• Daughter of Empire

  • My Life as a Mountbatten
  • By: Pamela Hicks
  • Narrated by: Corrie James
  • Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (261 ratings)

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Daughter of Empire  By  cover art

Daughter of Empire

By: Pamela Hicks
Narrated by: Corrie James
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Publisher's summary

Few families can boast of not one but two saints among their ancestors, a great-aunt who was the last tsarina of Russia, a father who was Grace Kelly's pinup, and a grandmother who was not only a princess but could also argue the finer points of naval law. Pamela Mountbatten entered a remarkable family when she was born at the very end of the Roaring Twenties.

As the younger daughter of the glamorous heiress Edwina Ashley and Lord Louis Mountbatten, Pamela spent much of her early life with her sister, nannies, and servants-and a menagerie that included, at different times, a bear, two wallabies, a mongoose, and a lion. Her parents each had lovers who lived openly with the family. The house was always full of guests like Sir Winston Churchill, Noël Coward, Douglas Fairbanks, and the Duchess of Windsor (who brought a cold cooked chicken as a hostess gift).

When World War II broke out, Lord Mountbatten was in command of HMS Kelly before being appointed chief of Combined Operations, and Pamela and her sister were sent to live on Fifth Avenue in New York City with Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt. In 1947, her parents were appointed to be the last viceroy and vicereine of India and oversee the transfer of power to an independent Indian government.

Amid the turmoil of political change, Pamela worked with student leaders, developed warm friendships with Gandhi and Nehru, and witnessed both the joy of Independence Day and its terrible aftermath. Soon afterwards, she was a bridesmaid in Princess Elizabeth's wedding to Prince Philip, and was a lady-in-waiting at the young princess's side when she learned her father had died and she was queen.Vivid and engaging, well-paced and superbly detailed, this witty, intimate memoir is an enchanting lens through which to view the early part of the twentieth century.

©2012 Pamela Hicks (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Lady Pamela's memoir will appeal to those who like to take a peek into the lifestyles of the royal and famous." ( Booklist)

What listeners say about Daughter of Empire

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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully Impressive Narrative of Aristocracy

Here is a completely decorous and highly affluent biography of a supremely beautiful, wondrous woman within the ornament of British high society. This audiobook is a delightful composition of elite adventure, authentic detail and the prettiest conditioning. The author, Lady Pamela Hicks, has a brilliant mind for detail and seemingly effortless ability to entertain majestic interests. I listened to her audible story over a pot of Afternoon Tea at consistent sessions by hour and chapter amazed at the sublime accommodation. Such work as is, in my estimation, excellent for sophisticated occasions. I am proud to have found this audiobook for accompaniment to my choice of polite setting and socializing. The narrator, Corrie James, does a marvelous work of pronunciation and intonation in her thorough support of a magnificent literature. Well done, highly recommendable audiobook on all accounts.

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10 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

Royalty Buffs

Enjoyable modern history especially for those with a fascination for the Royal family of England. The author led an interesting life; met interesting people who were world leaders if the time and describes those people's as well as her parents' personalities and psychological make up with an astute understanding. A very interesting read if you already have a bit of an understanding and an interest in the Royal family.

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8 people found this helpful

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A MUST read if you love all things British!!!!

I have adored Lady Pamela Hicks for years, love watching any documentary with her in it. This book is wonderful, she has lived through soo much history (a front row seat in some cases). This book will definitely go into the re-listen category as I did not want her tale to end. I do hope that she writes another book about the second chapter of her life as I believe its just as interesting as the first part.

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5 people found this helpful

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Long

This book is long an boring, I struggled to get through the entire book. Read 2 books before I finished this one. Not interesting at all.

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4 people found this helpful

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Boring

I wanted to like this. I wanted to know more about the Mountbatten family. The book feels as if it were written by a junior high school student. It isn't necessarily poorly written, rather it managed to make the life of the Mountbattend uninteresting. To be fair it might well have become interesting, it just couldn't stick with it.

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4 people found this helpful

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A peek into history.

Lovely piece of history. From a personal point of view. Too much lord this and lady that. But, once she arrives in India it becomes much more interesting.

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4 people found this helpful

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A life incomparable... fascinating

A wonderful book. Though I believe this book only scratches the surfaces of the fascinating life the Hon. Pamela Hicks. I’d absolutely adore being stuck next Mrs. Hicks on a long haul flight; the stories she could tell. It was an honor having a small window into the life of an extraordinary woman who witnessed such extraordinary historic moments.

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3 people found this helpful

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Splendid Lady!

Gracious, intelligent and kind, Lady Pamela tells a beautiful story filled with history and insight.

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2 people found this helpful

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Loved listening to the “Daughter of Empire”

I loved hearing Lady Pamela Mountbatten Hicks story. What an interesting time she lived it. Hard to even imagine. Having seen her several times on royal family documentaries in late life and reading about her parents unusual life I found it fascinating her take on it all. I wish it did not end so early in her long life.
I also found it interesting hearing the reality of some of the events portrayed on “The Crown” such as The Queens wedding, the Commonwealth tour the Queen and Prince Phillip embarked on and was cut short with the death of the King. The coronation. She was right there.
She lived a life a great privilege but also unusual events with unusual parents. Wonderful to read about with a front row to history.

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1 person found this helpful

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Interesting!

This was an interesting story told by someone with a unique point of observation. Worth the read

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