Norton Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne
Encyclopedia
Norton Louis Philip Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne (born 8 October 1947), known until 2005 as Lord Romsey, is a British Peer.
and Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma
.
Brabourne was educated at Gordonstoun School, Elgin, Moray
, Scotland. He was subsequently educated at University of Kent
, Kent, England.
With the death of his father on 23 September 2005 he became the 8th Baron Brabourne
, of Brabourne
in the County of Kent
, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
. He also succeeded to the title of 17th Baronet Knatchbull, of Mersham Hatch in the County of Kent
, in the Baronetage of England. Via his mother he is the heir apparent to the title Earl Mountbatten of Burma
, which was created for Admiral of the Fleet
Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India.
He is a descendant of Queen Victoria
and also in line of succession to the British throne
. He is also a relative of Jane Austen. Her brother, Edward, is Brabourne's great, great, great, great grandfather.
, Romsey
, in Hampshire
, where his parents were married in 1946. The family home is Broadlands
, also in Hampshire.
The wedding took place two months after the assassination of his grandfather, Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
, by an IRA
bomb which also killed 3 others, including his youngest brother, Nicholas Knatchbull (1964–1979), and his grandmother, the Dowager Lady Brabourne
(1897–1979).
The Brabournes are very close friends and relations of the British Royal Family
, and Lord Brabourne is one of the six godparents of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and is himself a godchild of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
. Lady Brabourne competes in carriage-driving competitions alongside Prince Philip. Lord Brabourne is a first cousin, once removed, of Prince Philip and second cousin of Charles, Prince of Wales
and his siblings.
Lord and Lady Brabourne had three children; two have survived to adulthood:
Life and education
Brabourne was born in London as the eldest son of John Knatchbull, 7th Baron BrabourneJohn Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne
John Ulick Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne, CBE , professionally known as John Brabourne, was a British peer, television producer and Academy-award nominated film producer....
and Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Patricia Edwina Victoria Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, is a British peeress and former lady-in-waiting to her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the elder daughter of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and his wife, the heiress Edwina Ashley, a patrilineal...
.
Brabourne was educated at Gordonstoun School, Elgin, Moray
Moray
Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
, Scotland. He was subsequently educated at University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
, Kent, England.
With the death of his father on 23 September 2005 he became the 8th Baron Brabourne
Baron Brabourne
Baron Brabourne, of Brabourne in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1880 for the Liberal politician Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen, the second son of Sir Edward Knatchbull, 9th Baronet, of Mersham Hatch...
, of Brabourne
Brabourne
Brabourne is a village and civil parish in the Ashford district of Kent, England. The village centre is just under five miles east of Ashford town centre.The centre of the modern village of Brabourne is the Five Bells pub, which overlooks the village green...
in the County of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
. He also succeeded to the title of 17th Baronet Knatchbull, of Mersham Hatch in the County of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, in the Baronetage of England. Via his mother he is the heir apparent to the title Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Earl Mountbatten of Burma
The title Earl Mountbatten of Burma was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1947 for Rear Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, the last Viceroy of India....
, which was created for Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet
An admiral of the fleet is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments...
Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India.
He is a descendant of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
and also in line of succession to the British throne
Line of succession to the British Throne
The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. By the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession is limited to the descendants of the Electress Sophia of...
. He is also a relative of Jane Austen. Her brother, Edward, is Brabourne's great, great, great, great grandfather.
Marriage and children
Brabourne married Penelope Meredith Eastwood (born 16 April 1953), a daughter of Reginald Wray Frank Eastwood, a self-made millionaire who began working life as a butcher at 15 and founded the Angus Steakhouse chain, and wife Marian Elizabeth Hood, on 20 October 1979 at Romsey AbbeyRomsey Abbey
Romsey Abbey is a parish church of the Church of England in Romsey, a market town in Hampshire, England. Until the dissolution it was the church of a Benedictine nunnery.-Background:...
, Romsey
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
, in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, where his parents were married in 1946. The family home is Broadlands
Broadlands
Broadlands is an English country house, located near the town of Romsey in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom.-History:The original manor and area known as Broadlands has belonged to Romsey Abbey since before the time of the 11-century English Norman Conquest.After the Dissolution of the...
, also in Hampshire.
The wedding took place two months after the assassination of his grandfather, Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, by an IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bomb which also killed 3 others, including his youngest brother, Nicholas Knatchbull (1964–1979), and his grandmother, the Dowager Lady Brabourne
Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne
Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne, CI was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, socialite and victim of the Provisional IRA.-Family life:...
(1897–1979).
The Brabournes are very close friends and relations of the British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, and Lord Brabourne is one of the six godparents of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and is himself a godchild of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
. Lady Brabourne competes in carriage-driving competitions alongside Prince Philip. Lord Brabourne is a first cousin, once removed, of Prince Philip and second cousin of Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and his siblings.
Lord and Lady Brabourne had three children; two have survived to adulthood:
- The Hon. Nicholas Louis Charles Norton Knatchbull (born 15 May 1981), his father's heir apparent
- The Hon. Alexandra Victoria Edwina Diana KnatchbullAlexandra KnatchbullAlexandra Knatchbull is the daughter of Norton Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne and his wife, Penelope Meredith , known at the time of her birth as Lord and Lady Romsey. She is the fourth great granddaughter of Queen Victoria and a third cousin twice removed of the Queen...
(born 5 December 1982) - The Hon. Leonora Louise Marie Elizabeth Knatchbull (25 June 1986 – 22 October 1991). She died of cancer.
Titles from birth
- The Honourable Norton Knatchbull (1947–1979)
- Lord Romsey (1979–2005)
- The Right Honourable The Lord Brabourne (2005–present)