Royals

The royal family is to have its first same-sex wedding – changing royal wedding history forever!

The Queen's cousin, who revealed he was gay two years ago, is set to marry - and his former wife will give him away!

It’s royal wedding fever at the moment. The dust is still settling after Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex’s stunning wedding last month, and later this year Princess Eugenie will tie the knot with her fiancé Jack Brooksbank.

But one upcoming royal wedding that’s less known about – but monumental in the fact it changes royal wedding history forever – is that of the Queen’s cousin Lord Ivar Mountbatten, pictured above.

Lord Mountbatten will tie the knot at a private chapel in Devon, England in the summer with his partner James Coyle.

Theirs will be the first same-sex wedding in the history of the royal family.

Lord Mountbatten was the first royal family member to come out publicly – he did so in 2016 – but according to an interview with the Daily Mail Lord Mountbatten told his wife Penny Thompson he was bisexual before they were married.

Lord Ivar Mountbatten (back row, far left) is one of Lady Louise Windsor’s godparents.

The couple have three daughters together – Ella, 22, Alix, 20, and Luli, 15 – and remain so close that Penny will give Lord Mountbatten away on his big day.

“It was the girls’ idea,” Penny told the Daily Mail. “It makes me feel quite emotional. I’m really very touched.”

Speaking about his upcoming wedding, Lord Mountbatten said, “I really wanted to do it for James. He hasn’t been married. For me, what’s interesting is I don’t need to get married because I’ve been there, done that and have my wonderful children; but I’m pushing it because I think it’s important for him. James hasn’t had the stable life I have. I want to be able to give you that.”

Lord Mountbatten’s first royal wedding was attended by the Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, who won’t be attending this wedding but have extended their blessing to the happy couple. It’s understood no other members of the immediate royal family will be attending.

Lord Mountbatten and Penny Thompson divorced in 2010 and Penny says her former husband has never been happier than since he came out.

“He probably wasn’t even aware that by keeping his sexuality a secret it was really quite tormenting him…

“Now it’s ‘out’ he’s a completely different person. Everybody says they’ve never seen him happier.”

In a 2016 interview with the Daily Mail, Lord Mountbatten revealed that it wasn’t being part of the royal family that had stopped him from coming out publicly sooner: “It was the generation into which I was born. When I was growing up, it was known as ‘the love that dare not speak its name’,” he said.

The wedding will be attended by Lord Mountbatten’s daughters and close friends and family.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

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