Lord Ivar Mountbatten Is The First Royal To Come Out As Gay

Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, has publicly come out of the closet - making him the first (publicly) gay British royal.

In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, he introduced his partner to the world - stating that he could tell other media outlets were sniffing around his personal life so he decided to roll with it.

He said:

“‘Coming out’ is such a funny phrase, but it’s what I suppose I did in a rather roundabout way, emerging to a place I’m happy to be. I have struggled with my sexuality and in some ways I still do; it has been a real journey to reach this point.”

He is he is the great-great-great- grandson of Queen Victoria. and cousin to the current Queen. Those must be great conversation starter facts, right?

He was previously married and has three daughters with his ex wife Penny. They divorced in 2011, when he wasn’t giving her the attention she wanted.

(Photo by: Les Wilson)

He is now dating James Coyle, an airline cabin services director. The pair met in Swiss ski resort Verbier last year when James shouted ‘Hello!’ to Ivar in a bar, mistaking him for someone he knew. They met purely by chance, but swapped numbers and ended up meeting up back in London and hitting it off.

It turns out that his ex-wife and three children all gave him their blessing when it comes to his sexuality, and his ex even goes to yoga classes with his new man. The pair apparently get on like a house on fire, regularly meeting for a cup of tea and a gossip and even going on holiday together as one big slightly extended family.

He told The Mail that when he nervously confided in his 20-year-old daughter about his boyfriend she reassured him and said ‘Paps, it’s no big deal.’

When it comes to the kids and the new man in their father’s life, Ivar said:

‘The girls like having another man in the house, it’s so much easier than a potential step-mother – or step-monster. They like having James, who is just James.’

As I write this, I can’t help but think about how this could be considered a non-story - given how accepting of a reaction homosexuality generally gets these days. And I know, people shouldn’t have to ‘come out’ to the rest of the world, and I don’t think we’re far from getting to the stage where no big ‘I’m gay’ announcements are made.

But, at the same time this is still a big deal. Ivar is a senior British aristocrat, and he is publicly admitting that he’s homosexual and loving it.

You go, Ivar. Go get your gay on.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

H/T: Mail on Sunday

Lead image: Getty