The Queen’s cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, has revealed for the first time that he is in a relationship with a man after coming out as gay.
Lord Ivar, who is the son of the 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven, is the first member of the extended Royal Family to come out as gay, although he says he does not feel “100 per cent comfortable.”
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, the 53-year-old said: “Being a Mountbatten was never the problem 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, but what’s amazing now is how far we have all come in terms of acceptance.”
“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.
“I was driven into the closet by not wanting to come to terms with who I was and facing friends and family in the early years. I buried it.
“I’m just so pleased now to have found someone who I am happy to call my partner.”
Ivar Alexander Michael Mountbatten is a great-great-great grandchild of Queen Victoria and a direct descendant of Catherine the Great of Russia.
In addition to Her Majesty, he is also cousin to Prince Philip and godfather to Lady Louise Windsor.
He was married to Penelope Anne Vere Thompson and they had three daughters together. They divorced in 2011 after 16 years of marriage.
Good for you Lord Ivar…
Is Mr. Bergh his partner? That is not stated in the article. If he’s not, then the photo is very irresponsible.
i am happy for him, its time for harry to come out
Harry will never come out Gay
Because he’s not….stop wishing….;)
lol Harry is not gay..just because he doesn’t have a gf currently, he’s gay, for you? Jheez, it’s morons like you who scare the hell out of straight and gay men alike..
Congratulations, Lord Ivar!
Since Lord Ivor is a great-great-great-grandchild or Victoria the relationship to the Queen is so distance it is preposterous to even mention it. There are certainly hundreds of cousins who are far closer.
Third or forth cousin perhaps, methinks…no?
Fourth cousin, and so far down the chain of the succession that it is silly to bring it up.
Absolutely, but Lord Ivar is still the first openly gay member of the royal family, and that’s newsworthy.
King Richard I (The Lionheart) in fact openly confessed his homosexuality before his wedding in Sicily to Berangaria of Navarre and prior to seeking the blessing of the church before embarking for the Holy Land.
Well done Your Lord Ivar Mountbatten. All the best.
Bravo! Congratulations 🙂
I consider myself a tolerant person but being a member of the royal family just isn’t natural 😉 x
Maybe not to you, but it’s quite natural for millions of people all over the world. Get with the times, and lose the bigotry. 🙂
Go back and read my comment. Its a joke aimed at the royal family!!
When you deliberately use the same kind of language used by bigots to belittle gays, your “joke” is in very poor taste and not at all funny.
Many congratulations! You make up in a big way for the many who still don’t have, and may NEVER have your courage. Thank you.