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Lord Mountbatten, Prince Phillip, and the Battenberg Legacy
The Netflix Original The Crown features the relationship between Lord Mountbatten, his nephew, Prince Philip, and his great-nephew, Prince Charles. However, the show does not provide viewers much background on how this minor German prince cum British earl was able to wield such influence over the current British Royal family. The story of the Mountbattens begins with their origins as the Battenbergs.
The Battenberg family was a morganatic branch of the Hessian family who ruled over the Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt. The forefather of the Battenbergs was Prince Alexander of Hesse-Darmstadt. Alexander was the youngest son of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse, and his wife, Wilhelmina of Baden. Louis and Wilhelmina were married in 1804 and quickly produced two sons. However, Louis had numerous affairs and the marriage deteriorated, causing the couple to live apart for many years. In 1823, Wilhelmina gave birth to a son, Alexander and in 1824, she gave birth to a daughter, Marie. Given the couple’s lengthy separation, it was apparent to courtiers that Louis did not father these children. Nonetheless, despite his wife’s adultery, Louis accepted the children as his own but quietly divorced Wilhelmina.
