Thankfully, Lord Ivar’s world hasn’t collapsed around him.
He is the son of David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven.
Being part of the royal family meant certain obligations when Ivar was younger.
Eventually, George sold Ivar his share of the home.
“I kept it up for seven years.
It virtually ruined me.”
Ivar sold the home in 1997, no longer willing to be responsible for keeping the estate running.
“Ivar and I met at a dinner party in London,” Penny explained toAttitude.
“I was very attracted to him straight away.”
To hear Ivar tell it, however, their relationship grew over time.
“She has a great sense of humor.
We got on very well together …
It was a great match.”
The two married in a lavish wedding near where Ivar was raised, in Suffolk.
“It was a hugely grand affair,” Penny recalled.
“I was completely overwhelmed.
It’s true; Prince Edward and Princess Margaret attended the ceremony.
Lord Ivar, on the other hand, looks back on that day fondly.
“I really loved my wedding day,” he glowed.
I think it might have been a little bit stressful for her.”
Penny agreed, confirming, “I was glad when it was over.”
He had, however, found someone who accepted his true self.
Speaking with Attitude, Ivar and Penny detailed their differing reactions when he came out.
But now, he admits he wasn’t telling the whole truth and preferred men to women.
At the time, though, he told his wife that he was bisexual.
She wasn’t upset by his admission.
“It was quite obvious to me that he was having affairs with other people.”
Unlike after his coming-out, this time Penny didn’t like what her husband was doing.
She told Ivar that he should tell his daughters about being gay, which he decided to do.
“When I mentioned it to Ella [Ivar’s eldest daugter] she was very cool about it.
“I think that generation are just totally unfazed by it all.”
“When I read that I was really hurt.
I was so shocked.
Penny didn’t like that her husband had to hide being gay.
She made a big decision, declaring, “I had to end our marriage.”
After all, being publicly gay was a big deal, especially for a member of the royal family.
“I still wasn’t comfortable with it at that point.
he later told Tatler.
Thankfully, that was around the time he met James Coyle, the man who would become his husband.
Speaking with Attitude, Coyle revealed that he and Ivar met when they passed each other at a bar.
“I didn’t know anything about him.
I didn’t know anything about the family, the history, anything at all,” he said.
“I just knew he was a nice guy.”
Before he could really commit, Lord Ivar wanted the approval of his family, including his ex-wife.
“He and I really got on very well,” Penny said of Coyle to Attitude.
“It was such a relief, because I knew that my girls would like him too.”
“We decided we wanted to get married,” Coyle told Attitude.
“So he wanted to give me some sort of security in that I’m now his husband.”
Two years after announcing their relationship to the Daily Mail, Coyle and Lord Ivar were married.
In a show of support, Ivar was walked down the aisle by his ex-wife, Penny Mountbatten.
He announced the wedding onInstagram, shouting out everyone who helped make it such a special day.
“And finally the biggest thank you to James for being just perfect.”
“It was just so joyful.
Penny agreed, confirming, “We’re all devoted to our children.
So we spend Christmas together, and sometimes have family holidays.”
The fact that all three of Ivar and Penny’s daughters support the relationship is crucial to its success.
“I think they like having another man in the house,” Coyle guessed while speaking with Tatler.
Ivar confirmed that he depended on his family’s approval before committing to the relationship.
“It’s one thing that could have gone really badly wrong for the relationship,” he said.
“They don’t really talk about it,” Ivar told Tatler.
“I mean, the royals, they don’t communicate very well.”
When he came out, Ivar revealed thatPrince Edwardand Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, did support him.
While they couldn’t attend the wedding, Ivar said of the couple, “They adore James.
Everyone adores him” (via theDaily Mail).
The couple operate their home, Bridwell Park, as a popular wedding venue and cafe.
“You could call us an Elopement Wedding Venue,” the website reads.
“I think maybe it was a sort of an on-going mid-life crises!”
Ivar joked in an interview withChannel 4.
He said he was a fan of the show, especially its survival element.
“No, I’m not!”
It is, of course, unusual for a member of the royal family to become a reality star.
“There’s no point worrying about anything like that.
I just take every day as it comes,” Coyle said.
“One thing I will say about Ivar is that you’re always outside your comfort zone.”
