Tragedies That Shook Royal Families Around The World

Prince Charles’ Great Uncle Was Killed By Terrorists

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Prince Charles was incredibly close to his father’s uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten. By all accounts, Mountbatten served as a guiding force for the young prince, a secondary father figure that helped him carve out his own way into the world.

Mountbatten was vacationing at Classiebawn Castle in Ireland on August 27, 1979, when he embarked on a fishing trip that would end his life. The evening prior to the trip, IRA member Thomas McMahon planted a bomb aboard the unguarded ship, detonating it when Mountbatten was on board the following day. The blast killed him, his 14-year-old grandson Nicholas Knatchbull and a young crew member, Paul Maxwell.