From the British Court emerged Lord Ivar Mountbatten, second cousin of Charles of England, schoolmate of the Earl of Wessex, godfather of Lady Louise Windsor and, now, as he himself has revealed on his social networks, a contestant on ‘The Traitors’, an American television reality show that this daring will soon join. sixty-one-year-old aristocrat. It is not the first time that Ivar Mountbatten appears in the media for breaking with the strict traditions and customs of his family. In 2018, he starred in the first same-sex wedding of Elizabeth II’s family, and he did so with the support of his ex-wife, and mother of his three daughters, Lady Penny Mountbatten, as well as Princes Edward and Sofia of Wessex. , who came to the link in a show of solidarity with the decision made by their cousin.
© Getty ImagesBreaking the mold
Ivar Mountbatten was born to David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven, and Janet Mercedes Bryce. He is the second cousin of Charles III, great-great-grandfather of the legendary Queen Victoria, grandson of Prince George of Battenberg, but also a descendant of Alexander Pushkin. He was educated in the most prestigious schools in Great Britain, such as Gordonstoun, and graduated from Middlebury College, in Vermont, in the United States.
His life, apparently calm and conventional, passed between his work as director of SCL Group – a British company specialized in behavioral research and strategic communication – and his family. In 1994, he married Penelope Anne Vere Thompson, better known as Penny, and they became parents of three daughters: Ella (1996), Alexandra (1998) and Louise (2002). However, Ivar and Penny Mountbatten made the decision to separate amicably in September 2010. A year later they divorced on the best terms. He transformed his home, Bridwell Park, into a very exclusive venue for weddings, business meetings and corporate meetings.
© Getty ImagesThe big surprise came when, in 2016, the aristocrat made public his relationship with James Coyle, a flight attendant, whom he had met during a ski trip to Verbier. They married in September 2018, in a marriage considered by some to be “historic.” Ivar Mountbatten was accompanied to the altar by a very special person in his life, his ex-wife, Lady Penny. That wedding had a lot of media coverage, because, as we already mentioned in previous lines, it was the first to be celebrated, between people of the same sex, within the British Royal Family. In this regard, Lady Penny gave a statement to the French publication Point de Vue in which, giving ample signs of solidarity and empathy with the man who had been her husband for more than a decade and a half, she stated: “It is historic that Ivar can live his life. relationship publicly.” In this same context, she shared the support that her ex-husband had received from the Earls of Wessex: “The understanding has been extreme. We have a very close relationship because Ivar and the prince went to school together. I have always spoken a lot with Sofía, she is a close friend and the godmother of our daughter Alix. “They supported us, delighted to see us so happy.”
© Getty ImagesSix years after his wedding, Ivar Mountbatten surprises again and appears among the contestants in the third season of “The Traitors”, along with other participants such as Sam Asghari, the ex-husband of Britney Spears. Due to his professional training in strategy and communication, Ivar Mountbatten could be a strong rival to defeat. The contest consists of bringing together several people from very different origins, some are the “Faithful” and others “Traitors”. The former must discover who the latter are and expel them from the game.
When the host of the program, Alan Cumming, revealed the names of the participants, it was extremely surprising to see the name of the aristocrat among many “veterans” of American reality television. That is, along with former contestants from “Survivors”, “Big Brother” and other programs of that kind.
Other times for royalty
Let’s look back to remember that the case of Ivar Mountbatten is not the first member of royalty, nor will he be the last, to appear on television. Prince Haakon of Norway fell in love with Mette-Marit and there were those who were scandalized to discover that the girlfriend of the heir to the Crown had participated
© Getty ImagesIn Sweden, something similar happened with the girlfriend of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Sofia Hellqvist, who participated in “Paradise Hotel”, something like a “Big Brother” in which single men and women locked themselves in a luxury hotel to find the love of your life. Sofía, a woman of character as she demonstrated after participating in several discussions with other contestants, was one of the finalists. As soon as Prince Carl Philip introduced her as the love of his life, Sofia’s television past came to light.
© Getty ImagesA little over a year ago, Princess Martha Louise of Norway He also made his foray into the small screen with “Jaget” (“Persecuted”). The dynamic was to turn celebrities into fugitives from the Drammen prison, southwest of Oslo. Over ten days, the contestants had to flee from their pursuers. “It’s very fun,” the princess revealed to the Dagbladet newspaper during the presentation of the program. It is exciting and quite an experience.” For her part, her adventure partner, actress and model Tinashe Williamson, shared: “We have had a great time, but we live in a very real way and we have been scared.” Princess Martha Louise’s continuous flirtations with the media have never been liked by some of her fellow citizens.
© Getty ImagesAnd what about Philibert of Savoy, grandson of the last King of Italy? At this point in life he is an expert in the most risky formats on television. Among others, he has participated in “Dancing with the Stars”, “The Island of the Famous” or “Notti sul ghiaccio”, an ice skating “reality” in which he was runner-up in 2015.
© Getty ImagesFrom a very different angle than reality television, serious journalism, Mrs. Letizia began her professional career on television. She was a well-known face in Spanish homes, and in the Palace, when she began a discreet courtship with the then Prince Felipe. In 2000, he joined Spanish Television, and worked on the prestigious “Informe Semanal” and the Telediario. In fact, that same year he won the Mario José de Larra Award, awarded by the Madrid Press Association, for his work as Best Journalist under 30 years of age. Despite this resume full of achievements, there were critical voices that did not welcome someone so exposed to the media becoming part of the Spanish Royal Family. Felipe de Borbón ignored those comments. As an anecdote forgotten by many, at the age of twenty-eight, Don Felipe stood in front of the cameras to present “Wild Spain”, a program focused on the flora and fauna of Spain. It was a success with audiences, but the current King of Spain did not repeat the experience.
These days, when even Queen Mary of Denmark has opened a podcast, everything has changed and things are not seen with the suspicion that they were two decades ago. In Spain, for example, we have seen how María Zurita, daughter of Infanta Margarita, competed on “MasterChef Celebrity” or was a guest on the entertaining “Pasapalabra.” Or how Ignacio de Borbón, distant cousin of Felipe VI, left many admired for his role as a finalist in “Survivors.”
© Getty ImagesAnd all of the above without mentioning the “royals” that stand out on social networks. We refer to “influencers” like Victoria FedericaAmalia Windsor, Olympia of Greece, Mafalda of Bulgaria or Talita von Fürstenberg. All of them have shown that belonging to royalty is not an impediment to shining with one’s own light in cyberspace.