Meghan Markle made history in May as the first black and American woman to marry into the British royal family. Less than a month later, the royal family announced plans for yet another historic union: Lord Ivar Mountbatten will marry James Coyle, his partner of two years, in the monarchy’s first same-sex wedding later this summer.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Mountbatten said the wedding would be held in a private chapel on his estate in Devon. While the members of the core royal family – meaning Queen Elizabeth II and her direct descendants – are not expected to attend, the couple has the full support of the royal family, Mountbatten told the Mail.

Mountbatten, a third cousin of the queen, became the first royal to publicly identify as gay in 2016. He has three children with his former wife, Penny Mountbatten, who has been supportive of her husband’s relationship with Coyle. She said last week that she plans to walk Mountbatten down the aisle at the suggestion of their daughters.

– From news service reports


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