Prince Louis of Battenberg, Marquess of Milford Haven

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Prince Louis of Battenberg, Marquess of Milford Haven | Unofficial Royalty

Prince Louis of Battenberg was the husband of Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Despite his German roots, he became a naturalized British subject at the age of 16 when he joined the British Royal Navy, where he would spend his entire career. In 1917, King George V asked all of his extended family to relinquish their German titles. Louis gave up his Battenberg title, and took the surname Mountbatten (the anglicized version of Battenberg). The King then created him Marquess of Milford Haven in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

Louis was born Count Ludwig Alexander of Battenberg, on May 24, 1854, in Graz, Austria. He was the eldest son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, and Countess Julia Hauke. As his parents' marriage was morganatic, Louis and his siblings took their titles from their mother, who had been created Countess of Battenberg (later elevated to Princess of Battenberg in 1858). Louis had four siblings:

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Winston Churchill with former First Sea Lord Prince Louis of Battenberg at the Horse Guards Parade in 1914     
Winston Churchill with former 1st Sea Lord, Prince Louis of Battenberg. Horse Guards Parade 1914 Stock Photo - Alamy