The Royal Rebel: Edwina Mountbatten, Countess of Burma

Edwina Cynthia Annette Ashley was born on November 28, 1901, in London, United Kingdom, and she was up in a safe but solitary environment as her parents didn't spend much time with her or her younger sister, Mary. When their mother passed away from tuberculosis, her death had little influence on her daughters. Her father, Wilfred, a conservative Member of Parliament and eventual baron, remarried and sent Edwina to boarding school at the request of his new wife.

Lord Louis Mountbatten, King George's cousin, with his
fiancee Edwina Ashley on the liner Majestic arriving in New
York on April 10, 1922

The formal wedding portrait of Lord and Lady Louis Mountbatten at Brook House, London on 18th July 1922. Back row, left to right: Princess Marguerite, Louis 1st Earl of Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten, The Prince of Wales, Princess Theodora; front row, left to right: Miss Mary Ashley, Miss Joan Pakenham, Princess Sophie, Lady Mary Ashley-Cooper and Princess Cecile

Sir Ernest Cassel, a German-Jewish financier who had converted to Catholicism at the request of his wife, came to her rescue. He took Edwina under his wing after his daughter died, and she resided with him in Brook House, his Park Lane London mansion. Grandfather's house had so many servants that one was just responsible for cleaning the flower vases. Footmen in uniforms, governesses, valets, chauffeurs and a cook with four assistants became acquainted with the child. Cassel had bought the property in order to attract members of the nobility, a maneuver calculated to distance him from his immigrant background. Cassel's hobby was rearing thoroughbreds, and his biggest victory came during a race when he met the Prince of Wales. Cassel rose through the ranks of the privileged by becoming the financial advisor and confidant of the future King Edward VII.

Edwina's marriage cleared the path to the enclave of the blue bloods since she was a wealthy and desired heiress. At a ball thrown by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, the society sweetheart met Prince Louis Mountbatten, dubbed Dickie by the royal family. Dickie was connected to nearly every king, prince, and grand duke in Europe through his mother, Princess Victoria, who was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Their lavish wedding took place in 1922 at St. Margaret Church. They spent their honeymoon in Spain as guests of King Alfonso XIII and Queen Ena, and the Vanderbilts were thrilled to be their Manhattan hosts. With his pedigree and her money, the newlyweds became the "It couple" of the Roaring Twenties when they returned to London. Visitors like Charlie Chaplin, Noel Cowart, Winston Churchill, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. arrived regularly at Brook House.

The wedding did not prove to be a forerunner to a satisfying marriage. While the Mountbattens appeared to be a great fit on the surface, they actually had few things in common. His passion was the luxuries of life, and his lady, who had been up in a world of luxury, was immune to its allure. Edwina also refused to participate in her husband's second fascination: his role as First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy. He was so enthralled with the Navy that he modeled their bedroom after a ship's cabin. When discord arose in the boudoir, their wedding vows were jeopardized even more. The novice pair took pleasure in their joint introduction to the intimate life at first and they welcomed Patricia and Pamela into the world.

Countess of Mountbatten circa 1925

Lady Edwina with her daughter Patricia

Lord Louis Mountbatten with his wife Edwina at Buckingham Palace for an investiture ceremony, February 1943

Viscount Mountbatten, the new Viceroy of India and Edwina
invite Mahatma Gandhi to the Viceroy's house in Delhi, 31st March 1947

Part of their lack of physical connection may have stemmed from Mountbatten's preference for male relationships; while he was known as Dickie to his relatives, he was known as Mountbottom in other circles. Edwina, who was named one of the world's six best-dressed women, shopped at Chanel, played bridge, and danced the Charleston till three a.m., sometimes with Fred Astaire. Motherhood did not bring her out of her spiritual funk; though she adored her daughters, she demonstrated that maternal nurturing is not an instinct. “A lovely little daughter,” Edwina wrote in her diary after Patricia was born. “Too exciting, too sweet,” she said, before entrusting her children's care to nannies as she partied in the south of France. Edwina had a razor-sharp mind, but she was unable to pursue a job due to the oppressive character of her era and class, and instead turned to amorous endeavors. She juggled multiple lovers at times, and her bed, draped in pink satin sheets, became a musical chairs-style game.

Her affair with bisexual West Indian cabaret pianist Leslie Hutchinson was the most salacious incident in her hedonistic journal. Their adulterous affairs came to a stop when the publication The People reported that a woman who was well-connected and extremely wealthy was having an extramarital affair with a black man. To put an end to the issue, King George V commanded Edwina to return home after she had temporarily relocated to Malta, where her husband was deployed. The following day, the pair were formally invited to Buckingham Palace, successfully glossing over the fissures in their marriage.

Edwina's dismal journey came to an end in 1947 when she became engaged in a crucial historical event. After attending Queen Elizabeth II's wedding to Lord Mountbatten's nephew, Prince Philip, their lives were turned upside down when the Atlee administration selected Mountbatten as India's final Viceroy. His mission was to hand over the British Empire's long-serving jewel in the crown to the British people.

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, with Edwina as
Viceroy and Vicereine of India, dressed in official regalia

Lady Edwina and her lover, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru was a lonely widower whose greatest passion was the independence of his nation, until he met the woman who proved the adage that opposites attract. They formed a compelling connection despite being of different races, faiths, cultures, and social classes, and Edwina relinquished her spiritual virginity. Unlike her "ginks," however, she went to great lengths to keep her adulterous affair concealed because Nehru's mission came first. Nehru took advantage of every occasion to pay a visit to the Viceroy's opulent mansion, the Rashtrapati Bhava, for a rendezvous. Following Gandhi's assassination, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill saw a newspaper photograph of the Mahatma's weeping Vicereine kneeling on the ground during his cremation. Sir Winston was furious that she had crossed the political divide and urged the Mountbattens to return to England promptly. Edwina assumed the role of the impoverished rich girl once more.

When Edwina visited India or Nehru was in England, the separation was easier to bear. The pair, who were on the same page intellectually and spiritually, had another thing in common posthumously. Lord Mountbatten, his fourteen-year-old grandson Nicholas, and the child's paternal grandmother were killed when an IRA bomb exploded on his fishing vessel off the coast of Ireland in 1979. His daughter Patricia and Nicholas's twin brother Timothy were seriously injured. In a similar sad tone, Nehru's only child, Indira Gandhi, who was acting as Prime Minister at the time, was assassinated by her two Sikh guards in 1984.

Edwina spent her final years mentally adrift, heartbroken and despondent about her lover's enforced separation from her. She died of heart failure in North Borneo in 1960, and on her deathbed were many letters from Jawaharlal Nehru, all written on fine blue paper. But their love story was far from over. Edwina's body was transported by the Royal Navy to her sea burial in the English Channel, where her bereaved lover made a public statement of his love by sending his own Indian Navy frigate to lay a wreath of marigolds on her watery tomb. Edwina found love late in life—the ultimate jewel without price—and it granted her a brief but unforgettable Indian summer.

Lord and Lady Mountbatten with Jawaharlal Nehru in 1948

Queen Elizabeth II  and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh pictured together on the steps of Broadlands with Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma in Romsey near Southampton, Hampshire on April 6th, 1957

Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Lady Edwina walking on the grounds of Broadlands, their Hampshire home, in 1958

The Art of Setting the Table

Pauline de Rothschild's passion for entertaining and preparing a table was particularly noteworthy, gaining both acclaim and a few magazine stories in such publications as Vogue (where Horst took the following images) and L'IL. And it's easy to see why both publications devoted space to de Rothschild's numerous designs when you look at images of her table settings, some of which are shown here. Entertaining at Château de Mouton, her husband, winemaker Philippe de Rothschild's rural home, was clearly an extravagant occasion, meticulously planned and supervised. Valentine Lawford, a writer at Vogue, put it succinctly: 

Menus are brought to her in bed.  So is a book with photographs of the luncheon and dinner services (one hundred and seventy of them, all told), and other books with swatches of the tablecloths and napkins (an equally prodigious variety) to choose from for the day.  Marie, the flower-arranger, telephones for instructions before going off on her little motor bicycle in search of moss and branches and blossoms.

For example, she used a blue and white paisley fabric to drape the table in a Vogue shot of a patio luncheon setting, while a brown and white variation of the same patterned fabric was used on a table set for pouring coffee in another photo. The paisley cloth reappears in L'IL, but this time in a purple tint, according to the magazine. 

Then there's de Rothschild's delicate Chantilly décor de brindille dinner service, a lovely blue and white china she used for the abovementioned patio luncheon as well as another table setting depicted in L'IL. A yellow tablecloth and napkins, 19th-century silver and vermeil silverware, and a moss and narcissi centerpiece completed the look. (The moss and blooms must have been picked by Marie, the flower arranger.)

"A forest of catkins, dried ferns and oak leaves spill over a mauve and white hand-blocked cloth. Polychrome Creil plates with hunting scenes. Vermeil, silver and horn knives and forks, the latter shaped like pistol handles. Emerging out of the vegetation are black metal candlesticks painted with a Japanese design. This photograph was taken in the dining room of the original house built by the present owner's grandfather. The walls are lined with linen printed in white and red. Green and gilt Napoleon III chairs."

"Another printed tablecloth, this one heaped with pine cones and needles and, almost invisible here, pots of flowers. This series of Creil plates tells the story of the capture of Orléans by the Duc de Berry. Vermeil and silver tableware."

Glamour, Cars and Yachts in Monaco

Monaco has always been a gathering spot for glitter and luxury, appearing to be exclusively for the highest echelon of society. From the ancient opera theater, constructed by Charles Garnier, the same architect behind Paris's Palais Garnier, to the cluster of boutique stores and the carefully maintained gardens, there's much to see and do in this charming microstate of opal, coral, and periwinkle-colored buildings. In Monaco, debauchery is woven into the fabric of every encounter.

Racing cars on the road track at the Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo

Friends board a riva boat in Monte Carlo, Monaco, 1975

Princess Grace of Monaco taking a photograph at a swimming competition at Palm Beach, Monte Carlo, 1972

Film director Howard Hawks and his wife Dee spend a summer day by the pool in Monaco with producer Charles K. Feldman and Feldman's protegee Germaine Lefebvre, aka French actress Capucine

A view from a hillside in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin,
looking toward Monaco, August 1970

Diners on a cafe terrace in Monte Carlo, Monaco, August 1975

The entrance to the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, Monaco, June 1977

Princess Caroline of Monaco, with her pet dog Tiffany, in Monte Carlo, 1977

Overhead of red umbrellas, Monaco

Alexander Onassis and his sister Christina at the Monte
Carlo Beach Club, 1958

Guests onboard of Italian Count Hannibal Scotti's
yacht, 'Scotland Cay', Monte Carlo harbour, Monaco,
August 1981

The Lady of Roses: Begum Aga Khan III

Yvette Blanche Labrousse was born in 1906 in Le Cannet, France, to a tramway driver and town council member father, and a seamstress mother. Nothing in her humble beginnings foreshadowed the wonderful fate that lay ahead of her. She was crowned Miss Lyon in 1929, at the age of twenty-four, and Miss France a year afterward. She traveled to numerous locations throughout the world as a beauty queen and a representative of France. She was particularly fascinated with Egypt, and in the late 1930s, she relocated to Cairo and converted to Islamic faith. 

Yvette Labrousse in 1946

In Egypt, Yvette met Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III, and the two married in Switzerland on October 9, 1944. Om Habibeh was the new Begum's name, after one of the Prophet Muhammad's wives. Her husband gave her the nickname "Yaky," which was made out of the initials of  "Yvette," "Aga," and "Khan." The Begum designed their villa at Le Cannet near Cannes and it was named "Yakymour", combining her nickname "Yaky" and "Amour."

Her Highness the Begum used to gather the members of the Cannes film festival jury at this house surrounded by parkland. She continued to reside at Yakimour after her husband's death, however, she regularly spent three months a year in the mansion in Aswan, where her husband's grave is located.

She traveled much as a widow, both for charity and pleasure. She was a familiar sight at Ascot, where she constantly drew attention. She was a true style icon in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing on the covers of major publications on numerous occasions. Her people, as well as her own husband, adored her because of her compassion for the poor, children, women, and the elderly.

Picture dated from the 1920s of Yvette

Aga Khan III and his wife The Begum, circa 1940

Aga Khan III, the Begum, Aly Khan and his wife actress Rita Hayworth, January 1949

Portrait of the Begum, smiling, posing in front of a fireplace with her many jewels and wearing a diadem of the jewels to which she attaches the most valuable: a Hindu enamel necklace adorned with diamonds and rubies

She founded a home for the elderly in her hometown of Cannes. She provided a significant contribution to the community in her latter years, allowing it to renovate its school property. She was also influential in the building of the Jardin des Oliviers, for which the municipality erected a bronze statue in her honor. In 1997, she made her last public appearance at the launching of this garden.

During her tenure in Egypt, Begum Om Habibeh was known as the 'Red Rose' for her daily custom of placing a red rose on the grave of her husband. She planned for the ceremony to be performed by the gardener while she was away. Her relationship with Aga Khan III is regarded as a great love story and has been dubbed a legendary and fairy-tale romance.

Her unwavering devotion, on the other hand, was undeniable. "All I have left to pray for now is that Allah would take me to his side," she remarked shortly before her death. She passed away on July 1, 2000, in her villa, and was buried alongside her husband in a mausoleum on their Nour-es-salam estate near the Nile in Aswan, Egypt.

The Aga Khan and the Begum in Deauville, 1950

The Begum in Munich, Germany, July 1955

The Begum in Heidelberger Schloss, October 1958

The Begum, circa 1960

The Begum at her house in Le Cannet, France, 1985

Le Bal Oriental, 1969

"The Oriental Ball in 1969 has been regarded as one of the most extraordinary parties of the 20th century, and as a high point in my life," Alexis de Redé recounts in ‘Alexis, the Memoirs of the Baron de Redé. "I'm regularly asked why I gave it, and I have to admit that there was no particular reason. I simply chose to throw a ball. The Oriental Ball, as well as my rare racing victories, made me well-known in Paris. It garnered a great deal of attention. I started planning it in March 1969, sent out invites in May, and the event was held on December 5th."

Jean-François Daigre, a discovery of Marie-Hélène’s, designed the evening. He had worked for Jacques Dupont. He had a vivid imagination, but a terrible temper, and there were dreadful rows between him and Marie-Hélène. He would suddenly lose his head and shout. ‘Do it yourself,’ and then storm off. There were so many flare-ups that it became nerve-wracking but as ever, it was all right on the night. I did not have those problems working with him. Daigre transformed the Lambert into an Eastern fantasy.

An unidentified woman and a man in oriental-inspired
costumes, accompanied by a costumed man carrying a parasol

Seated in the center, actress Odile Rodin Rubirosa, in costume
of oriental inspiration

Prince Karim Aga Khan IV and his wife Begum Salimah
Aga Khan

There were two huge white life-sized elephants made of papier maché in the courtyard. These were ornately dressed and a rider sat on top, under a golden canopy. At the bottom of the stairs, there were two Hindu musicians, a zither player in red and gold and a beauty in a turquoise sari, clinking cymbals. All the way up the staircase to the apartment, at suitable intervals, stood sixteen half-naked muscular men, hired from Paris gymnasiums, dressed as Nubian slaves, holding torches to guide the guests.

At the top, a figure in a black tunic and long black turban announced the guests in a reverberating voice. I greeted them as a Mogul prince, my costume designed by Pierre Cardin.

The Lambert itself was a fantasy reminiscent of the Thousand and One Nights. All about was the scent of jasmine and myrrh. The Hercules Gallery was filled with Turks, Arabs, Russians, Chinese, and Japanese. Turbans and false beards abounded.

Marie-Hélène came as a Siamese dancer, Johannes von Thurn and Taxis as a Hussar, and my favourite guest was the Vicomtesse de Bonchamps, an American living on Foch Avenue, who was born as Dale King. She came as a pagoda. She had to be brought to the ball in the back of a truck, as her costume was made out of metal. She could not sit down in the truck and she could not sit down at all until she took it off. You have to make a balance between enjoying the evening, or the impression you want to make, I am not sure she got it right.

Kenneth J. Lane, the jeweler, wore a turban of Russian sable skins, with wolf tails hanging from it and a huge cape made of Zorino skunk, trimmed with wolf fur. It was a warm night, so he may have suffered a bit.

Other guests included the Prince Karin Aga Khan, his wife Begum Salimah Aga Khan and the Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan, Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark and her husband Prince Henrik., Valerian Styx-Rybar, Jimmy Douglas, Clé-Clé de Maillé, Brigit Bardot, the Lowensteins, Salvador Dali, Amanda Lear and Bettina. One guest brought a baby panther in his arms.

Salvador Dali wearing a purple coat, a long wig with a crown
of golden leaves and holding a pair of face-to-hands, seated
with Amanda Lear, dressed in red

The singer Regine and her husband in oriental-inspired
costumes

Seated from left to right, applauding, Princess Margrethe of Denmark, baroness Marie-Hélène de Rothschild and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, Prince of Denmark

Clé-Clé de Maillé came to this ball. It was her last appearance in public. The next day she went to the clinic, where she died two weeks later. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer, but did not want to have the breast removed since her greatest joy in life was to sunbathe naked. So instead she took chemotherapy with distressing results.

Brigitte Bardot was almost naked but for strings of coins and a little black chiffon, as was the recently widowed Odile Rubirosa, of whom the press wrote, she arrived ‘all but nude, her bare bottom covered by a bit of silver chain mail (with great chinks in it) trough which Odile’s charms shone through. ‘Her costume was predictably audacious.”

I have a wonderful memory of the evening nonetheless, and its full splendour is recorded in a vast album, bound in leather and encrusted with semi-precious stones. with watercolour images of the décor and guests by Serebriakoff.

— excerpt from Alexis, the Memoirs of the Baron de Redé

Salvador Dali, Amanda Lear and Begum Aga Khan III

Princess Maria Pia de Savoy in a turban, chatting with Prince
Henri of Denmark and his wife Princess Margrethe of
Denmark, with Madame Vincente-Minnelli in a green
costume in the background

The Vicomtesse de Bonchamps arriving at the ball in
a pagoda-inspired costume

Brigitte Bardot dressed as an odalisque

A baby panther carried into the party

The baron, Alexis de Rede, the host of the ball, in
Cossack outfit