From the British court emerges 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’, a “reality” on American television that This brave sixty-one-year-old aristocrat will soon join. This is not the first time that Ivar Mountbatten has broken the strict traditions and customs of his family and appeared in the media. In 2018, he performed at the first same-sex wedding in the family of Elizabeth II, and he did so with the support of his ex-wife and mother of his three daughters, Lady Penny Mountbatten, as well as Princesses Edward and Sophia of Wessex. , who came to the link in solidarity with their cousin’s decision.
© Getty Imagesbreak the mold
Ivar Mountbatten was born to David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven, and Janet Mercedes Bryce. He is a second cousin of Charles III, great-grandfather of the legendary Queen Victoria, grandson of Prince George of Battenberg, but descended from Alexander Pushkin. He was educated at the most prestigious schools in Great Britain, such as Gordonstoun, and graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont, USA.
His life, apparently quiet and conventional, is between working as a director of the SCL Group – a British company specializing in behavioral research and strategic communication – and his family. In 1994, he married Penelope Ann Vere Thompson, better known as Penny, and they became the parents of three daughters: Ella (1996), Alexandra (1998) and Louise (2002). However, Ivar and Penny Mountbatten decided to separate amicably in September 2010. A year later they divorced on best terms. He transformed his home, Bridwell Park, into a special venue for weddings, business meetings and corporate meetings.
© Getty ImagesThe big surprise came when, in 2016, the aristocrat revealed her relationship with James Coyle, a flight attendant whom she met on a ski trip to Verbier. They married in September 2018, a wedding that some considered “historic”. Ivar Mountbatten had a special person in his life at the altar, his ex-wife Lady Penny. That wedding had a lot of media coverage, because, as we already mentioned in the previous lines, it was the first celebration between people of the same sex, within the British royal family. In this regard, Lady Penny made a statement to the French publication Point de Vue, in which, with considerable signs of solidarity and sympathy with the man who had been her husband for more than a decade and a half, she said: “It is historic that Yves can live his relationship publicly.” In this same context, she shared the support she received from her ex-husband, the Earls of Wessex: “The understanding was extreme. We have a very close relationship because Ivar and the prince went to school together. I have always talked a lot with Sophia, she is a close friend and godmother to our daughter Alix. “They supported us, happy to see us so happy.
© Getty ImagesSix years after his marriage, Ivar Mountbatten surprised again and appeared among the contestants in the third season of “The Traitors”, along with other participants such as Sam Asgari, ex-husband of Britney Spears. Due to his professional training in tactics and communication, Ivar could be a strong contender to defeat Mountbatten. The competition involves bringing together several people from different origins, some “faithful” and others “traitors”. The former must discover who the latter are and expel them from the game.
When the show’s host, Alan Cumming, announced the names of the participants, he was surprised to see the name of the elite among the many “veterans” of American reality television. That is, with former contestants from “Survivors”, “Big Brother” and other such programs.
Another time for royalty
Let’s look back to remember that Ivar Mountbatten’s case isn’t the first member of royalty, and he won’t 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 heir to the crown’s girlfriend had taken part.
© Getty ImagesIn Sweden, something similar happened to Sofia Hellqvist, the girlfriend of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, who took part in “Paradise Hotel”, similar to “Big Brother”, where single men and women barricade themselves in a luxury hotel to find love. of your life After participating in several discussions with other contestants, the character Sophia was a woman, she was one of the finalists. Sofia’s television past was revealed as Prince Carl Philip introduced her as the love of her life.
© Getty ImagesMore than a year ago, Norway’s Princess Martha Louise also entered the small screen with “Jaget” (“Opressed”). The move was to turn celebrities into fugitives from Drammen prison, southwest of Oslo. Over ten days, the contestants had to escape from their pursuers. “It’s very funny,” revealed Dagbladet newspaper during the presentation of the princess ceremony. It’s exciting and quite an experience.” For his part, his adventure partner, actress and model Tinashe Williamson, shared: “We had a great time, but we live in a very real way and we were scared.” Princess Martha Louise’s constant flirtation with the media was not 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 his life he specializes in the riskiest format on television. Among others, he participated in “Dancing with the Stars”, “The Island of the Famous” or “Noti Sul Ghiaccio”, an ice skating “reality” where he was runner-up in 2015.
© Getty ImagesReality television, from an entirely different angle than serious journalism, Ms. Letizia began her career in television. She was a well-known face in Spanish homes and palaces, when she began a discreet affair with then-Prince Felipe. In 2000, he joined Spanish television and worked for the prestigious “Inform Semalan” and Telediario. In fact, that same year he won the Mario José de Lara Prize, awarded by the Madrid Press Association, for his work as the best journalist under 30 years of age. Despite this resume full of accomplishments, there were critical voices that did not welcome someone in front of the media to become part of the Spanish royal family. Felipe de Bourbon ignored those comments. As an anecdote many have forgotten, at the age of twenty-eight, Don Felipe stood in front of the camera to present “Wild Spain”, a program focusing on the flora and fauna of Spain. It was a success with the audience, but the current King of Spain did not repeat that experience.
Nowadays, even when Queen Mary of Denmark opens a podcast, things have changed and things are not viewed with the suspicion they were two decades ago. In Spain, for example, we saw how María Zurita, daughter of Infanta Margarita, competed in “MasterChef Celebrity” or was a guest of the entertaining “Passapalbra”. Or how Ignacio de Bourbon, a distant cousin of Philip VI, won many praises for his role as a finalist on “Survivors.”
© Getty ImagesAnd all of the above without mentioning the “kingdom” that stands out in social networks. We refer to “influencers” such as Victoria Federica, Amalia Windsor, Olympia from Greece, Mafalda from Bulgaria or Talita von Furstenberg. All of them have shown that belonging to royalty is no barrier to shining one’s light in cyberspace.
