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

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  (#3) He Allegedly Provided Prince Charles With A "Love Shack," So He Could Sow His Wild Oats Away From The Public Eye

  Lord Mountbatten was perhaps more involved in the young prince's love life than the average uncle or grandparent - but for a somewhat acceptable reason. His main interest was in helping Charles select a future wife that would represent his family and country well in the public eye, since he was to be the future King of England. 

  It's even been reported that one way he guided Charles was to encourage him to "sow his wild oats" before settling into a stressful and rigid royal lifestyle. He even went so far as to offer the use of his own home for Charles to host his affairs, so that they might remain out of the public eye.
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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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  (#7) Lord Mountbatten Would Likely Not Have Approved Of Diana

  Lord Mountbatten played a significant role in the love life of Prince Charles. He often counseled him to be very selective with his potential partners, since whoever he would marry would eventually become the King of England. 

  In one interview, he was quoted as saying, "You have got to choose somebody very carefully, I think, who could fulfill this particular role… it has got be somebody very special."

  He strongly advised Charles against becoming involved with someone who had "a past" that could be exploited by the media and bring negative attention to the royal family. Diana came along shortly after Lord Mountbatten's death, and went against everything Prince Charles's mentor had told him. 
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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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  (#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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