The Mountbattens

The Lives and Loves of Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten

Andrew Lownie

The intimate story of a unique marriage spanning the heights of British glamour and power that descends into infidelity, manipulation, and disaster through the heart of the twentieth century.

DICKIE MOUNTBATTEN: A major figure behind his nephew Philip's marriage to Queen Elizabeth II and instrumental in the royal family taking the Mountbatten name, he was Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia during World War II and the last Viceroy of India.

EDWINA MOUNTBATTEN: Once the richest woman in Britain—and a playgirl who enjoyed numerous affairs—she emerged from World War II as a magnetic and talented humanitarian worker who was loved throughout the­ world.

From British high society to the South of France, from the battlefields of Burma to the Viceroy's House, The Mountbattens is a rich and filmic story of a powerful partnership, revealing the truth behind a carefully curated legend.

Was Mountbatten one of the outstanding leaders of his generation, or a man over-promoted because of his royal birth, high-level connections, film-star looks and ruthless self-promotion? What is the true story behind controversies such as the Dieppe Raid and Indian Partition, the love affair between Edwina and Nehru, and Mountbatten's assassination in 1979?

Andrew Lownie is the author of Stalin’s Englishman (St. Martin’s Press) among other books. After graduating from Cambridge University, where he won the Dunster Prize for History, Lownie went on to take a postgraduate degree in history at Edinburgh University. He is now a successful literary agent in London.

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Endorsements & Reviews

“This glittering biography delves into the scandal-filled and history-making partnership of Lord Louis ‘Dickie’ Mountbatten and his wife Edwina, an heiress turned humanitarian who charmed the world.” PEOPLE

“A juicy dual biography. Readers will be astounded by the intrigues and accomplishments of this remarkable couple.” Publishers Weekly

“Incisive. Strongly recommend.” The Times (London)

“A page-turner. A carefully researched work of history.” The Spectator

“A compelling new biography. Superbly researched.” The Daily Express

“A study in aggressive social climbing [with] quick-moving fluency.” The Sunday Times (London)

“Richly entertaining and impressively well-researched. An enthralling portrait of two complex individuals whose public and private lives were somewhat inextricably entwined." TheDaily Mail (Biography of the Year)

“This painstakingly researched dual account of Louis and Edwina Mountbatten is genuinely enthralling.. A fitting tribute to two complex people.” The Observer

“By dint of prodigious research, Lownie has stripped away the accretions of fable and fiction to give us an unvarnished double portrait. It is vivid, well balanced and often sympathetic.” The Literary Review