Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, received numerous titles, decorations and honorary appointments during his time as Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia Command, in the Second World War, the last Viceroy and Governor-General of India, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, Chief of the Defence Staff, and due to his close relation to the British royal family and numerous other European royal families.
Where two dates are shown, the first indicates the date of receiving the title or award (the title of Prince Louis of Battenberg being given as from his birth) and the second indicates the date of its loss, renunciation or when its use was discontinued.
Royal and noble titles and styles
25 June 1900 – 14 July 1917: His Serene Highness Prince Louis of Battenberg
14 July 1917 – 7 November 1917: Louis Mountbatten, Esq. 7 November 1917 – 23 August 1946: Lord Louis Mountbatten 23 August 1946 – 21 February 1947: The Right Honourable The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma 21 February 1947 – 15 August 1947: His Excellency The Right Honourable The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, Viceroy and Governor-General of India 15 August 1947 – 28 October 1947: His Excellency The Right Honourable The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, Governor-General of India 28 October 1947 – 21 June 1948: His Excellency The Right Honourable The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Governor-General of India 21 June 1948 – 27 August 1979: The Right Honourable The Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Mountbatten was born a prince of Battenberg, a morganatic cadet branch of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, with the style of Serene Highness. On 14 July 1917, his father, Prince Louis of Battenberg, dropped his German princely title due to anti-German feelings prevalent in Britain during World War I. Members of the Battenberg family living in Britain took the anglicized surname Mountbatten. Until his father was created Marquess of Milford Haven on 7 November 1917, Mountbatten had no title besides his military rank. From then he had the courtesy title Lord prefixed to his Christian name. He continued being styled as such until being raised to the peerage himself, first as Viscount Mountbatten of Burma on 23 August 1946 and later as Earl Mountbatten of Burma, both with the style of The Right Honourable, on 28 October 1947. From 21 February 1947 to 21 June 1948, he carried the additional style of Excellency by virtue of his Indian viceregal positions.
Naval ranks
Royal Navy
15 July 1916: Midshipman
15 January 1919: Sub-Lieutenant
15 April 1920: Lieutenant
15 April 1928: Lieutenant-Commander
31 December 1932: Commander
30 June 1937: Captain
2 January 1946: Rear Admiral
22 June 1949: Vice-Admiral
27 January 1953: Admiral
22 October 1956: Admiral of the Fleet
Commonwealth honours
British Empire/Commonwealth realms
Appointments (Shown in order in which appointments were made, not order of precedence)
Decorations (Shown in order in which appointments were made, not order of precedence)
Other commonwealth countries
Appointments (Shown in order in which appointments were made, not order of precedence)
Decorations (Shown in order in which appointments were made, not order of precedence)
Foreign honours
Appointments (Shown in order in which appointments were made, not order of precedence)
Decorations (Shown in order in which appointments were made, not order of precedence)
Wear of orders, decorations, and medals
Awards that were worn regularly by Mountbatten are noted in the above tables and were worn in accordance with customary British conventions applicable to the occasion, the location and to the form of dress worn. Awards not specifically noted were worn by Mountbatten on appropriate occasions relating to the country that made the award, again in accordance with UK conventions. The ribbons worn by Mountbatten at the time of his death were as follows: Displayed as they would be worn on a uniform shirt.