L-R: James Coyle and Lord Ivar Mountbatten married on Saturday in Devon, England (Photo: @ivar_mountbatten | Instagram)
A cousin to Queen Elizabeth II, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, married on Saturday. It was a Royal wedding unlike any other.
Mountbatten came out as bisexual in 2016, after divorcing from his first wife, Penny. The two married in 1994 and divorced in 2011. Mountbatten said that he had always been open with his wife about his bisexuality.
However, he only chose to speak about it publicly after meeting his new husband, airline cabin service member James Coyle. The men met in 2014 at a Swiss skiing resort.
Mountbatten, 55, is a third cousin to Queen Elizabeth and great-great-great grandson to Queen Victoria.
In June, he and Coyle announced their engagement. They married Saturday at a private chapel on Mountbatten’s Bridewell Park country estate in Devon. The men wore matching velvet smoking jackets.
Former wife gives Mountbatten away
In a sign of their amicable friendship following their divorce, Mountbatten’s former wife, Penny, gave him away during the ceremony.
The couples three daughters attended the event. The Queen, nor any members of her immediate family, attended. Princess Margaret attended Mountbatten’s first wedding ceremony to Penny back in 1994.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward and wife Sophie, are godparents to Mountbatten’s older two daughters. They knew of the wedding but were not free to attend.
‘Their diaries are arranged months in advance and they were not free,’ Mountbatten told the Daily Mail, ‘but they adore James.’
Asked why he had decided to marry again, Mountbatten, 55, said, ‘I suppose if we had met ten years ago a civil partnership would have been nice, but now that marriage between a man and a man is legal it seems the right thing to do.’
‘I have had the whole marriage thing — and been very happy — but James hasn’t, so I see it as a validation of my love for him.’
James Coyle and Lord Ivar Mountbatten on their wedding day (Photo: @ivar_mountbatten | Instagram)
In an Instagram posting yesterday, Mountbatten posted half a dozen images from the day.
The accompanying message read: ‘Well we did it finally!
‘It was an amazing day despite the miserable British weather. Fabulous service conducted by Trish Harrogate, chief Registrar for Devon, who set the perfect but lighthearted tone for what is a serious occasion.
‘The accompanying gospel choir were amazing. Thank you so much to Bristol’s Teachers Rock Choir for your superb singing. Most importantly a massive thanks to my 3 gorgeous girls for being so understanding and supportive, without their support this could never have happened! And finally the biggest thank you to James for being just perfect.’
See also
First member of the royal family to come out announces engagement
