The day when Mountbatten proposed

A member of the British Royal family, Lord Mountbatten, has got lots to do with India. His first visit to India was so fruitful that he made sure that if given a chance, he would return to this land. What happened on his first voyage to India?

Lord Mountbatten and Lady Edwina. Image Source: Pinterest

The coast was clear when the battle cruise, Renown, finally, crossed the Arabian Sea to reach Bombay. Onboard, this great battleship was the Prince of Wales, who wanted to take a tour of Imperial India. He always wanted to travel, extensively, in this country, of which he had heard highly of.

Along with Your Highness came a large number of British officials and delegates. Among those, was a 21-year-old young lad who served as a naval attendant and was one of the Prince's ADC's. He was none other than Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, the last Viceroy and the first Governor-General of Independent India.

This was his first visit to India, as well. “They traveled to Poona, Baroda, Udaipur, Ratlam, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Bharatpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, ...Lahore, Jammu, Jhelum, ... Rawalpindi, Kapurthala and finally ending their journey in Karachi”, wrote Mountbatten. The long list has been mentioned just to indicate how, substantially, engaging their travel in India was.

It was 14th February 1922. Valentine's Day to be precise. The royal troops were invited for a party at the old, temporary Viceregal Lodge. Mountbatten was pretty excited for that night. For, he would meet someone special, someone who he had on his mind for quite a long time. He was dressed well for the occasion.

Her name was Edwina Ashley, a young girl from London, who was associated with the Vicereine and had come to India to spend some time with Viceroy Reading and his family. The party was great and everyone was busy with the dance.

The fifth dance was on. Mountbatten and Edwina grew tired. They decided to sit out in a small sitting room, nearby. With great courage, he managed to propose to her for marriage. She was delighted and readily accepted the proposal.

News spread like wildfire. The Prince of Wales was elated when he heard about it. Mountbatten, or Lord Mountbatten, as we call him now, was the great-grandson of Queen Victoria, and therefore, he would need the King's acceptance before marrying Edwina. The Prince turned out to be the most helpful in this matter who blessed the newly engaged couple.

That night, as Mountbatten recalled, was the beginning of all his happiness in life. Edwina and he, both, motored on the streets of Delhi and spent time together, mesmerized by the beauty of Humayun's tomb under the moonlight at 3 AM.

Later, he got to know that among the happy faces at the party, there was one of disappointment. It was of the Vicereine. She wrote to Edwina's aunt and said, if only she would have cared for someone older, with more of a career before him.

Interestingly, Edwina came from a Jewish family in London who was very rich. The amount of money she could use in a single party was the cumulative salary of Mountbatten in India per annum. Although he was from the royal blood, his income was, comparatively, low. But this was never a hindrance to their love life which resulted in marriage. Mountbatten recalls India to have a strong association with his heart, not only because he was the last Viceroy here, but also because he proposed to his wife on this very land.

Time passed by. On 7th March 1948, an interesting incident occurred. Mountbatten was invited to preside at the Silver Jubilee celebration of the University of Delhi. It was the convocation ceremony and he was invited to give a speech. He mentioned how the establishment of the University in 1922 has a coincidence with his marriage ceremony, and they have also celebrated their Silver Wedding.

The ‘coincidence’ of the year 1922 has nothing in relation. But what he mentions next is shocking. It was the room in which he proposed to her. It was Room No. 13 of that very University that once served as the temporary Viceregal Lodge. Today, that room has been turned into the Registrar's office, and both the place and his wedding were initiated in the same year, i.e., 1922!

This incidental reference can be summed up to be, unexpectedly, fascinating!

Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy, and Lady Edwina, his wife along with Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India, saluting the national flag. Image Source: Pinterest