County mourns a much-loved friend

Much-loved Countess Mountbatten, who was godmother to Prince Charles, has died at the age of 93.

Patricia Knatchbull, known as Lady Brabourne, lived at Newhouse at Mersham Ash, near Ashford. She was a former ladyin-waiting to the Queen, as well as being one of her bridesmaids, was a cousin to Prince Philip and was godmother to Prince Charles.

Born on February 14, 1924, she was eldest daughter of Louis Mountbatten, later the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma.

Lady Brabourne was educated in Malta, England and New York. In 1943, aged 19, she entered the Women’s Royal Naval Service and served in combined operations bases in the UK. She later served in the supreme allied headquarters based in Sri Lanka.

She married John Knatchbull, the 7th Baron of Brabourne, on October 26, 1945.

They were one of the few married couples left in England who both held a peerage and an inherited title in their own right.

Lady Brabourne was active in many Kent-based charities. She was one of the founders of the Women of Kent Luncheon, a charity event held every two years to recognise the good work done by women in the county.

She was one of the first of two female Deputy Lieutenants appointed in Kent in 1973.

Lady Brabourne and her husband had eight children: Norton, Michael-John, Anthony, Joanna, Amanda, Philip, and twins Nicholas and Timothy.

Tragedy stuck when her 79-year-old father, mother-in-law and her 14-year-old son Nicholas, were killed when the IRA blew up their boat on a fishing trip off the coast of Sligo on August 27, 1979. Lady Brabourne was also on board but survived along with her husband and their son Timothy, Nicholas’ identical twin.

Irish schoolboy Paul Maxwell, 15, who was helping out on the boat, was also killed.

Lady Brabourne subsequently succeeded her father to become Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

In an interview with the Telegraph in 2008 she recalled her devastation after learning that her son had died. “As anyone whose child dies will know only too well, this news utterly devastated me,” she said.

“In fact I was so overwhelmed by grief for Nicky, who was just on the threshold of his life, that I began to feel guilty that I was not able to grieve for my father, whom I really adored, in the same way.

“But the world was mourning him and there was a comfort in knowing that.”

She turned her loss into a force for good by helping other bereaved parents, supporting charities including the Child Bereavement Charity, Compassionate Friends and Demelza Hospice Care for Children.

Founder Derek Philips said: “It is one of my life’s greatest privileges to have worked with Countess Mountbatten and I came to know her as a dear friend. She was humble, gracious and a simply lovely individual.”

Countess Mountbatten’s funeral will take place at St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, London on Tuesday. There is no memorial service.