In an auction in the UK, 350 personal items of Patricia Mountbatten, the eldest daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten – the last British viceroy of India, were sold.
In the collection of those 350 items, a diamond bracelet and some jewelled decorative elephants made in Jaipur were also auctioned. They were some parts of the Indian heirlooms that have made it to the collection. The auction fetched nearly around 5.6 million British pounds.
The Sotheby’s online auction earlier this week had estimates of up to 100,000 British pounds.
Bidders from across the world lined up to bid for the items inherited from her ancestors sharing connections with India, and many other countries.
“Lady Mountbatten’s residence, Newhouse, was a private place for entertaining only the closest of family and friends, capturing all the magic of a stately home on an intimate scale,” said Harry Dalmeny, Sotheby’s Chairman, UK & Ireland.
“Through her belongings, many passed down from members of the extended family over the years, collectors have the chance to see the story of the 20th century unfold and acquire evocative vestiges of a glittering way of life,” he said, as reported by news agency PTI.
Patricia Mountbatten’s Indian connection was not just as the daughter of Lord and Lady Mountbatten but also on her husband John Knatchbull’s side of the family as his father, Michael Knatchbull, spent four months as India’s youngest Viceroy in 1938.
She was also the Second Countess Mountbatten of Burma and had a strong connection with the Royal family, as the great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and first cousin to Prince Philip.
(With Agency Inputs)