Lady Mountbatten

Short Biography

The Lady Iris Mountbatten (Iris Victoria Beatrice Grace Mountbatten) was born in Kensington Palace, London on 13 January 1920, the only child of Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, eldest of three sons and one daughter of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg. Her Mother, the Marchioness of Carisbrooke GBE (1938), DJStJ, Order of Queen Maria Luisa, was born Lady Irene Francis Adza Denison (4 July 1890 – 16 July 1956) the only daughter of William Francis Henry Denison, 2nd Earl of Londesborough and Lady Grace Adelaide Fane (3 October 1860 – 13 June 1933), a daughter of Francis William Henry Fane, 12th Earl of Westmorland.Lord Carisbrooke's only sister Ena was Queen consort to King Alfonso XIII of Spain, thus making Lady Iris a first cousin of the Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, father of the present King, Juan Carlos I of Spain. Lady Carisbrooke had two brothers of whom only one, Hugo William Cecil Denison, 4th and last Earl of Londesborough, was married. He and his wife had one child, Iris's only maternal first cousin, Lady Zinnia Rosemary Denison (25 November 1937 – 13 July 1997) a keen equestrian and Master of the Whaddon Chase Hunt 1982-84. 'The Lady Zinnia Judd Challenge Trophy' named in memory of her, is presented in the Hunter Championship for the 'Best Hunter in Show' at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.On 29 November 1934, Iris was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousins Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark and Prince George, Duke of Kent. On 4 September 1935, at St. Oswald's Church, Blankney, Lincolnshire, she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her uncle Lord Londesborough to Marigold Rosemary Joyce Lubbock (15 May 1903 – 15 May 1976). On 12 May 1937 at their coronation, Iris was one of the six train bearers to Queen Elizabeth, wife and consort of her cousin King George VI.She attended a variety of royal and aristocratic events in her youth, being a well known and much photographed débutante. During World War II she worked as a nurse's aide, later moving to the United States, socialising and becoming an actress and model, appearing as a hostess in a live variety show and children's programme 'Versatile Varieties'. She also appeared endorsing Pond's Creams and Warrens Mint c*cktail Gum. A goddaughter was Sharon McCluskey (daughter of Ellen Lehman McCluskey of the Lehman family), later Sharon, Countess Sondes, second wife of Henry Milles-Lade, 5th Earl Sondes.She married three times:On 29 January 1941 at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, Haywards Heath to Captain (later Major) Hamilton Joseph Keyes O'Malley (after an engagement formally announced in The Times 18 January 1941) born 18 October 1910, in Farnborough House (Army Barracks) in Aldershot, Farnborough, Hampshire 'Chief of the Name' of the Irish Guards, educated Downside, eldest son of Lt Col Middleton Joseph O'Malley (later O'Malley-Keyes, son of Middleton Joseph Moore O'Malley, Justice of the Peace) and of Jane Byrnes O'Malley, formerly Malley, only daughter of Businessman Edward Malley of New Haven in Connecticut (married 19 October 1909 in New York), of Ross House, Westport, in Connaught and of Castille Meretmont in Biarritz in France. Commanding Officer Giles Vandeleur attended the wedding (as best-man and Army comrade of Hamilton O'Malley). They divorced in July 1946 and Lady Iris formerly reverted to her maiden name of Mountbatten by Deed poll dated 7 January 1949.On 5 May 1957 at Pound Ridge, New York to Michael Neely Bryan (9 August 1916, Byhalia, Mississippi - 20 August 1972, Glendale, California) son of James R Bryan and Laura A Neely, an American jazz musician. They divorced months later in 1957.On 11 December 1965 to William Alexander Kemp (10 July 1921 – 12 December 1991) son of Clarence Arthur Kemp and Helen Janet Ballantyne, a Canadian actor and announcer.Lady Iris died on 1 September 1982 at Wellesley Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The cause of death was a brain tumour. Her ashes were brought to the Isle of Wight for interment in the Battenberg Chapel at St. Mildred's Church, Whippingham.She had only one child, a son by her second marriage: Robin Alexander Bryan (born in New York City, New York, on 20 December 1957) He has three children:by Louise Houle: Edward Curtis Houle, born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1979by Arizona N?: Faith Bryan, born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1979by Pamela Jean Foster: Elijha Alexander Bryan, born in Toronto, Ontario, on 14 May 1995.