The Sinn Féin president, Mary Lou McDonald, has apologised for the IRA’s murder in 1979 of Lord Mountbatten, uncle of Prince Philip, grandson of Queen Victoria and cousin to The Queen.
McDonald was appearing on Times Radio when she was asked if she would apologise to Prince Charles for the death of his great-uncle, who is widely understood to have been an “honorary grandfather” figure to the prince in his younger years.
McDonald said: “I can say of course I am sorry that happened. Of course, that is heartbreaking.”
Who was he?
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was born Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas, Prince of Battenburg, at Windsor Castle on 25 June 1900. Known as “Dickie” by his close family and friends, he was the son of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse, and had close links with the British Royal Family. His grandmother was Queen Victoria and his sister was Princess Alice of Denmark and Greece, the mother of Prince Philip.
