Regular carriage rides: Prince Philip with close friend Lord Brabourne, who has left England for the Bahamas, and his wife Lady BrabourneLady Brabourne is a regular companion on carriage drives with the Duke of Edinburgh, who is her husband’s first cousin once removed.
One of Britain’s grandest country houses, Broadlands has been in Lord Brabourne’s family for generations.
But last night there was a growing mystery over why the baron, one of Prince Charles’s closest childhood friends, has left it for a new life in the Bahamas.
It is claimed that the running of the £100million estate has been left to his wife of 30 years, Penelope.
The ‘sudden’ unexplained exit of Norton Knatchbull, the 62-year-old heir to the Mountbatten dynasty, six weeks ago has left staff at the 60-bedroom Hampshire manor stunned.
Earlier in the summer, Lady Brabourne, 57, allegedly called all workers on the 5,000-acre estate to an emergency summit and told them that her husband was at that moment ‘in the air’ on his way to the Bahamas and would not be returning.
She said she would continue to run the family seat single-handedly. A source told the Mail on Sunday: ‘Lady Brabourne called a meeting for every member of staff. That sort of thing only happens when something very serious has taken place. ‘Everyone was in shock when she announced that Lord Brabourne had left the country and she was now in charge of running the estate.
‘She said that she had no intention of leaving. It is her home, and the tomb of their daughter Leonora, who died of leukaemia when she was five, is in the grounds of Broadlands. Lady Brabourne looks at the tomb every day – she would never leave .
Historic: The £100million, 60-bedroom Broadlands estate that Lord Brabourne has left behind 
Friendship: Prince Philip with Lady Brabourne, who it is understood has been left with the running of her husband's £100million estate ‘The staff have all been stunned by the news that Lord Brabourne has left and is not coming back. ‘Lady Brabourne offered no reason for Lord Brabourne leaving, and there are lots of rumours flying around Broadlands over hi s sudden departure.’
Lord Brabourne, the 8th Baron of Brabourne and formerly Lord Romsey, was a childhood mentor and friend to the Prince of Wales.
In 1979 he suffered a double tragedy when his grandfather Lord Mountbatten of Burma and his teenage brother Nicholas were killed in an IRA attack on their boat.
Mystery: Lord Brabourne left his country estate six weeks ago and his family have given no explanation for his departure He married Penelope Eastwood, daughter of the co-founder of the Angus Steakhouse chain, months later and the couple had three children.
Their son Nicholas Knatchbull, 28, should inherit Broadlands but the Mail revealed last year that he has battled with drug abuse and he could get nothing of the family fortune, with his sister Alexandra taking over the estate instead.
Broadlands was home to Lord Mountbatten of Burma as well as the 19th-century prime minister Lord Palmerston.
Charles and Diana honeymooned at the Grade I-listed stately home, as did the Queen and Prince Philip, who shoot there three times a year.
The house holds a unique collection of antiques and paintings, including three paintings by Van Dyck, but is closed to the public for refurbishment and asbestos removal until next year.
Lady Brabourne is thought to be living temporarily at a second home in Mersham, Kent. The Brabourne family knows the Bahamas well.
They own a five-bedroom house on Windermere Island, which is private.
The remote spot is five-miles long with a club, swimming pool and tennis courts. The couple once hosted Charles and Diana on the islet, which is accessed over a short, guarded bridge from a neighbouring island.
Lady Brabourne was not thought to be at Broadlands last week, though locals in Romsey have been talking openly about her husband’s departure. Richard Jordan-Baker, the director of estates at Broadlands, said: ‘Lady Brabourne has no comment to make.’
source :dailymail
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