Sinn Fein leader apologises for the death of Lord Mountbatten following Prince Philip's funeral

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Harry Yorke
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Mary Lou McDonald
Mary Lou McDonald

The leader of Sinn Fein has said she is sorry for the murder of Lord Mountbatten at the hands of the IRA following the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Mary Lou McDonald, the President of the republican party, said the death of the Duke’s uncle in 1979 was “heartbreaking” and that it was her responsibility to “lead from the front”.

Her comments represent a significant shift from her predecessor Gerry Adams, who expressed regret over the assassination but refused to retract his claims that Lord Mountbatten knew the risk of travelling to Ireland.

Lord Mountbatten was killed in 1979 while holidaying at his summer home Classiebawn Castle.

His boat was blown up by the IRA using a bomb that had been placed on the vessel. The explosion also killed Lady Doreen Brabourne, the 83-year-old mother-in-law of the earl's daughter, his 14-year-old grandson Nicholas Knatchbull, and 14-year-old Paul Maxwell, from Killynure, Enniskillen.

The IRA maintained that Lord Mountbatten was a legitimate target.

However, when asked if she would apologise to the Prince of Wales for the death of his great uncle, Ms McDonald told Times Radio: "The army and armed forces associated with Prince Charles carried out many, many violent actions on our island.

"I can say of course I am sorry that happened. Of course, that is heartbreaking. My job, and I think that Prince Charles and others would absolutely appreciate this, my job is to lead from the front, now, in these times.

“I believe it is all our jobs to ensure that no other child, no other family, no matter who they are, suffers the same trauma and heartbreak that was all too common on all sides of this island and beyond.

“I have an absolute responsibility to make sure that no family faces that again and I am happy to reiterate that on the weekend that your Queen buried her beloved husband."

Earl Mountbatten of Burma with his nephew Prince Philip  -  Central Press/Getty Image
Earl Mountbatten of Burma with his nephew Prince Philip - Central Press/Getty Image

It comes six years after Mr Adams met Prince Charles at a historic meeting at the National University of Ireland in Galway, during which he insisted he stood by his comments that Lord Mountbatten “knew the danger.”

Speaking afterwards, Mr Adams said: “"Both he and we expressed our regret for what happened from 1968 onwards.

"We were of a common mind and the fact that the meeting took place, it obviously was a big thing for him to do and a big thing for us to do.

"He and his family were hurt and suffered great loss by the actions of Irish republicans. I am very conscious of this and of the sad loss of the Maxwell family, whose son Paul was killed at Mullaghmore, and I thank all involved, including Charles, for their forbearance.”

However, when asked about his previous comments about Lord Mountbatten, he added: “I stand over what I said then. I'm not one of those people that engages in revisionism. Thankfully the war is over.”

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