She may be a member of the extended British Royal Family and be the goddaughter of Duchess Sophie, but Alix Mountbatten didn’t want that to influence her time on reality series Apocalypse.
Along with 14 strangers from Australia and the UK, Alix was dropped into an abandoned military town in the US with no food, no water and no electricity but the 28-year-old tells New Idea that she was determined to prove that she wasn’t a “posh rich Royal white girl” to viewers.
“Growing up I enjoyed proving people wrong from their initial judgements but I was just myself, I didn’t want to play up for the cameras,” she tells us.
“I’ve never considered myself as a Royal. Normally people don’t know who their third or second cousins are. Like me they all probably get imposter syndrome. It’s something you can’t change but just be grateful for the privilege. Try using anything you have to make a positive difference and leave the world a better place.”
Describing the Apocalypse set as “a big playground”, Alex tells us that whilst she loved the survival aspect of the show, it felt more like a social experiment.
“The hardest part was being filmed and restricted by the health and safety regulations,” she says.
Whilst Alix impressed her campmates with her hunting skills and resourcefulness, she admits she hasn’t chatted all things Apocalypse with her royal godmother.
“I am not proud enough to have brought it up with her, she’s an incredible woman and very hard working,” Alix admits of the Duchess of Edinburgh. “I don’t think she would have the time to watch the show, but she has always been very supportive to me.”
Growing up in the English countryside with her father Lord Ivar Mountbatten, King Charles’ second cousin, made her a bit more “feral” than you’d expect.
“I would always be outside rolling in the mud, making dens or helping my Dad with the animals,” Alix tells New Idea.
“We had herds of red and fallow deer, my dad taught me how to shoot and prepare the animal to sell on as meat. I would get the task of carrying the discarded insides to the dead pit. We had an organic chicken farm and pigs as well, all of which I helped look after.”
Even though her dad called her “the crazy one in the family”, it seems she inherited her love of adventure from him.
“My father was on a Bear Grylls survival show a few years ago so it was fun to compare our experiences. We both thought it was a bit of fun,” Alix says. “He definitely had a tougher challenge though, having no shelter! And he also looked very malnourished, I only lost 6kg.”
Whilst her big sister Ella Mountbatten, whose godfather is Prince Edward, recently tied the knot, Alix is continuing on her own adventures.
“I’m off this week to do a two month training, a further pre-hospital emergency first aid course in Cape Town, responding with the ambulance service out there,” she tells us.
Indeed, Alix has an impressive resume having travelled the world, worked as an Emergency Medical Technician and become a certified yogi all before the age of 30. But she has big goals for the future.
“I’ve been saving up for my dream job, a ski patroller or mountain rescuer. I’m going to Canada in the New Year to do yet another course. I want to rescue and help people on the mountain with my trained avalanche dog!”
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