Prince Louis of Battenberg

Louis Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, (24 May 1854 ? 11 September 1921), formerly Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg, was a minor German prince who married into the British Royal Family and pursued a distinguished career in the Royal Navy, eventually serving as First Sea Lord from 1912 to 1914. He was the father of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and the maternal grandfather of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Adoption of the Surname Mountbatten

At the behest of King George V, Prince Louis relinquished the title Prince of Battenberg in the Grand Duchy of Hesse, as also the style of Serene Highness, on 14 July 1917. At the same time, he also anglicized his family name, changing it from "Battenberg" to "Mountbatten". On July 17, the king created him Marquess of Milford Haven, Earl of Medina, and Viscount Alderney in the peerage of the United Kingdom. His wife ceased to use her own title of Princess of Hesse and became known as the Marchioness of Milford Haven. His three younger children ceased to use their princely titles and assumed courtesy titles as children of a British marquess; his eldest daughter, Princess Alice, had married into the Greek royal family in 1903, and never had occasion to use the surname Mountbatten. However, her only son, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, adopted the name when he became a British subject in 1947.

Related Topics:
King George V - 14 July - 1917 - July 17 - Marquess of Milford Haven - Peerage of the United Kingdom - 1903 - Prince Philip

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Prince Louis' elder son, George Mountbatten, who received the courtesy title Earl of Medina, succeeded him as 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven in 1921. Prince Louis' younger son, styled Lord Louis Mountbatten after 1917, was created Viscount Mountbatten of Burma in 1946 and then Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Baron Romsey in 1947.2 He served as the last Viceroy of India.

Related Topics:
George Mountbatten - 1921 - Prince Louis' younger son - 1917 - 1946 - 1947 - Viceroy of India

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Lord Milford Haven was appointed a member of the Privy Council and was promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet in recognition of his service to the Royal Navy in August 1921. He died in London on 11 September 1921. His remains were buried at Whippingham Church on the Isle of Wight.

Related Topics:
Privy Council - 1921 - 11 September - Isle of Wight

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