The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves

Last updated

The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves
The Mountbattens, Their Lives and Loves.jpg
First edition
Authors Andrew Lownie
LanguageEnglish
Subject Lord Mountbatten
Lady Mountbatten
Publisher Blink Publishing
Publication date
22 August 2019
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint
Pages490
ISBN 978-1788702560

The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves is a biography of Lord Mountbatten and Lady Mountbatten by historical writer Andrew Lownie. While researching for his book on the Mountbattens, Lownie found himself blocked by the Cabinet Office and University of Southampton, despite public money being used in 2011 to acquire their archive to "ensure public access". [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Content

In the book Lownie touches upon several aspects of the Mountbattens' lives. Discussed in one part is the intervention of Queen Elizabeth II to dissuade Mountbatten from plotting against the crisis-stricken Labour government of Harold Wilson to become leader of a government of national salvation. [4] Lownie also wrote that the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) maintained files regarding Mountbatten's alleged homosexuality. [5] He had previously interviewed several young men who claimed to have been in a relationship with Mountbatten. John Barratt, Mountbatten's personal and private secretary for 20 years, [6] said Mountbatten was not a homosexual, and that it would have been impossible for such a fact to have been hidden from him. [7]

Also discussed within the book are Lord Mountbatten's checkered naval career, and Lady Mountbatten's desire for independence, which she sought it in wartime nursing, world travel and affairs. The couple's affairs are discussed in detail, including Lady Mountbatten's alleged relationship with the Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. [8] Lownie also talks about the numerous relationships Lord Mountbatten had, both before and following his wife's demise, including with his goddaughter Sacha Abercorn who was 46 years his junior. [9]

Reception

Writing for The Guardian , Alexander Larman described the book as a "intelligent and painstakingly researched dual account of Louis and Edwina Mountbatten". [10] Michelle Ruiz of The New York Times wrote that the book is "most compelling as a strangely sweet tale of open marriage" and argued that aspects of the book discussing Lady Mountbatten saves it "from being a mere record of [Lord Mountbatten's] military blotter." [8] Richard Davenport-Hines wrote in The Times that the book details how the couple benefited from "aggressive social climbing" and Lownie "writes with a determination and bounce that befits his subject", though the "later chapters are a little ragged". [11] Also writing for The Times, Ysenda Maxtone Graham found the biography to be an "incisive book that nails Mountbatten's vanity as well as his greatness". [9]

References

  1. ↑ Stanford, Peter (18 May 2021). "My costly battle to unearth Lord Mountbatten's secret diaries". The Telegraph.
  2. ↑ "Lownie campaign sees some Mountbatten archives released but tribunal looms". The Bookseller. 3 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "Question and Answer with Andrew Lownie". 19 August 2021.
  4. ↑ Sawer, Patrick (17 August 2019). "Revealed: Full extent of Lord Mountbatten's role in '68 plot against Harold Wilson" . The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022.
  5. ↑ Tucker, Grant (18 August 2019). "Lord Mountbatten's 'lust for young men' revealed". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.(subscription required)
  6. ↑ "Book tells of 'bored, bullied' Queen". The Guardian. 23 April 2000. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  7. ↑ Lownie, Andrew (7 November 2017). "The love lives of Lord and Lady Mountbatten – bedhopping, gay affairs and dangerous liaisons". The Times. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2019.(subscription required)
  8. 1 2 Ruiz, Michelle (16 December 2021). "Looking for a Royal Flush? Read These Books". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  9. 1 2 Maxtone Graham, Ysenda (30 August 2019). "The Mountbattens by Andrew Lownie review — the dark side of a famous marriage". The Times. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  10. ↑ Larman, Alexander (8 September 2019). "In brief: The Mountbattens; This Is Happiness; Churchill – reviews". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  11. ↑ Davenport-Hines, Richard (1 September 2019). "The Mountbattens by Andrew Lownie review — a study in aggressive social climbing". The Times. Retrieved 14 August 2025.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.