31 MAY 2024
A tribute & memorial website to honour​ - Lord Louis MOUNTBATTEN, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
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ABOVE: Mountbatten's mother -
Princess Louis of Battenberg
(later The Marchioness of Milford Haven)
with the new-born Mountbatten
RIGHT: Baby Mountbatten with his brother -
Prince George of Battenberg,
(later 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven)
Prince & Princess Louis of Battenberg
and their children (left to right):
Princess Louis of Battenberg
(later The Marchioness of Milford Haven)
with the newly-born Mountbatten on her lap;
(standing) Princess Alice of Battenberg
(later Princess Andrew of Greece & Denmark);
Prince George of Battenberg
(later 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven);
Prince Louis of Battenberg,
(later 1st Marquess of Milford Haven) and
Princess Louise of Battenberg
(later Queen Louise of Sweden)
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As you can see by his birth certificate above - originally Mountbatten was to be legally named 'Victor Nicholas Louis Francis' but this was changed after registration to 'Albert Victor Nicholas Louis Francis'. On Mountbatten’s birth certificate, his mother - Princess Louis of Battenburg, formerly Princess Victoria of Hesse & By the Rhine, and later Marchioness of Milford Haven (1863-1950) is shown as 'Victoria Elizabeth Matilda Alberta Mary' but was actually christened 'Victoria Alberta Elisabeth Mathilde Marie'.
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It was the wish of Queen Victoria (1819(1837-1901) and Prince Albert (1819-1861) that all their descendants bore the names 'Victor/Victoria' or 'Albert/Alberta' within their multiple Christian names and she wrote to her eldest son Prince Albert Edward 'Uncle Bertie', The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII (1841(1901-1910) following the birth of his second son in 1865 - "of course you will add Albert at the end, like your brothers, as you know We (Queen Victoria and The Prince Consort) settled long ago that all dearest Papa's male English descendants should bear that name, to mark our line, just as I wish all the girls to have Victoria after theirs! I lay great stress on this; and it is done in a great many families."
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Despite already having 'Victor' at The Queen’s original request, following the birth of Mountbatten, she then urged The Prince and Princess Louis of Battenberg to add the name 'Albert'. The Queen also agreed to be the child’s god-mother (almost taking charge personally of the christening despite being 81yrs old, frail, infirm and almost blind). The child was to be the last child of which she would act as god-mother. In The Times of 18th July 1900, Mountbatten's names were officially published with indeed 'Albert' being first (as above), but following the death of The Queen, Mountbatten ended up with the names in the order - 'Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas'. The infants other god-parents were - Kaiser Wilhelm II, The Emperor of Germany & King of Prussia (1859-1941) - represented by Mountbatten's father; and Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg (1861-1924) - represented by Lt-Col. Lord Edward Pelham-Clinton (1836-1907), the Master of the Household.
During the Christening, choral music was directed by Sir Walter Parrat (1841-1921), the Master of the Queen's Musick, with the second hymn "Hear, Holy Father" by Arthur C. Benson (1862-1925) - who would later write the lyrics of "Land of Hope and Glory", to music composed by Princess Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg (1857-1944), the youngest child of Queen Victoria (1819(1837-1901), and Mountbatten's aunt.
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