Empire: World History - The Scandal That Shaped Partition: The Affair

Episode Date: May 19, 2026

**Unlock the full episode and the complete members’ miniseries by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com** How did Edwina Mountbatten literally fall into the arms of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946? Who was Subhas Chandra Bose and why did he travel to Nazi Germany? How did Louis Mountbatten also become close with Nehru and in what way did this change Indian politics? In Episode 3 of Empire’s first members’ miniseries, Anita is joined once again by Alex Von Tunzelmann to discuss the moment that Edwina Mountbatten and Nehru met for the first time, and how their relationship changed the course of Partition. Email: [e-mail] Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott Social Producer: Charlie Johnson Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you want access to bonus episodes reading lists for every series of Empire, a chat community. Discounts for all the books mentioned in the week's podcast, add free listening and a weekly newsletter, sign up to Empire Club at www.mpowerpoduk.com. This week on our Empire Club mini-series, we see the collision of three individuals whose close and eventually romantic relationship will change the course of history for India and the subcontinent forever. The wife of the last viceroy of India will literally fall into the arms of the future

first Prime Minister of India in Singapore in 1946. But the context of their meeting is just as shocking as the event itself. Here's a clip from episode three where we discuss the Indian National Army and its controversial role in the Second World War. I mean, we should talk about the man who precedes him to this theatre ever.

action, who is most definitely an agitator, but this time at a time of war. So let's have a flashback previously. Previously in this story. Will a wiggle. Yes. Sebastian Bowe's, we should talk about why the British were so anxious about Nairu's visit. And it is because during the very heat of war, there was another Indian, another educated Indian, who was really causing problems for the Allies. And that was the man they call in this part of the world, we're sitting in Jerpa, let me remind you recording this. Netaji, who I think has the largest statue in all India, is dedicated to Sebastian Rubeu's, who almost, had he been successful, would have changed India's allegiances in the Second World War. Let's talk about Sebastian Leboz. He's such an interesting figure.

He's Bengali, he's from Calcutta, you know, and sort of fiercely intelligent as a brother as well, Sarat, and it's all, you know, they're kind of working together. He came on. He came on. up also through the Indian National Congress. So in the same organization as Gandhi and Nauru, very different politics to them. He was from the beginning pretty interested in much more extreme forms of politics. Direct action. He thought they were Nambi, Pambi and rubbish, didn't he?

He did. And actually a lot of people agreed with him because he actually was elected leader of the Indian National Congress in 1938. Gandhi freaked out, tried to get Nauru to come back and depose him. Noir refused to do that. So, you know, very un-Gandian, very much into direct action, he loved violence, super pro-violence. Loved uniforms.

I mean, he saw that the quit India movement should be fought as a war. And so all of the followers of Bose dressed in khaki and they drilled, didn't they? And he was actually very attracted to fascism that was going on in Europe. Now, I think, you know, you have to sort of think this through from an Indian point of view at the time, that if your great enemy is Britain, my enemy's enemy is. my friend, well, maybe it isn't actually that greater friend. You know, obviously, that's the kind of dictum that can get you into a lot of trouble in foreign policy. But at that point, he saw a greater affinity with Germany, Italy and Japan than he did with the Allied powers. So

Bose obviously an incredibly controversial figure, but very popular at that point. And when he adopted the name you mentioned Netaji, which means, you know, dear leader, basically. That's actually a conscious imitation of Hitler's title, Fuhrer. Right. Okay. All right. So you can understand then, where you flash forward now on this conversation. We've done our little time blip.

Why, when Nero is coming to that same theatre of war, okay, the war is over. Yeah. The reason, one thing we didn't mention is that Bose at the height of his powers was agitated for mutiny. That's right. Within the ranks, so Indian soldiers, and it was the largest volunteer force in the history of the world. he wanted those Indian soldiers to mutiny against the British now when they're at their weakest.

This is the way to throw them out of India, he argued, you know, basically slay your commanding officers. This is the time to get it right. And he really went for that. And he did this as an extraordinary dash from India, you know, dressed as a Patan through Afghanistan and all this to get to Germany during the war. And sort of, you know, turns up in Germany makes friends with the Nazis. You know, I mean, it's a complicated friendship because. they don't, for instance, he had a relationship with a German woman and they really didn't approve that sort of thing, as you can imagine. But at the same time, he started a regiment in the

Vermacht. So largely kind of Indian soldiers who'd been, who were prisoners of war, he's saying, well, let's turn and fight the British. That's our real battle. So, you know, all of that's happening. And then they send him back by submarine and he kind of washes up, you know, in the East and, you know, sets up in the Andaman Islands and declares, that he's now ruler of a free India, that this is happening, and you should mutiny against the British. So obviously a huge anti-British agitator.

And also just bear in mind that word mutiny, an Indian mutiny, I mean, it's right in the DNA of those who run the civil service and in political circles. It's like a live wire through them, even just that word. What happened,

and kind of one of the reasons that didn't really go any further is that Bose was taking a flight in 1945 and the plane crashed in Formosa, now Taiwan, and he was killed in that plane crash. We do hope you enjoyed that clip from our members' mini-series on the scandal that shaped partition. And to access that full series, just head to Empirepoduk.com, Empirepod UK.com to become a friend of the show today. Hey y'all, it's Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. Ever order furniture online and wonder, what if? Like, what if it doesn't hold up?

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