Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German descent, was born in England to the prominent Battenberg family and was a maternal uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a second cousin of King George VI.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Mountbatten commanded the destroyer HMS Kelly and the 5th Destroyer Flotilla. In August 1941, he received command of the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. He was appointed chief of Combined Operations and a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee in early 1942 and organised the raids on St Nazaire and Dieppe.
In March 1947, Mountbatten was appointed Viceroy of India and oversaw the Partition of India into India and Pakistan. He then served as the first Governor-General of India until June 1948. In 1952, Mountbatten was appointed commander-in-chief of the British Mediterranean Fleet and NATO Commander of Allied Forces Mediterranean.
Lord Mountbatten Child Abuse: What Is Lord Mountbatten being Accused of?
King Charles’ great uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten has been accused of abusing a boy in the 1970s at a notorious children’s home.
Arthur Smyth has waived his anonymity to make the allegations against the King’s great-uncle. Mr Smyth was a resident of the Kincora home in Belfast, Northern Ireland in the 1970s.
He alleges he was abused twice by Lord Mountbatten when he was 11 years old.
The earl was killed along with three others when the IRA detonated a bomb on his boat in Mullaghmore, Co Sligo, in 1979.
Kevin Winters of KRW Law, Mr Smyth’s solicitor, said the civil action alleging negligence and breach of duty of care was being taken against several state bodies. He said a summons has been filed and would be issued in the High Court in Belfast on Tuesday.
Mr Winters said: “Central to the case is our client’s allegations of abuse by the late Lord Louis Mountbatten.
“Understandably many abuse survivors for reasons of obvious sensitivity choose to remain anonymous. “Arthur’s decision to reveal his identity must be set against this backdrop. “It is borne out of anger at systemic state cover-up on abuse at these institutions.
“It’s the first time that someone has stepped forward to take allegations against Lord Mountbatten into a court.
“That decision hasn’t been taken lightly. “He understands only too well that it will be a deeply unpopular case with many people coming as it does within weeks of the passing of the Queen.”