Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh has a prestigious family history that extends well-beyond his royal wife. A member of the English nobility, the Prince’s uncle was a military hero who served his country until his assination as carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army, or IRA.
Louis Mountbatten, first Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was not only an admiral, he was also a statesman. His father served as a First Sea Lord during the beginnings of World War I, but was forced to resign due to his German ancestry and the anti-German sentiment that was prevailing in the United Kingdom. It was due to this feeling that the entire family ceased using their German nobility titles and adapted more Anglo names. Louis Mountbatten followed in his father’s footsteps by serving during the second World War in the British navy.
Following his impressive service he was appointed as Viceroy of India. His efforts in the region led to the British monarchy releasing much of the control of policy and law to Indian officials. His work paved the way for Indian independence. He went on to serve in the Mediterranean Fleet after his years of service in India had reached a close. He remained close to the British Royal Family, most notably the Prince of Wales, to whom he has been referred as “Honorary Grandfather.” Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA in 1979, when the group placed a fifty-pound bomb on his thirty-foot wooden boat while he was vacationing with family on the northwest coast of Ireland.
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