral due to their injuries, were present for this service, the former two on crutches.[4]
In popular culture
The events of Mountbatten's assassination and funeral are portrayed in "Gold Stick," the first episode of the fourth series of the Netflix original historical drama series, The Crown.[17]
Related Research Articles
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 Mountbatten family is a British family that originated as a branch of the German princely Battenberg family. The name was adopted by members of the Battenberg family residing in the United Kingdom on 14 July 1917, three days before the British royal family changed its name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor. This was due to rising anti-German sentiment among the British public during World War I. The name is a direct Anglicisation of the German name Battenberg, which refers to a small town in Hesse. The Battenberg family was a morganatic line of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, itself a cadet branch of the House of Hesse.
Patricia Edwina Victoria Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Baroness Brabourne,, was a British peeress and a third cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. She was the elder daughter of Admiral of the Fleet the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and of heiress Edwina Ashley. She was the elder sister of Lady Pamela Hicks, a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the last surviving baptismal sponsor to King Charles III. She was a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
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