Mountbatten's great-grandson kidnapped in Corsica

>

Embed from Getty Images

Frederick Knatchbull, a great-grandson of the late Earl Mountbatten of Burma, has been "reportedly kidnapped by mobsters" in Corsica, according to The Sun.   This is a misleading headline as this alleged kidnapping did not happen recently.  The kidnapping took place during filming in Corsica, not in the last few days.

According to the Sun on Sunday, cast members were worried about what happened. "There were five burly men. They were intimidating and hostile and locked the doors of the 4x4 with Freddy inside. No one could get hold of him for ages."

One person connected with the program said: "It was hugely worrying because he’s the youngest but it all ended up OK.

"We had no idea what was going on and whether it was linked to money or he’d just said the wrong thing in French.

"It’s been kept under lock and key ever since."

 Neither The Sun nor the Daily Mail have reported the complete story.  We know Who, What, and Where, but not the How and Why parts. More information should come out in the next few days. 

       Embed from Getty Images

Freddy, a reality TV show Made in Chelsea member, is the elder son of former Curzon Cinema's CEO Hon. Philip Knatchbull and his second wife, Wendy Leach.  He has a younger brother, John, and two older half-sisters, Daisy and Phoebe. Daisy is the only child from Philip's first marriage to Atlanta Cowan.  Phoebe is Wendy's child from a previous relationship.  She was adopted by Philip,  the third son of Patricia, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and John, 7th Lord Brabourne.

 The Sun reports Freddy "was locked in a 4x4 by gang members,"  and taken away. Other members of the cast descended "into panic.

Last November, after Freddy joined the cast of Made in Chelsea, he was profiled by The Times.  He was asked if he was posh.  

"Oh my God, yes!  One hundred percent.  I've had a very posh upbringing and I'm not ashamed to say that,  You've just got to own it.  Tatler called me the king of SW3.  I'm going to take that."

He spoke to writer Julia Llewellyn Smith who asked him: "What was the poshest thing he's done?"

"That's such a good question. Lots of stuff, I mean, obviously I've met the King and Queen.  The first time I met the King I forgot to bow.  I just shook his hand.  I was 12.  I realized ten minutes later and was like, Oh, sh*t."

Freddy is one of three cast members who live in Chelsea.  "And that's because I live with my parents.  When I move out I'll be in Peckham but I'll still be having a good time." 

He attended Garden House School before heading to Ludgrove and Radley College, an all-boys boarding school in Oxfordshire.  

"I didn't like it was single-sex, but my parents knew I wouldn't work if there were girls in the class and they were right. I'm not really a school guy to be honest, but I got through it," Freddy told The Times.

He was accepted at Newcastle University but dropped out after two terms after he had been "scouted by Select Model Management while walking down Oxford Street."  

"I wasn't going to use a sociology degree. I just wanted to grab this opportunity and go with it." 

Frederick Michael Hubert Knatchbull was born on June 6, 2003, at the Portland Hospital, London.  The Times profile incorrectly states he was born at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.  He was born in the Portland Hospital.

Embed from Getty Images

In September 2023, he was profiled by Tatler magazine. He spoke about his great-grandfather, Louis, 1st Earl Mountbatten.  "I can't say too much, but from what I was told, he had the most amazing life -- that filters down through to my parents, aunts, uncles, and us.  We all feel very connected to his legacy.  And, of course, he was very inspirational.  He was a great man."

https://www.selectmodel.com/london/model/freddy-knatchbull

 Victoria - Alice - Victoria - Louis - Patricia - Philip - Freddy

Victoria - Edward -George - Albert - Elizabeth - Charles

Freddy Knatchbull and King Charles III are fourth cousins once removed.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/27162659/freddy-knatchbull-made-in-chelsea-kidnap/