Mountbatten’s daughter: I have forgiven killers

LADY Pamela Hicks says she followed the teachings of Gandhi to forgive the IRA killers who murdered her father, Lord Mountbatten.

Four people, including two children, died when a bomb exploded on his fishing boat in Co Sligo on August bank holiday 1979.

Asked in an interview if she had forgiven her father’s killers, she replied: “Yes. That is essential.”

She continued: “I mean, we loved the Irish. We’d lived there for so much of our lives. You absolutely have to go forward.”

Lady Pamela said she drew inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, who she met when Lord Mountbatten was India’s last viceroy, and who had spoken to her about the importance of faith.

“Gandhi had such good teaching always: he would say to us, ‘Religion is a strong tree and it has many branches and each branch has almost equal importance.”

The bomb killed Lord Mountbatten, 79, his 14-yearold grandson Nicholas Knatchbull, crew member Paul Maxwell, 15, and the dowager Lady Brabourne, 83. Other family members were seriously injured. Gerry Adams, then Sinn Fein vice-president, referred to the deaths as “unfortunate”.

In an interview on BBC Radio 2, Lady Pamela, 88, said the only moment she struggled to cope was when she was asked to identify her father’s body at the hospital.

“I honestly thought, ‘I am not going to be able to do this,’ which is ridiculous because in fact every next of kin has to identify a murdered family member. But I found that a horrific idea. Luckily James [Duke of ] Abercorn arrived at that moment and I said, ‘James, I can’t do this. Will you identify him?’ I felt slightly wimpish doing it.”

Lady Pamela was bridesmaid at the Queen’s wedding and served as lady-in-waiting. She recalled the Duke struggled for acceptance by courtiers who thought him “an impecunious prince”.

And she recalled as ladyin-waiting persuading starstruck cloakroom attendants to leave the room.

“The Queen once did say, ‘I do so hate having to tidy up with them staring’.”