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Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma

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The Right Honourable
The Countess Mountbatten of Burma
High Steward of Romsey
Assumed office
2010
Preceded byThe Lord Brabourne
Personal details
Born
Penelope Meredith Mary Eastwood

(1953-04-16) 16 April 1953 (age 71)
London, England
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1979)​
Children
  • Nicholas Knatchbull, Lord Brabourne
  • Lady Alexandra Hooper
  • The Hon. Leonora Knatchbull

Penelope Meredith Mary Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, (née Eastwood; born 16 April 1953), known until 2005 as Lady Romsey, and until 2017 as The Lady Brabourne, is a British noblewoman and the wife of Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma.[1] Lady Mountbatten has served as High Steward of Romsey since 2010.[2]

Early life

Born Penelope Meredith Mary Eastwood in London, England, she is only daughter of Marian Hood (b. 1926) and Reginald Eastwood (1912–1980), a wealthy businessman whose successes included financing the Angus Steakhouse restaurants.[3] She had one younger brother, Peter Eastwood (1955–2013). She grew up and was educated in Switzerland. In 1976, she graduated from the London School of Economics.[4]

Marriage and children

On 20 October 1979 at Romsey Abbey, she married Norton Knatchbull, Lord Romsey, son and heir of Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and John Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne. The groom's cousin Charles, Prince of Wales, served as best man.[5] The family seat is Broadlands, Hampshire.

The wedding took place two months after the assassination of her husband's grandfather Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, by an IRA bomb which also killed three others (Knatchbull's younger brother Hon. Nicholas Knatchbull (1964–1979), his grandmother Lady Brabourne, and Irish friend Paul Maxwell).[6]

Lady Mountbatten and her husband had three children and two grandchildren:

  • Nicholas Louis Charles Norton Knatchbull, Lord Brabourne (born 15 May 1981), his father's heir apparent.
  • Lady Alexandra Victoria Edwina Diana Hooper (née Knatchbull; born 5 December 1982); married Thomas Edward Huntly Hooper on 25 June 2016, at Romsey Abbey.[7] They have two children:
    • Inigo Norton Sebastian Mountbatten Hooper (born 21 December 2017)
    • Alden Peter Theodore Mountbatten Hooper (born 27 March 2020)[8]
  • The Honourable Leonora Louise Marie Elizabeth Knatchbull (25 June 1986 – 22 October 1991). She died of kidney cancer at the age of five years, and is buried in the grounds of the family home, Broadlands. The charity Leonora Children's Cancer Fund was founded in her honor.

Friendship with the Royal Family

Since her marriage, Lady Mountbatten has been in close contact with the Royal Family. She frequently attends the Royal Windsor Horse Show as a guest of the Royal Family. She was particularly close to the late Duke of Edinburgh since the 1990s when he taught her how to carriage drive.[9] She was one of only 30 mourners at his funeral on 17 April 2021 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.[10][11][12]

At her daughter's wedding in 2016, the Prince of Wales gave the bride away.[7]

She also maintains relations with other European royal houses, standing as godmother to Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark, youngest son of King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, in 1986,[13] attending the funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg in 2019,[14] and the 50th birthday celebrations for King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in 1996.[15]

Duties

  • High Steward of Romsey, appointed 2010,[16] inaugurated 2 March 2011[17][18]
  • Founder of the Leonora Children's Cancer Fund, now the Edwina Mountbatten and Leonora Children's Foundation
  • President of The Compassionate Friends
  • Patron of Countess Mountbatten's Own Legion of Frontiersmen of the Commonwealth
  • Patron or President of various other local organisations and charities, she shared the running of the Broadlands Estates and family businesses with her husband until she took over the enterprises full time (when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's)

Honours

References

  1. ^ "Penelope Meredith Eastwood". The Peerage. 4 December 2007.
  2. ^ Craig, Alison (3 December 2010). "Lady Brabourne to be High Steward of Romsey". Southern Daily Echo.
  3. ^ "CBSi". FindArticles.com. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  4. ^ Sholdice, David (2 February 1996). "Lady Romsey". The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  5. ^ Salman, Saad. "Wedding of Lord Romsey, 1979". The Royal Watcher. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  6. ^ "BBC Archive: The day Lord Mountbatten died". BBC. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  7. ^ a b Yorke, Harry (25 June 2016). "The Queen attends 'society wedding of the year' as Prince Charles gives away Lord Mountbatten's great granddaughter". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  8. ^ Cope, Rebecca. "Princess Diana's goddaughter welcomes second child". Tatler. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  9. ^ Cope, Rebecca (16 April 2021). "Who is Countess Mountbatten? Prince Philip's great friend among 30 mourners at his funeral". Tatler. Condé Nast. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Prince Philip: Duke's four children to walk alongside coffin at funeral". BBC News. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Factbox: The 30 mourners at Prince Philip's funeral". Reuters. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Court Circular: April 17, 2021". The Times. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Greek Prince's Christening". Getty Images. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Who Will Attend: The Official Guest List for the Funeral of Grand Duke Jean". www.luxarazzi.com. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  15. ^ a b "King Carl Gustav of Sweden's 50th Birthday Celebrations". Getty Images. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  16. ^ Craig, Alison (3 December 2010). "Lady Brabourne to be High Steward of Romsey". Southern Daily Echo.
  17. ^ "Lady Brabourne makes pledge to serve town well". Romsey Advertiser. 4 March 2011.
  18. ^ New High Steward of Romsey. Memorial website to honour Admiral of the Fleet The Rt Hon. Lord Louis Mountbatten. 3 December 2010.
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