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Funeral of Lord Mountbatten

The ceremonial funeral of Admiral of the Fleet the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma took place on 5 September 1979, at Westminster Abbey following his assassination by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on Monday, 27 August 1979, off the coast of the Mullaghmore Peninsula in County Sligo, Ireland.

Planning
, Private Secretary to the Queen, and Sir Keith Holyoake, Governor-General of New Zealand, relating to Mountbatten's death Mountbatten himself had been heavily involved in the planning of his own funeral down to the smallest detail. He had even arranged a summer menu and a winter menu to be served on the train from London to Romsey, dependent on which season he should die in. He ensured all branches of the Armed Forces would be represented. The cost of the funeral was borne by both the government and Mountbatten's family. He had originally wished to be buried alongside his parents in the Battenberg Chapel at St Mildred's Church, Whippingham, on the Isle of Wight, but later changed his mind, instead deciding to be buried in Romsey Abbey, near his home, Broadlands. ==Events preceding==
Events preceding
The remains of Mountbatten were embalmed by Desmond Henley and placed in a lead-lined oak coffin. His coffin, along with Doreen, Lady Brabourne's, and Nicholas Knatchbull's were flown back to the United Kingdom arriving at Southampton Airport where they were met by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales. From there they were taken to Broadlands by hearse. From there, Mountbatten's coffin was taken to Romsey Abbey, where members of his staff stood vigil for two days. On 4 September, his coffin was taken to London where it lay in the Queen's Chapel, St James's Palace. Upon arriving at the chapel, Gerald Ellison, Bishop of London, and Canon Anthony Caesar, Sub-Dean of Her Majesty's Chapels Royal and Deputy Clerk of the Closet, presided over a brief service. ==Procession==
Procession
At 10:30 AM BST on the morning of the funeral, Mountbatten's coffin, draped in the Union Flag, was borne from the Queen's Chapel on the Royal Navy State Funeral Gun Carriage. His bicorne Admiral's hat, gold stick and sword of honour sat atop the coffin. Ahead of the coffin marched the Major-General commanding the Household Division, John Swinton of Kimmerghame, six officers carried purple cushions with the insignias of his orders and decorations – including the Order of the Garter, Order of the Star of India, Legion of Honour and Legion of Merit – and the Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, Major-General Peter Gillett. Mountbatten's charger, named Octave but nicknamed "Dolly," was lead before the coffin with his boots reversed in the stirrups. The procession passed down Marlborough Road, The Mall, through Horse Guards Parade, down Whitehall, through Parliament Square and Sanctuary Road to the abbey. ==Service==
Service
The service began at 11:30 AM BST and was conducted by the Dean of Westminster, Edward Carpenter, according to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The Prince of Wales read the lesson, taken from Psalm 107: 23–26, 28–30. The commendation was given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Donald Coggan. Prayers were said by clergy from several Christian denominations. The service lasted thirty minutes. The music during the service was under the direction of Douglas Guest, the organist and master of the choristers of Westminster Abbey. The organ was played by the sub-organist, Christopher Herrick. The fanfare, composed by Sir Vivian Dunn, "Last Post" and "Reveille" were played by trumpeters and buglers from Royal Marines School of Music. As the coffin was carried into the abbey, William Croft's funeral sentences were sung by the choir. The hymns sung during the service were "God of our fathers, known of old," words taken from the poem "Recessional" by Rudyard Kipling and sung to the tune "Lest We Forget" by George Frederic Blanchard, "I Vow to Thee, My Country," words by Sir Cecil Spring Rice and sung to the tune "Thaxted" by Gustav Holst, "And did those feet in ancient time," words taken from the poem "Jerusalem" by William Blake and sung to the tune of the same name by Sir Hubert Parry, and "Eternal Father, Strong to Save", words by William Whiting and sung to the tune "Melita" by John Bacchus Dykes. The choir sang two anthems during the service; "Faire is the heaven," a setting of Edmund Spenser's poem "An Hymne of Heavenly Beautie" by Sir William Henry Harris, and "God Be in My Head," words from the Sarum Primer and music by Sir Walford Davies. The "Dead March" from Act Three of Saul (HWV 53) by George Frideric Handel was played on the organ as the coffin was carried out of the abbey. ==Guests and participants==
Guests and participants
The service was attended by 1,800 invited guests. Due to the injuries they sustained in the explosion, Mountbatten's elder daughter and son-in-law, the now 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma and Lord Brabourne, and grandson, Timothy Knatchbull, were absent from the funeral. His younger daughter, Lady Pamela Hicks, and her family led the Mountbatten family, Queen Elizabeth II and the entire British royal family attended, as did numerous members of European royal families. It was the largest gathering of royalty in London since the funeral of King George VI in 1952. Notable guests in attendance and participants in the service include: Mountbatten family • ''The Countess Mountbatten of Burma's family:'' • Lord Romsey and Penelope Eastwood, ''Mountbatten's grandson and his fiancée'' • The Hon. Michael-John Knatchbull, ''Mountbatten's grandson'' • Lady Joanna Knatchbull, ''Mountbatten's granddaughter'' • Lady Amanda Knatchbull, ''Mountbatten's granddaughter'' • The Hon. Philip Knatchbull, ''Mountbatten's grandson'' • Lady Pamela and David Hicks, ''Mountbatten's daughter and son-in-law'' • Edwina Hicks, ''Mountbatten's granddaughter'' • Ashley Hicks, ''Mountbatten's grandson'' • India Hicks, ''Mountbatten's granddaughter'' • The Marchioness of Milford Haven, ''widow of Mountbatten's nephew'' • The Marquess of Milford Haven, ''Mountbatten's grandnephew'' • Lord Ivar Mountbatten, ''Mountbatten's grandnephew'' • Lady Iris Kemp, ''Mountbatten's first cousin once removed'' British royal family • The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, ''Mountbatten's second cousin once removed and Mountbatten's nephew'' • The Prince of Wales, ''Mountbatten's grandnephew'' • The Princess Anne, Mrs Mark Phillips, and Captain Mark Phillips, ''Mountbatten's grandniece and her husband'' • The Prince Andrew, ''Mountbatten's grandnephew'' • The Prince Edward, ''Mountbatten's grandnephew'' • Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, ''widow of Mountbatten's second cousin'' • The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, ''Mountbatten's second cousin once removed'' • Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, ''widow of Mountbatten's second cousin'' • The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, ''Mountbatten's second cousin once removed and his wife'' • The Duke and Duchess of Kent, ''Mountbatten's second cousin once removed and his wife'' • Earl of St Andrews, ''Mountbatten's second cousin twice removed'' • Lady Helen Windsor, ''Mountbatten's second cousin twice removed'' • Lord Nicholas Windsor, ''Mountbatten's second cousin twice removed'' • Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Mrs Angus Ogilvy, and The Hon. Angus Ogilvy, ''Mountbatten's second cousin once removed and her husband'' • James Ogilvy, ''Mountbatten's second cousin twice removed'' • Marina Ogilvy, ''Mountbatten's second cousin twice removed'' • Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, ''Mountbatten's second cousin once removed and his wife'' Extended royal family • The Earl and Countess of Harewood, ''Mountbatten's second cousin once removed and his wife'' • The Duke of Fife, ''Mountbatten's second cousin once removed'' • Captain Alexander Ramsay of Mar and the Lady Saltoun, ''Mountbatten's second cousin and his wife'' • Lady May and Colonel The Hon. Sir Henry Abel Smith, ''Mountbatten's second cousin and her husband'' • Lady Mary Whitley, ''Mountbatten's fourth cousin'' • The Duchess and Duke of Beaufort, ''Mountbatten's third cousin once removed and her husband'' Foreign royalty • The King of Norway • The Princess of Hesse and by Rhine • The Aga Khan Politicians • The Rt Hon. Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Denis Thatcher • The Rt Hon. James Callaghan, former First Sea Lord • General Sir Robert Ford, • Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit • General Albert Coady Wedemeyer ==Interment and subsequent events==
Interment and subsequent events
From the abbey, the coffin was taken to Waterloo Station on a Land Rover 101 Forward Control of the Life Guards, a regiment of which Mountbatten had been colonel, led by six armoured reconnaissance cars. From Waterloo, his coffin was taken by special train to Romsey, Hampshire, near Broadlands, Mountbatten's home. Mountbatten's remains were interred in Romsey Abbey. The following day, 6 September, a private family funeral for Nicholas Knatchbull and Doreen, Lady Brabourne, was held at St John the Baptist Church in Mersham, Kent, near Newhouse, the Knatchbull's family seat. It was attended by 500 guests including the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales. This service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Donald Coggan, assisted by the Bishop of Maidstone, Richard Third. A memorial service for victims of the bombing which killed Mountbatten was held on Thursday, 27 December 1979 at St Paul's Cathedral. Lady Mountbatten, Lord Brabourne, and Timothy Knatchbull, who were unable to present at the funeral due to their injuries, were present for this service, the former two on crutches. ==In popular culture==
In popular culture
The events of Mountbatten's assassination and funeral are portrayed in "Gold Stick," the first episode of the fourth series of the Netflix original historical drama series, The Crown. ==References==
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