Latest news with #LordMountbatten
News18
18-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
GK: What Was The 1947 British Law That Declared India's Independence?
On 18 July 1947, the British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act, setting the stage for India's freedom. On this day, 18 July 1947, history turned a decisive page. With the passage of the Indian Independence Act in the British Parliament, the legal foundation was laid for the end of colonial rule in India. The legislation, approved by then-British monarch King George VI, marked a watershed moment in the subcontinent's political history. With this Act, the stage was set for the creation of two sovereign nations — India and Pakistan — which officially came into being less than a month later, on 15 August 1947. A Landmark Decision In Parliament The Indian Independence Act was a direct outcome of the Mountbatten Plan, proposed on 3 June 1947. It was introduced in the British Parliament on 4 July and received royal assent just 14 days later, highlighting the urgency and significance the British government accorded to Indian self-rule. The Act proposed the partition of British India into two dominions — India and Pakistan — and granted them the power to frame their own constitutions. It also nullified the authority of the British Parliament over Indian laws, ending imperial legislative control. Importantly, the Act gave Indian princely states the freedom to choose whether they wished to accede to India, Pakistan, or remain independent. The legislation fixed 15 August 1947 as the date for full independence, ushering in a new era. Lord Mountbatten was appointed the first Governor-General of independent India, and Jawaharlal Nehru took charge as the country's first Prime Minister. The end of the Second World War had significantly weakened Britain, both economically and militarily. At the same time, India's independence movement, led by towering figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, and Sardar Patel, had reached its peak. The growing unrest and united demand for freedom became impossible for the British to ignore. A lack of consensus between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League over the future governance structure led to the proposal for partition. On 14 June 1947, the Congress Working Committee approved the Mountbatten Plan, effectively clearing the path for the historic law. Other Major Events On 18 July In History While 18 July 1947 remains central to India's journey to freedom, the date has witnessed several other notable global milestones: 1857: Establishment of the University of Bombay (now the University of Mumbai), one of India's oldest higher education institutions. 1918: Birth of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's anti-apartheid hero and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. 1955: For the first time in history, electricity generated from nuclear energy was sold commercially — a major leap in scientific and technological progress. As the nation reflects on 18 July, it remembers not just the passing of a law but the culmination of decades of struggle, sacrifice, and unyielding hope. The Indian Independence Act remains a powerful reminder of a hard-won freedom achieved through unity, resilience, and the dreams of millions. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Lord Mountbatten's great-granddaughter Maddison May Brudenell says the royal family DO watch The Crown after all - and reveals what they really think about it
As the great-granddaughter of Lord Mountbatten, her family are deemed more royal than the royals. However, new mother Maddison May Brudenell admits that they haven't been able to resist tuning in to watch their lives be played out on The Crown. The British royal family has insisted they don't watch the Netflix series, which documents the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II and recreates highly personal events. Earl Spencer, Princess Diana 's brother, previously revealed he felt uneasy watching his sister's depiction in the drama and that he feared viewers will 'forget it is fiction'. But the King's former communications director Kristina Kyriacou has admitted that Queen Camilla 'definitely' watches the show, though it does not 'tickle' Charles's fancy. Speaking to FEMAIL at Tilly Wood's Aja Botanicals event at Gold Notting Hill, Maddison, 31, confirmed once and for all that her family does watch the show - and revealed what they really think about it. 'We've watched a little bit, but my grandmother [Lady Pamela Hicks] says it's very dramatised. I prefer to read my grandmother's anecdotes, and speak with her,' she shared. However, though she admitted it's 'surreal' to watch, she also said she feels the 'responsibility' of having such a heritage. She continued: 'It's always made me want to take my place in this world very seriously, so I take great consideration over the actions and the choices that I make. 'I think it's the privilege - I don't take that for granted. I think there is a lot of people in this world who are wonderful, kind and great people, but they don't have that opportunity that I have, so I want to ensure that I don't negate that opportunity to speak and to be able to make a difference.' Maddison recently welcomed baby number four in August after splitting from her first husband, and remarried Canadian welder Bret Kapetanov in October. Speaking about baby Michael, she said he's been 'sleeping fantastically and I'm really glad', but did say 'for now we're done [having children]. She laughed: 'I've actually been taking some guidance from Taking Cara Babies on Instagram, and she has some fantastic tips. I think the experience helps once you've done it so many times.' As for her famous relatives, she hinted that she doesn't often see King Charles. 'He's a very busy man, but my brother is his godson. We're just in the throes of young family life, and that's the reality,' she said. The former Ralph Lauren model shares three children with DJ Olaoluwa Modupe-Ojo and was in the midst of their divorce when she met welder Bret during a trip to Ontario. Within months of that first meeting, Bret relocated to the UK and proposed to Maddison in June 2023. In an interview with Hello!, Maddison explained how she was in labour for 40 hours with their son Michael Adam at the family home. She opened up about her dramatic home birth, which saw her rushed to hospital after a 40-hour labour. She explained: 'I lifted him out of the water and held him to my chest, and then I heard a snap, it was very alarming. 'Michael went white and then the midwives took over; then the ambulances and paramedics arrived.' Umbilical cord breakage is a severe childbirth complication and usually is the result of compression caused by vasa previa, where blood vessels block the birth canal. Alternatively, it can also be caused by a umbilical cord prolapse - where the cord drops through the birth canal before the baby. Although the mother did not explain why her umbilical cord broke, Maddison and Michael were subsequently hospitalised - but both mother and son appear to have made a full recovery. Maddison has revealed she was in labour for 40 hours with their son Michael Adam (pictured) at the family home Posting on her Instagram Stories, Maddison said: 'I thought my fourth baby would be my easiest. This labour really surprised me.' Elsewhere in the interview, Maddison - who is the granddaughter of Lady Pamela Hicks - revealed that she had named her youngest son after her grandfather Michael Brudenell, who was a royal obstetrician. Maddison's grandfather delivered all of the late Queen's children and died in March 2015, just two weeks before his 90th birthday. Despite their wildly different backgrounds, Maddison revealed her family has been very welcoming towards her husband-to-be - and says Lady Pamela is 'very proud to call Bret her new grandson-in-law'. She added: 'He had a very different upbringing to me, working on the farm and going to work before school and after school. In that regard, he's a gentleman, and he knows how to treat a woman, and he knows how to respect his elders. He's shown Grandmama nothing but respect, and she holds him in high regard because of it.' Maddison, the daughter of actor Jeremy Brudenell and Edwina Hicks, married Modupe-Ojo - whose stage name is Jazz Purple - in 2015. Maddison's great-grandfather was King Charles's beloved great-uncle, the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. She explained that she bonded with Modupe-Ojo, who grew up in Manchester, through music and their marriage came as a surprise to Maddison's peers. 'I fell in love with his work, and I started attending concerts, but it wasn't until a year later that we got together,' she said. 'We ran away and eloped in a small family wedding. Our children are blessed to have the most wonderful dual heritage.' She had followed her mother's footsteps into the fashion business when she was signed as a model by the agency Storm at the age of 16. She has worked for the likes of Ralph Lauren and Belstaff. Now a 'well-being' advocate, she says entering the business so young affected her mental health. 'I was depressed, anxious, feeling pressure in the industry to keep my weight down, to party,' she said. 'I was addicted to drugs and battling an eating disorder.' Maddison attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022. Her grandmother, Lord Mountbatten's daughter Lady Pamela, is one of the Queen's two surviving bridesmaids and a former lady-in-waiting. Maddison has fond memories of the Queen Mother, whom she stood next to on the Buckingham Palace balcony after watching Trooping the Colour. 'I'd not had such an awesome experience before,' she recalled. 'I remember her turning to me and saying, "There are a lot of horses, aren't there? How many do you think?" I was sort of gobsmacked, I guess, I just replied, "I don't know".' Maddison added: 'I was always told to regard our family with importance.' Maddison's great-grandfather Lord Mountbatten was assassinated in August 1979 when an IRA bomb went off shortly after he departed the fishing village of Mullaghmore in his boat.
