Queen's Cousin Becomes First Royal To Come Out as Gay

A member of the Royal Family has become the first ever to come out as gay.

Lord Ivar Mountbatten, who has three children with ex-wife Penelope (Penny) Thompson, came out over the weekend saying he had struggled with his sexuality.

However, Mountbatten said he was happy to now be in a partnership with James Coyle, an airline cabin services director.

The couple met while skiing in Verbier, Switzerland.

Tim Munton (L) and Lord Ivar Mountbatten / Getty Images

‘Penny was aware before we got married,’ he told the Mail on Sunday. ‘I told her I was bisexual, that my attraction went both ways. She was understanding and I will always be grateful to her.'

‘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.’

Metro.co.uk