The Crown on Netflix: This is what actually happened around Lord Mountbatten’s death

His legs were ‘nearly severed’ when he was assassinated on his boat


Season four of The Crown has just been released, but already it’s been called the best series of the Netflix show yet. Some of the topics it covers include how Prince Charles met Diana, the relationship between The Queen and Margaret Thatcher and the death of Lord Mountbatten.

This death is in episode one of the series, when a fishing trip ends in his boat blowing up. The scene on The Crown is shocking, and it shown to have shook the entire Royal Family. But how accurate was it? Here’s everything we know about the death of Lord Mountbatten in real life, compared to how it was shown in season four of The Crown on Netflix.

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via Netflix

Lord Mountbatten’s death was an assassination and it did take place on a boat

A lot of how The Crown portrays the death of Lord Mountbatten is accurate. In the show he is seen out fishing with his grandson and the young boat boy before the boat they are on blows up.

The series shows the Queen receiving the news, where she is told: “We received a copy of a telegram sent to the Foreign Office from the British Embassy in Dublin. It reads, ‘at 13:05 the British Ambassador was informed there had been an explosion on Lord Mountbatten’s boat in County Sligo. Lord Mountbatten is dead. As are the boat boy, Paul Maxwell, and Lord Mountbatten’s grandson, Nicholas. Lord and Lady Brabourne, Doreen Lady Brabourne and Timothy Knatchbull are in hospital in Sligo. The IRA has already I’m afraid claimed responsibility.'”

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via Netflix

Lord Mountbatten died on August 27th 1979, aged 79. He had been lobster fishing on his wooden boat in the village of Mullaghmore, County Sligo, west Ireland, where he had a holiday home.

Whilst they were out fishing, a bomb which had been secretly placed on board exploded. Lord Mountbatten was pulled from the water, still alive, but his legs were “nearly severed”. He died shortly afterwards.

Who died on the boat with Lord Mountbatten?

Lord Mountbatten had been joined by several companions on the fishing trip. These were: His elder daughter Patricia and her husband, his twin 14-year-old grandsons Nicholas and Timothy, his son-in-law’s mother Doreen, Dowager Lady Brabourne, and a 15-year-old boat boy, called Paul Maxwell.

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via Netflix

As shown in The Crown, his grandson Nicholas and Paul Maxwell also died as a result of the explosion. Lady Brabourne died too, the following day.

Why was Lord Mountbatten assassinated?

The attack took place during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which saw Unionists clash with Republicans over whether Northern Ireland should be part of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. The IRA was quick to claim responsibility for the death of Lord Mountbatten.

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via Netflix

At the time the group said the “bombing was a discriminate act to bring to the attention of the English people the continuing occupation of our country”.

It added: “The death of Lord Mountbatten and tributes paid to him will be seen in contrast to the apathy of the British Government and English people to the deaths of over 300 British soldiers and the deaths of Irish men, women and children at the hands of their forces.”

Given he was a member of the Royal Family and had a holiday home in the Irish seaside village, Lord Mountbatten was seen as a particularly effective target for the IRA. The group is said to have felt as though his Irish estate amounted to stolen property.

Season four of The Crown is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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