HOW DICKIE WON PRINCE PHILIP A PROMOTION

FEBRUARY 19, 1960

THE decision of the Queen that certain of her family shall in future bear the name of Mountbatten-Windsor has been received without enthusiasm. It recalls the remark of Winston’s father, Lord Randolph Churchill, about [Baron and Tory politician] Sclater-Booth: ‘How often do we find mediocrity dowered with a double-barrelled name.’

I suppose we must now refer to Brown MountbattenWindsor soup.

MAY 4, 1961

TO THE Ministry of Defence to see Lord Mountbatten. He says the Queen’s advisers didn’t want Prince Philip to be made an Admiral. The War Office wished him to be only a MajorGeneral, and the Air Ministry only an Air Vice-Marshal.

So Mountbatten told Jim Cilcennin [1st Lord of the Admiralty] how the Admiralty had refused to make Prince Albert an Admiral.

Queen Victoria, to show her disapproval, then refused to allow the Prince of Wales to accept naval rank until his accession.

Both Mountbatten and Jim were determined that this sort of situation should not happen again. [Prince Philip became an Admiral.]

MARCH 7, 1972

DELIGHTFUL evening talking to Denis Healey and his wife, Edna. During his years as Defence Secretary, Denis saw a great deal of Mountbatten. Healey once had to give an enormous party, attended by 800 guests. Towards the end, Edna complained to Mountbatten that her arm ached after all the handshaking.

Mountbatten replied: ‘That is nothing. My great-aunt, the Empress of Russia, used to have a blister on the back of her hand each Easter where the peasants had kissed it.’

NOVEMBER 6, 1976

[BARON and scientist] Solly Zuckerman tells me the Queen Mother hates Mountbatten because he changed sides from the Duke of Windsor to King George VI too late for her to appreciate it, and he never exerted himself to get his friend Noel Coward made a knight.

NOVEMBER 26, 1976

LUNCH with [the Queen’s private secretary] Martin Charteris at White’s [gentlemen’s club]. Dickie Mountbatten continues to buzz with self-importance.

‘I have about three letters a week from him,’ says Martin, ‘usually on some topic such as how his decorations are to be arranged on the third cushion at his funeral.’

NOVEMBER 26, 1977

DICKIE Mountbatten has been trying to persuade the Duchess of Windsor to return certain objects, particularly jewels that the Duke had inherited. But the Duchess has never forgiven Dickie for supposedly deserting them both in favour of George VI, and he got nothing out of her.