Cabinet Office blocks publication of Lord Mountbatten’s diaries

University of Southampton spends hundreds of thousands' on legal battle preventing access due to government veto

When the diaries and letters of Lord and Lady Mountbatten were saved for the nation" in 2010, it should have created an invaluable public resource. Instead, a writer has spent four years and 250,000 of his own money in an ongoing - but still frustrated - attempt to force Southampton University and the Cabinet Office to allow the public to view them.

The university bought the Broadlands archive, named after the Mountbattens' Grade I-listed house, for 2.8m in 2010, attracting funding by stating it would preserve the collection in its entirety for future generations to use and enjoy" and ensure public access".