He Watched His Family Fall… and Chose a Different Life. #history #royalfamily

He was the last one. The Marquess of Carisbrooke, born Prince Alexander of Battenberg, was the last surviving grandson of Queen Victoria. He was the son of Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria’s youngest and most devoted daughter. He was a living link to a bygone era, but his life was anything but Victorian.

His destiny, like that of his entire family, changed during World War I. In 1917, amidst anti-German sentiment, his cousin King George V relinquished all German titles. The Battenberg family became the Mountbattens. Thus, Prince Alexander became Sir Alexander Mountbatten, and later, the Marquess of Carisbrooke.
But the real revolution in his life was not about titles, but about breaking with tradition in love and work.

First came love. In 1917, he married Lady Irene Denison, the daughter of the Earl of Londesborough. Although she was an aristocrat, it was still an unusual step for a monarch’s grandson to marry someone who was not of royal blood. But King George V gave his consent. Their wedding, held during the war, was relatively modest but happy.

Then came work. After attending the Royal Naval College, he served in the Royal Navy. But after the war, the Marquess of Carisbrooke took another unprecedented step. He became the first member of the British royal family to go to work in the City of London. He started at the banking firm Lazard Brothers and later became a director at Lever Brothers and other corporations. A prince working in an office was something unheard of. He paved the way for future generations of “working” royals.

His life was not full of grand dramas or political intrigues. But it was a quiet revolution. He was a prince who chose love over strict protocol and a career over a life of leisure. He and his wife were one of the most glamorous couples of their time, yet they lived a relatively normal life.

#history #royalfamily #britishroyals