‘The Crown’ season three is all set to bring the curtains down on Queen Elizabeth II’s reign from 1964 to 1970. Spelling intrigue with delightful tales of British Royals, the first two seasons brought myriad characters to the fore, unleashing some lesser-known facts about each member of the family. One fascinating character from the lot was Uncle Dickie—Prince Philip’s close relative Lord Louis Mountbatten. Yes, he was the last Viceroy of British India!
While English actor Greg Wise portrayed him in the first two seasons, there is heavy speculation that ‘Game of Thrones’ actor Charles Dance, known for his role as Tywin Lannister in the series, will now succeed Wise as Lord Mountbatten. Even though there is no official confirmation from the makers yet, social media is abuzz with the news. “He’ll be stepping into the shoes of Prince Charles’ favorite great-uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten,” one user wrote on Reddit. Meanwhile, a picture posted on Twitter seemed to be a sneak peek of Dance from the sets of ‘The Crown’.
If the news turns out to be true, there is much reason to celebrate as Dance is known for his brilliant stint in movies like ‘The Jewel in the Crown’ (1984), ‘The Golden Child’ (1986) and ‘Alien 3’ (1992) as well as ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ (2019).
While he steps into the shoes of Lord Mountbatten, there’s quite a bit that he can bring to light. It is no secret that he reveled in quite a colorful life. Here are some of the aspects of his character to which the actor could add more shades.
Prince Charles’ loving mentor
As seen through seasons one and two, Prince Charles was closest to his grand-uncle Lord Mountbatten and shared the most details about his life with him. “I admire him almost more than anybody else I know,” Charles once said and referred him as an “honorary grandfather”. Not only did Mountbatten help Charles with his school life but also mentored him through his adolescence when he had just started dating girls.
He also encouraged the Prince to enjoy the bachelor life while he finds a young and inexperienced girl so as to ensure a stable married life. It will be interesting to see if the show steals a glance at Lord Mountbatten’s involvement in Prince Charles’ early romance with Camilla.
A marriage of convenience
His marriage to Lady Edwina Ashley Mountbatten has been in the limelight for quite a long time. In a particular scene from season one, Uncle Dickie tells Elizabeth: “You married a wild spirit—we both did. Trying to tame them is no use. Of course, I considered ending it,” he continues. “Then I imagined how thin, how poor life would be. I realized, when you really adore someone, as fully and as hopelessly as I think you and I do, you put up with anything.”
While Edwina’s alleged affair with Jawahar Lal Nehru is much talked about, Louis was not one to sit and sulk. He is rumored to have maintained an affair with Yola Letellier, the wife of Henri Letellier, the publisher of Le Journal. Reportedly, one of his famous quotes goes like: “Edwina and I spent all our married lives getting into other people’s beds.”
Fatal death
At the age of 79, Lord Mountbatten lost his life in a terrorist attack by the Irish Republican Army in August 1979. According to several reports, his fishing boat Shadow V was blown up off the coast of the Republic of Ireland by a bomb. Along with him, three others died on the ship. According to the New York Times, a witness described the incident: “The boat was there one minute and the next minute it was like a lot of matchsticks floating on the water.”
In an open threat, the IRA even took responsibility and published a statement to continue the “noble struggle to drive the British intruders out of our native land.” It is yet to be seen if his death will be a part of the third season or whether it would be stretched to season four.
It is speculated that ‘The Crown’ season three will premiere on Netflix in November following a Tobias Menzies’ slip-up in an interview. Time will tell how well Charles Dance portrays Lord Mountbatten in the show.
