An Indian diamond bracelet once owned by Queen Victoria and a pair of bejewelled elephants from 1946 Jaipur are among an assortment of 350 antiques belonging to the late Patricia Edwina Victoria Mountbatten — daughter of Britain’s last Viceroy of India Louis Mountbatten — that will be sold at Sotheby’s London on March 24.
The collection from Newhouse Manor, the 16th-century English home of Patricia and her husband John Knatchbull, includes various curios that offer a peek into the family’s connections with 20th century India.
Born in 1924, Patricia was known for her “unwavering perseverance and beguiling sense of humour”.
At age 19, she entered the Women’s Royal Navy Service where she met and fell in love with John Knatchbull, 7th Lord Brabourne — an encounter that sparked an almost sixty-year marriage. John had worked for Louis in India as a captain in the armed forces before becoming an Academy-Award-nominated film producer .
Other attractions include an Indian diamond set and enamelled gold bracelet that includes a portrait of Queen Victoria’s husband Albert as a child.
Another highlight is a pair of jewelled gold and enamel elephants from Jaipur, a gift from Lord Mountbatten to his wife Edwina commemorating their 24th wedding anniversary in 1946.
The elephants are engraved on the base with words ‘Edwina from Dickie’ in Louis’ handwriting. Other objects of interest include an Anglo-Indian inlaid bureau, a set of India-inspired Art Deco dress clips, earrings and a ring.
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India, a rare Anglo-Indian order that could only be bestowed by the monarch to a female recipient. The last one — a diamond, pearl and turquoise-set decoration — would have been worn at state occasions by Patricia’s mother-in-law, Doreen. The only person who still wears this Order today is Queen Elizabeth II.