Leopold Mountbatten

Lord Leopold Mountbatten

Lord Leopold Arthur Louis Mountbatten , GCVO (born May 21, 1889 in Windsor Castle , Berkshire as Prince Leopold Arthur Louis von Battenberg , † April 23, 1922 in Kensington Palace , London ) was a member of the British royal family and the House of Battenberg , a branch line of the grand ducal Hessian ruling house. He was known as Prince von Battenberg from birth. In 1917 the name Battenberg was changed to Mountbatten due to anti-German tendencies. Since then he has called himself Lord Leopold Mountbatten.

Life

Childhood and youth

Leopold was the second son of Prince Heinrich Moritz von Battenberg (1858-1896) and his wife Princess Beatrice of Great Britain and Ireland (1857-1944). On his father's side, he was the grandson of Prince Alexander von Hessen-Darmstadt and Countess Julia Hauke . On his mother's side, Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were his grandparents.

Leopold (standing on the right) with his mother and siblings, 1900

On June 29, 1889, he was baptized in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Leopold was named after his uncle Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany , who died in 1884 of complications from hemophilia . His godparents were King Leopold II of Belgium , Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn , Prince Ludwig Alexander von Battenberg , Louise, Duchess of Argyll , Princess Helene zu Waldeck and Pyrmont and Princess Marie Karoline von Battenberg .

Leopold had three siblings, the brothers Alexander (1886-1960) and Maurice (1891-1914) and sister Victoria Eugénie (1887-1969), called Ena . Alexander became Marquis of Carisbrooke. Victoria Eugénie was later named the wife of Alfonso XIII. Queen of Spain from 1906 to 1931 . The youngest brother Maurice was killed in World War I in 1914 .

The prince grew up with his siblings in Kensington Palace. When he was six years old, his father died in Sierra Leone to malaria . Princess Beatrice placed the upbringing of her children in the hands of tutors and governesses . Leopold received a proper education in foreign languages, mathematics, history and geography. In childhood, doctors diagnosed him with the hemophilia he inherited from his mother. As a result, he was very limited when playing with his siblings. Even the smallest injury could cause severe pain.

Education, World War I and Later Life

Plaque in Winchester Cathedral

At times he studied at the University of Cambridge . A career in the military was denied to him due to his illness, even if he had always wanted it. Even so, he joined the 8th Isle of Wight Rifles, Princess Beatrice's Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment in 1909 . Shortly after his admission he wrote to Obert Seely, regimental commander of the Isle of Wight Volunteer Regiment: “I would like to thank you very much for your kindness in giving me a normal assignment. I am more than grateful for how difficult it was for me to become a soldier. And I would never have seriously thought of really being one. ”In 1912 he joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps. His brother Maurice was also a member. When the First World War broke out in 1914, all three brothers were drafted into the British army ; However, Leopold did not take part in direct war events. His brothers' regiments were active at the front. On October 27, 1914, Maurice fell in Ypres , Belgium .

In 1917, due to anti-German tendencies prevalent in Great Britain during World War I, the name of the British royal family was changed to Windsor . King George V and the members of the royal family renounced all German titles. The name Battenberg was changed to Mountbatten. Leopold was now Lord Leopold Mountbatten . His brother Alexander was made Marquise of Carisbrooke .

Leopold returned to London after the war and lived with his mother in Kensington Palace. On April 22, 1922, he was operated on on his hip. He appeared to have recovered from the procedure but relapsed and died a day later, aged only 32. His body is buried in the Royal Burial Ground in Frogmore . A plaque for him and his brother Maurice is in Winchester Cathedral .

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Lord Leopold Mountbatten (born Prince Leopold of Battenberg). In: Unofficial Royalty. May 12, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2016 (American English).
↑ Royal Musings: Lord Leopold Mountbatten. In: royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.de. Retrieved April 27, 2016 .
^ Brunlees: The sons of Prince Henry of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom. In: Kings and Queens. September 16, 2014, accessed April 27, 2016 .

personal data
SURNAME	Mountbatten, Leopold
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Mountbatten, Lord Leopold Arthur Louis (full name); Von Battenberg, Prince Leopold Arthur Louis (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Member of the British royal family and the House of Battenberg, a branch of the Hessian ruling house
DATE OF BIRTH	May 21, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH	Windsor Castle , Berkshire
DATE OF DEATH	April 23, 1922
Place of death	Kensington Palace , London

[:0-1] Lord Leopold Mountbatten (born Prince Leopold of Battenberg). In: Unofficial Royalty. May 12, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2016 (American English).

[2] Royal Musings: Lord Leopold Mountbatten. In: royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.de. Retrieved April 27, 2016 .

[3] Brunlees: The sons of Prince Henry of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom. In: Kings and Queens. September 16, 2014, accessed April 27, 2016 .