COUSIN OF KING ARRESTED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 67, Issue 235, 17 July 1947, Page 5

COUSIN OF KING ARRESTED

Action bv Police in New York (Rec. 9.30) NEW YORK, July 15. Lady Iris Mountbatten was arrested to-day on a fugitive warrant charging her with passing bad cheques in Washington. Lady Iris Mountbatten told the police that she did not think she was committing a crime. She explained that w r hen customers overdrew their accounts in England, the banks usually honoured their cheques by permitting an overdraft.

Lady Iris Mountbatten is a third cousin of King George VI, and has been in New York for several months. She gave her occupation as “publicity agent.”

The police went to her Park Avenue apartment to-day and read to her a warrant charging her with writing a bad cheque for 88 dollars 95 cents for the purchase of a dress in a Washington. shop on June 9. The warrant also charged that she passed two additional worthless cheques for about 100 dolLady Iris Mountbatten was taken to a police station to be finger-printed and photographed. The British Consul (Sir Francis Evans) went to the police station and talked with her. The Chief Magistrate, Mr Edward Bromberger, sitting in chambers, placed her on parole to the custody of the British Consul and her attorney, Mr Arthur Barker. Mr Barker told reporters: “Everything will be straightened out in Washington. It is merely a misunderstanding between American and British law.” Lady Iris’s full name is Iris Victoria Beatrice Grace Mountbatten O’Malley. She is 27 years of age. She was married in 1941 to Captain Hamilton O’Malley, of the Irish Guards, whom she later divorced.