The first episode of the highly-anticipated fourth season of The Crown focuses on the assassination of Lord Mountbatten by the IRA, putting to an end his decades-long relationship with the Royal Family, starting with Prince Philip and continuing with Prince Charles.
As we've seen in previous series, Lord Mountbatten (born Prince Louis of Battenberg) was a formidable figure, who exerted a strong influence over the Windsors. He was the maternal uncle of Prince Philip (his sister, Princess Alice, was Philip's mother) and a second cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II, so his family ties were very close.
His sway was particularly strong over those who did not have close relationships with their fathers. He helped raise the Duke of Edinburgh after his parents separated, with Philip's father living in Monaco and his mother in first a Swiss sanatorium, and then in Greece.
Years later, he enjoyed a close 'honorary grandfather' role in the life of the Prince of Wales, his great-nephew. As shown in the episode, it was a dynamic that caused tensions in the family, with Philip feeling he 'lost' Louis to Charles, and that Charles did not need to go looking for a father figure, as he already had one.
As seen in the series, Mountbatten often unfavourably compared Charles to the last Prince of Wales - King Edward VIII - who had of course abdicated the throne for love, choosing instead to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson. It prompted a constitutional crisis that Mountbatten was keen to avoid again, having served the Royal Family his entire life, and knowing Edward well in his youth.
Yet paradoxically, it was Mountbatten who often encouraged Charles to 'sow his wild oats' and embrace his bachelorhood before settling down. On the show, he is seen advising Charles against marrying Camilla Shand, instead insisting her marry someone young and malleable.
After playing match-maker to the Queen and Prince Philip many decades before, he also attempted to set up Charles with his granddaughter, the Hon Amanda Knatchbull. He proposed a chaperoned joint trip with Amanda and Charles to India, but both the Duke of Edinburgh and Amanda's mother Lady Brabourne objected.
The match was not to be: Amanda rejected Charles's proposal in 1979, shortly after the death of her grandfather. He was killed when a bomb planted on his fishing boat by the IRA exploded, killing him and his grandson Nicholas, as well as a young crew member, named Paul. His daughter's mother in-law, the Dowager Lady Brabourne, died of her injuries the next day. It was an event that understandably caused Amanda to decide not to marry into the royal spotlight.
As shown in The Crown, Lady Diana Spencer became something of a shoulder to cry on for Charles following his beloved great-uncle's death, leading him to consider her as a suitable candidate for Princess of Wales, remembering Mountbatten's advice.
In 2015, Prince Charles visited the site of Mountbatten's death. He referenced the closeness of their relationship in his speech, saying: 'I could not imagine how we would come to terms with the anguish of such a deep loss since, for me, Lord Mountbatten represented the grandfather I never had.'
His influence hasn't completely dwindled even now, despite his death four decades ago: Prince Charles's eldest son, Prince William, reportedly named his own son Prince Louis after him.
