The Scandalous Life of Lady Edwina Mountbatten.

edua Ashley born into immense wealth and privilege seemed destined for a life of ease and elegance however beneath the Gilded veneer of her existence lay a tumultuous Journey marked by scandalous Affairs restless wanderings and a desperate search for purpose after losing her mother at a young age eda's life was a dizzying whirl of high society's glittering parties secret lovers and the profound loneliness that money could never cure Mary into nobility only Amplified the drama as her marriage to Louie Mount Batton himself no stranger to controversies unfolded into an Open Secret of infidelities and passionate Liaisons that scandalized British Society enraging the king and Winston Churchill yet amidst the chaos of her personal life edua found moments of profound meaning and courage particularly during the turbulent years of World War II and the historic partition of India her story story is one of Stark contrasts opulence and despair Fidelity and betrayal love and loss painted against the backdrop of some of the 20th Century's most pivotal events join us this week as we delve into the life of a woman who navigated the stormy seas of her Destiny with a Grace that bellied The Tempest within edua Ashley was born on November 28th 1901 into a world of opulence and privilege her father Wilfred Ashley was a distinguished conservative of MP and her mother ma was the cherished daughter of Sir Ernest castle one of the wealthiest men in Britain despite the Cocoon of luxury that surrounded her edu's childhood was marked by loneliness and neglect her parents absorbed in their own lives spared little time for her or her sister Mary tragedy struck when edua was just 11 years old as her mother succumbed to tuberculosis the loss left a gaping void soon killed by a new stepmother Molly a woman 20 years younger than her father and closer in age to edua Molly's indifference to the girls was palpable seeing edua as a mere nuisance she promptly sent her off to boarding school there edu's misery deepened as she endured Relentless teasing from her classmates and the vibrant spontaneous girl found the school's rigid routine suffocating in a desperate plea edua wrote to her maternal grandfather please take me away dear Grandpa if you love me at all sir Ernest Castle a beacon of warmth in her life responded with affection and took her into his care at brook house the most magnificent home in Mayfair the house was a testament to his wealth with so many Maids that one was employed full-time just to tend to the flower vases sir Ernest Castle a German Jewish Banker who had bought the Mayfair property to distance himself from his immigrant roots and woo the aristocracy had a passion for thoroughbred racing he had become the financial adviser to the Prince of Wales the future Edward iith after meeting him at a race under Castle's Wing edua thrived playing hostess at his Grand parties attended by the aristocracy and the world's wealthiest families it was within this glittering social sphere that she became close friends with Gloria Vanderbilt and at a party hosted by the Vanderbilts she met her future husband Louis mountbatten affectionately known as Dicky Dicky connected to nearly every Monarch and prince in Europe was the great-grandson of Queen Victoria and godson to the same Regal figure later his nephew Phillip would marry Queen Elizabeth II with Dicky and King George secretly playing Matchmaker ensuring that Phillip would escort the 13-year-old Elizabeth during her visit to the Royal Naval College it Ena and Dicky's meeting marked the beginning of a whirlwind romance however their courtship was shadowed by tragedy Dicky's father died on September 11th 1921 and just 10 days later on September 21st eda's beloved grandfather passed away leaving her the richest ays in the world 10 months later in July 1922 edua Ashley and Lou Mount Batton were wed at St Margaret's where 8,000 eager Spectators gathered in the Square to witness the union the Prince of Wales stood by as the best man and even King George graced the ceremony with his presence their honeymoon was an opulent six-month Journey around the world in Spain they were honored guests of King Alfonso and Queen Anna in Manhattan the Vanderbilts rolled out the red carpet and in Hollywood they mingled with the glitterati including Mary pford and Charlie Chaplain upon their return to London eda's immense fortune and Noble pedigree propelled the newlyweds into the stratosphere of high society crowning them as the it couple of the 1920s their home became a sanctuary for the elite with luminaries like Charlie Chaplain NL coward Winston Churchill Douglas Fairbanks Jr the Prince of Wales and Mrs Simpson among their frequent guests on the surface their marriage seemed the epitome of perfection how however beneath the polished exterior they shared few true commonalities Dicky's heart belonged to the Sea and The Spoils of the good life a passion so intense that as first Sea Lord he designed their bedroom to mimic a ship's stateroom edua having been raised in the lap of luxury was immune to its seductions and found herself restless and unfulfilled initially their marriage was marked by a fervent physical connection with Louie affectionately dubbing his wife's breasts mut and Jeff after the campaign Medals of World War I soldiers they welcomed two children into their lives but as Louis resumed his Naval duties edua immersed herself in the glittering world of Chanel boutiques Bridge games and Charleston dances that stretched into the early hours with companions like Fred a stair despite this glamorous facade a void nod at edu's Spirit one friend observed for edua there was always something missing she didn't know what it was or where it was but she was determined to find it in her quest for fulfillment edua sought Solace and excitement in the arms of numerous lovers weaving a tapestry of romance and Scandal that would become legendary though she adored her daughters after Patricia's birth edua confided to her diary a Divine little daughter too thrilling too sweet only to then delegate their care to Nanny's and escaped to the glittering rry of the south of France her razor sharp mind and vibrant personality clashed with the confines imposed by her gender and social position leaving her restless and unfulfilled she kept several lovers at a time their presence a poorly kept secret among the inner circle on one particularly chaotic occasion a maid at their Mayfair Mansion was at her wits end when uina bustled in from a shopping spree to find five gentleman callers awaiting her the maid reported Mr Gray is in the dining room Mr Sanford is in the library Mr Phillips is in the budoir Senor portago is in the an room and I simply don't know what to do with Mr maleno the Inner Circle sa for her husband referred to her lovers as eda's ginks one of eda's longest and most emotional Affairs was with bunny Phillips in a Twist of entangled passions Dicky not only befriended bunny but also began an fair with Janie Lindsay who was simultaneously involved with bunny Phillips remarkably when Dicky turned 60 he had an affair with Janie Lindsay's daughter Maxine who was just 18 FBI Files suggest that some lovers were shared between edua and Dicky and that Dicky had numerous male lovers some of whom were underage their children deprived of Parental nurture lived amidst material luxury but emotional neglect with Dad on the high SE and Mommy restlessly roaming the world her primary companion on these trips was often bunny Phillips whom the children called Uncle and thought of as a second father despite the lack of Parental presence the children received lavish gifts and played with a miniature train set made of solid silver they had a managerie of exotic pets a lion cub a Mong goose and a pair of Wallabees that fed on Orchids and were never housebroken on one occasion edua took the children on a continental tour depositing them in a Hungarian hotel with a govern before disappearing for months when she finally decided to retrieve them she couldn't recall the name of the hotel after retracing her steps she ultimately found them later on Mount baton would admit edua and I spent most of our marriage getting into other people's beds after one of eda's transatlantic jaunts left American gossips in a frenzy as she was rumored to be breaking up the marriage of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary pford the couple struck a pragmatic deal they would maintain separate beds but remain deeply committed friends endeavoring to be discreet however that discretion was fleeting the most scandalous liaison chronicled in her diary was with Leslie Hutchinson a bisexual West Indian Cabaret pianist the prototype for Down aby's Jack Ross Enchanted by Leslie's performance Ed sitting in the audience with her husband and the prince of Wales became enamored at another concert she boldly removed her chiffon scarf draped it around his neck and kissed him passionately her affection for him was displayed through opulent gifts a gold cigarette case a signant ring bearing her coat of arms and even a diamond encrusted Cod piece from Cartier their passionate Affair ended abruptly when a newspaper hinted that a highly connected and immense L wealthy woman was having an extramarital affair with a colored man King George alarmed by the potential Scandal ordered edua to suppress the affair they sued the newspaper for Lial and one likely through behind the-scenes negotiations initially dismissive of world war II's impact saying she would sacrifice two and perhaps give up chocolate and painting her toenails eda's perspective shifted dramatically as the war progressed she found a Prof found sense of purpose and became actively involved with the St John Ambulance Brigade providing Medical Aid and organizing nursing Services she visited air raid shelters and hospitals spearheading drives to gather much needed items for the war effort her dedication and tireless work earned her the title of Dame Grand Cross of the venerable order of the hospital of St John of Jerusalem despite her work she still had time for numerous Affairs including one with Bill paly her Odyssey came to a dramatic halt in 1947 when she became entangled in a pivotal moment in history after Queen Elizabeth II married Lord mount batton's nephew Prince Phillip the Atley government appointed Mount baton as the last Viceroy of India his task was to restore the longtime jewel in the British Empire back to its own people when edua and Louie landed in Delhi India was in the throws of partition from Pakistan an anti-british sentiment and suspicion ran deep even among their high class contacts that's when edua surprised everyone she turned her charm up to 11 and won everyone's trust she was quite marvelous one Aid recalled she was almost better with women than men and that's saying a lot jawahar L Neu was a lonely widower whose sole passion had been his country's Independence until he met edua they forged a magnetic connection and perhaps for the first time she fell TR in love she took great pains to keep her extramarital affair discreet as n's Duty came first at every opportunity nuu visited the viceroy's residents for their clandestine meetings in the afternoons they would sit side by side on a secluded bench mount baton would often accompany them his presence deflecting attention from the affair when Duty separated them edua wrote to neru I hated seeing you drive away this morning you have left me with a feeling of peace and happiness perhaps I have done the same for you Lord mount baton and neru shared more than just a relationship with edua they were both under Monumental pressure to transfer power to a country rent aunder by virulent tensions between Muslims Hindus and siks in a whirlwind 10 months they orchestrated the partition of India and the birth of Pakistan a task initially planned to take 3 years Mount baton chose to delay announcing the boundaries until after Independence resulting in chaos the British were no longer in charge when the borders were suddenly revealed causing Widespread Panic yet on the day of the announcement the British Elite celebrated in grandiose Style on a balmy evening Lord and Lady Mount baton threw an extravagant party in the Muggle Gardens of Delhi to Mark the event thousands of tiny lanterns hung from the trees as native princes and British colonial officers wandered among the gardens sipping champagne nuu had been India's first prime minister for less than 24 hours Pakistan was not yet a day old but beyond the Gentile enclosed Gates where the diplomats congratulated each other the continent was Ablaze with riots and enough blood to overflow Rivers the Viceroy had failed to foresee that partition would lead to a million deaths as the conflict engulfed the continent edu's bravery Shone brightly famously she ventured into the midst of violence with snipers still shooting to rescue bodies and bring them to the hospital she visited leper colonies organized nursing stations on the front lines and did all she could to assist those in need however her humanitarian efforts were overshadowed by a political Tempest after Gandhi's assassination the British prime minister saw a poignant photograph of lady edua grieving and kneeling at the Mahatma cremation Sir Winston Churchill who harbored deep disdain for Gandhi fumed that she had gone over to the other side of the political fence and demanded the mount batton's immediate return to England despite the forced separation edua and nou maintained their deep connection each year she visited India at the beginning of the year and he visited Britain in the Autumn neru sent her gifts from every country he traveled to including a book of erotic photographs edua continued her humanitarian efforts but spent her last years emotionally a drift tormented by the enforced separation from the man she loved she found some solace in her humanitarian work but slowly her health began to fade on February 21st 1960 while on a tour for St John Ambulance in Borneo edua suddenly fell ill and went to bed feeling weak she was scheduled to fly to Singapore the next morning but her servants found her lifeless surrounded by The Love Letters she had received from Neu she was just 58 years old the Royal Navy honored eda's passing with a sea burial in the English Channel her grief stricken lover sent a ship from India and mount baton permitted them to cast a single wreath of marigolds on her watery grave simultaneously as he cast his own Mount batton's life marked by love and loss came came to a tragic end in 1979 when the IRA planted a bomb on his fishing boat Ed WEA mountbatten's life a rich tapestry of Scandal and sacrifice passion and purpose reached its poignant conclusion at 58 from the opulent Halls of mayair to the turmoil of partitioned India her journey was one of Relentless Pursuit Of Love meaning and Redemption amidst the glittering Society parties secret Liaisons and her fearless humanitarian Endeavors she remained a comp Lex Enigma her final moments spent on a mission in Borneo found her surrounded by neu's love letters a testament to a love that defied continents and conventions as the Royal Navy honored her with a seab burial and a single wreath of marigolds drifted into the English Channel it symbolized the fleeting beauty of a life lived on her terms her Legacy shimmering in the annals of History a woman who dared to defy expectations forever searching for something that was just beyond her reach I hope you enjoyed the story of lady Edina please let me know in the comments your thoughts and who you would like to see us cover your support really helps keep the channel going so please like share and subscribe and as always thanks for watching

Channel: MythicMindScape

Views: 89,535

Keywords: Lady Edwina Mountbatten, Edwina Ashley, British nobility, Louis Mountbatten, Jawaharlal Nehru, India Partition, Gloria Vanderbilt, Mary Pickford, Wallis Simpson, British royal family, historical biography, scandalous history, royal scandals, Leslie Hutchinson, Bunny Phillips, 20th century history, influential women, aristocracy, women in history, historical documentary, historic affairs, rich and famous, famous women, history uncovered, opulent lifestyle

Id: _Eqndi3_6Ks

Length: 17min 46sec (1066 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 19 2024