The Life and Times of Lord Louis Mountbatten: Ep10 - Fresh Fields (1947-1955)

Louis Mountbatten was inaugurated as the first Governor General of India, immediately confronting the significant challenges arising from the partition of the country. In response to the escalating crisis, Nehru's administration appointed him as the chairman of an emergency committee tasked with addressing the deteriorating circumstances. Although the situation eventually saw some improvement, the refusal of three states, particularly Kashmir, to accede created a lasting issue that would persist for years to come.

In November 1947, Mountbatten traveled back to England to attend the wedding of his nephew Philip to Princess Elizabeth. Upon his return to India, he participated in the funeral of Mahatma Gandhi following his assassination by a Hindu extremist. By June 1948, Mountbatten relinquished his position as Governor General to Rajaji Chakravarti Rajagopalachari and returned to an England that was somewhat unwelcoming. He rejoined the Navy in Malta, where he was under the command of some of his former subordinates, and began his ascent through the ranks, achieving the position of Vice Admiral in 1949, 4th Sea Lord in 1950, Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean in 1952, and ultimately Commander in Chief of Allied Forces in the Mediterranean by 1953. He concluded his command tour in Malta in December 1954.