Daughter Of The Empire My Life As A Mountbatten (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
A full and interesting view of the lives of British Royalty.Pamela's life as a young girl growing up is less than traditional with a father a naval officer traveling the world, and a mother who was unique in many ways. Raised primarily by nanny's as a young girl she did travel to Malta and India which definitely left an impact on the woman she became.Later, as a lady-in-waiting for Queen Elizabeth II she traveled the world with the Queen and Prince Philip for 6 months.Many fascinating insights of royal life were shared. I picked this up because of my interest in the British royal family (Pamela Mountbatten Hicks is the daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten and Prince Philip's first cousin). The book covers her life from birth to her mid-twenties. Due to her unusual, unique parents--who traveled the world and freely took lovers--and extended relatives, Pamela had a rather odd upbringing, with periods of typical upper-class British nannies and boarding school alternating with stretches of near-abandonment (placed with oddball friends, relations and acquaintances in Portugal, Hungary, Germany, and the U.S.). The most interesting aspects of the memoir occur between 1947-1954, when Pamela joined her parents in India as Lord Mountbatten coordinated its independence efforts, then served as lady-in-waiting to Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth. Pamela is clearly an introvert and seems to be writing primarily for her children; a number of references are puzzling and unexplained. She is reserved and avoids analysis or introspection. (There's a fleeting reference at the book's end to suffering through depression in the late 1950's, but it's quickly glossed over.) Consequently, "Daughter of Empire" has only mild appeal.
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