Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma

This article is about the British peeress. For the British businesswoman and philanthropist, see Penny Mountbatten.

Penelope Meredith Mary Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma (née Eastwood; born 16 April 1953) is a British aristocrat and the wife of Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Since 2010, she has served as High Steward of Romsey.^[1]

The Right Honourable The Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Born	Penelope Meredith Mary Eastwood (1953-04-16) 16 April 1953 (age 71) London, England
Spouse	Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma ​ ​ (m. 1979)​
Children	Nicholas Knatchbull, Lord Brabourne Lady Alexandra Hooper The Hon. Leonora Knatchbull

Early life

Born in London, she is the only daughter of Reginald Eastwood (1912–1980), founder of Angus Steakhouse,^[2] and Marian Hood (1926–2020). 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.^[3]

Activities

In 2010, she succeeded her husband in the honorary position of High Steward of Romsey after he stepped down due to illness.^[4] The position had previously been filled by the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. She was inaugurated on 2 March 2011.^[5][6] Following the death of her daughter, she founded Leonora Children's Cancer Fund which in 2010 merged with The Edwina Mountbatten Trust, founded in memory of Leonora's great-grandmother. The merged charities were renamed The Edwina Mountbatten and Leonora Children's Foundation on 20 February 2014. She has taken on the running of Broadlands following her husband's diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease.

Since her marriage, Lady Mountbatten has been in close contact with the British royal family. She frequently attends the Royal Windsor Horse Show as a guest of the royal family. She was particularly close to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh from the 1990s when they participated in carriage driving competitions. She was one of only 30 mourners at his funeral on 17 April 2021 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.^[7][8][9] At her daughter's wedding in 2016, King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, gave the bride away.^[10] With her daughter Lady Alexandra Hooper, Lady Mountbatten attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022.^[11]

Marriage and children

On 20 October 1979 at Romsey Abbey, she married Lord Romsey, son and heir of the 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma and the 7th Lord Brabourne. The groom's second cousin, Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles III), served as best man. The wedding took place two months after the assassination of her husband's grandfather, the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, by an IRA bomb. The family seat is Broadlands, Hampshire.

Lady Mountbatten and her husband have three children and three grandchildren:

• Nicholas Louis Charles Norton Knatchbull, Lord Brabourne (born 15 May 1981), his father's heir apparent; married Ambre Pouzet on 20 May 2021 at Broadlands. They have one son:
  • The Hon. Alexander Knatchbull (born June 2022)^[12]
• Lady Alexandra Victoria Edwina Diana Hooper (née Knatchbull; born 5 December 1982); a goddaughter of Diana, Princess of Wales. She married Thomas Edward Huntly Hooper on 25 June 2016, at Romsey Abbey.^[10] They have two sons:
  • Inigo Norton Sebastian Mountbatten Hooper (born 21 December 2017)
  • Alden Peter Theodore Mountbatten Hooper (born 27 March 2020)^[13]
• The Hon. 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 memory.

From her marriage in 1979 until her father-in-law's death in 2005 she was styled as Lady Romsey and from then until her mother-in-law's death in 2017 as The Lady Brabourne.

In popular culture

Lady Mountbatten is portrayed by Natascha McElhone in the fifth season of the Netflix series The Crown.^[14] She first appears in episode one of season five and becomes more prominent as the season progresses, becoming a central part of the plot in episode six.^[15]

References

1. Craig, Alison (3 December 2010). "Lady Brabourne to be High Steward of Romsey". Southern Daily Echo.
2. Sitwell, William (10 March 2021). "One of my biggest regrets? I wish I'd eaten at an Angus Steakhouse". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
3. Sholdice, David (2 February 1996). "Lady Romsey". The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
4. Craig, Alison (3 December 2010). "Lady Brabourne to be High Steward of Romsey". Southern Daily Echo.
5. "Lady Brabourne makes pledge to serve town well". Romsey Advertiser. 4 March 2011.
6. New High Steward of Romsey. Memorial website to honour Admiral of the Fleet The Rt Hon. Lord Louis Mountbatten. 3 December 2010.
7. "Prince Philip: Duke's four children to walk alongside coffin at funeral". BBC News. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
8. "Factbox: The 30 mourners at Prince Philip's funeral". Reuters. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
9. "Court Circular: April 17, 2021". The Times. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
10. 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.
11. Scott, Danni (19 September 2022). "Who is Countess Mountbatten, guest at the Queen and Prince Philip's funeral?". WalesOnline. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
12. Davies-Evitt, Doris (27 June 2022). "Prince Charles's godson welcomes first child". Tatler. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
13. Cope, Rebecca (12 May 2020). "Princess Diana's goddaughter welcomes second child". Tatler. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
14. Dooney, Emma (24 August 2021). "The Crown casts Natascha McElhone as Penny Knatchbull". Women & Home. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
15. "Who is Penny Knatchbull and who plays her in The Crown?". Radio Times. Retrieved 19 March 2024.