13. Lady Mountbatten; Episode 1, Party-Loving Heiress, Wife and Mother

We’re sitting in the drawing room of Lady Pamela Hicks’ home in Oxfordshire listening intently to Lady Pamela’s mesmerising stories. It’s just India, Lady Pamela and Lisa the producer who's recording it and putting it all together. We’ve chosen to have no studio, no formalities just conversation and plenty of tea and cake. This episode is all about Lady Louis Mountbatten, one of the most intriguing and intelligent debutants of her day, mother to Lady Pamela and grandmother to India. Born Edwina Ashley she was the goddaughter of Edward VII and heiress to a vast fortune. Already very much in the public eye, her wedding to Louis Mountbatten, great grandson of Queen Victoria, in 1922 cemented this powerful couple’s place in British society. In episode one of two, Lady Pamela explores her mother’s glamorous years of parties and travels, her life and loves, and the way in which the war years changed her from a party-loving socialite to the formidably powerful and intuitive woman she became.  

Om Podcasten

A wonderfully intimate look into the life and work of India Hicks and her extraordinary family. In Season One we’re talking Movie Stars, Matadors and Maharajas as we have tea and cake with Lady Pamela, daughter of Lord and Lady Mountbatten and of course India’s much moved mum. Now in her 90s Lady Pamela’s stories will astound you; she’s first cousins with Prince Philip, travelled the world on the famous Commonwealth tour when Princess Elizabeth became Queen, befriended everyone from Grace Kelly to Gandhi and had a front row seat as her father, the last Viceroy of India, oversaw the complicated process of partition. We ask that if you have listened to this podcast would you be so kind as to consider making a donation to The Princes Trust - a charitable organisation with which India is actively involved. Many thanks. www.princes-trust.org.uk Produced by Lisa Francesca Nand and edited by Alex George.