It’s been a season of firsts for the Royal Family.
It began with the marriage of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle, a divorced, American, bi-racial actress. Now, the royals will celebrate the first same-sex marriage to happen in their family.
This summer, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, the Queen’s cousin, will marry his partner James Coyle in an intimate ceremony at his country estate in Devon. The two have been together since meeting at a Swiss ski resort in 2015.
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Mountbatten, who was married to his ex-wife Penny for 16 years, officially came out in 2016, after the couple had already divorced. They have three daughters: Ella, 22; Alix, 20; and Luli, 15.
In a thoroughly modern twist, Mountbatten will be walked down the aisle by his ex-wife.
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“It was the girls’ idea,” Penny said. “It makes me feel quite emotional. I’m really very touched.”
The ceremony itself will be very small, and will include his daughters, close family and friends. Afterwards, the couple will welcome 120 guests for a reception. But it’s unclear which, if any, of the first-line royals will be in attendance.
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“Sophie and Edward know of our plans and are really excited for us,” he said of Prince Edward, the Queen’s third son and Mountbatten’s lifelong friend. “Sadly, they can’t come to the wedding. Their diaries are arranged months in advance and they’re not around, but they adore James. Everyone adores him.”
He noted, however, that their impending union has the blessing of the entire extended Royal Family.
Most importantly, he has the blessing of his daughters — who asked almost immediately upon meeting James if they would get married — and Penny.
“I married Ivar with a completely open heart and an open mind about sexuality. Ivar had told me he was bisexual before he proposed,” she said. “I didn’t have any fears about it because I loved him.”
Despite divorcing eight years ago, they remain close and Penny is helping with the wedding arrangements.
Although his guest list will be nowhere near as star-studded as that of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, he also won’t be beholden to the same wedding rules and expectations. For one thing, they don’t plan on following tradition with a formal wedding cake topped with two male figurines decked out in tuxedos.
“We’ll probably have cheese instead of cake,” Mountbatten said.
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He disclosed that growing up in Glasgow knowing he was gay was difficult, especially since his father was a strict Catholic. But since he’s come out and gone public with his relationship with James, Penny said he’s a changed man.
“Ivar is so much more relaxed these days. He probably wasn’t even aware that by keeping his sexuality a secret it was really quite tormenting him,” she said. “Now it’s ‘out,’ he’s a completely different person. Everybody says they’ve never seen him happier.”
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