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A cousin of the Queen will become the first member of the Royal Family to wed in a same-sex marriage.

Lord Ivar Mountbatten, great-nephew of Earl Mountbatten of Burma, will wed his long-term partner James Coyle later this season.

The first member of the Royal Family to come out as gay, Lord Mountbatten opened up about his sexuality in 2016.

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The news comes just weeks after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot at Windsor Castle, with the couple making their support for LGBT rights clear in the build-up to the wedding by meeting with young LGBT activists from across the Commonwealth.

The Lord, who is the great-great-great grandson of Queen Victoria, will wed Coyle at a private chapel in Devon in front of the couple’s close friends and family, including Mountbatten’s three daughters from his previous marriage, Ella, Alix and Luli.

Lord Ivar Mountbatten and his long-term partner James Coyle

Speaking to the MailOnline, Mountbatten said he had encountered no backlash at all over the planned union – including from his extended family.

“All my good friends have accepted James,” he revealed. “I basically told everyone: ‘I’ve found somebody — it’s a bloke.’ They just started laughing.

“Then they met James and one particular mate said: ‘If I was gay, I’d certainly go for him.’”

The 55-year-old Royal said he still wasn’t entirely comfortable with his sexuality.

“Being completely truthful, it doesn’t sit comfortably with me that I’m going out with a man,” he said.

“I’ve lived my whole life as a heterosexual. So, all of a sudden, having a bloke around is unusual — even now.

“It’s brilliant but I suppose in an ideal world I would prefer to have a wife because that has always been the norm.”

But, he added, he had accepted that he was born that way.

“We were talking with friends in Bermuda about this nature-nurture business not so long ago,” said Mountbatten.

“I knew from the age of eight I was more attracted to men. I definitely think it’s in the genes. You’re either gay or you’re not.’

Last Updated on Jun 18, 2018


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