Royal shock as family member close to King Charles III signs up to reality TV show

The royal family might be watching television through their fingers as one of their members is set to take part in the US version of the smash hit reality show, The Traitors.

It has been revealed that Lord Ivar Mountbatten will be trying his hand at the game alongside a group of American celebrities, including Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause—but who is the royal?

Ivar, 56, is the son of David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven, making him a second cousin of King Charles and a first cousin once removed of the late Prince Philip. He is also very close to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, who are godparents to his daughters.

Ivar is a dad of three and shares his daughters, Ella, Alix, and Luli, with his first wife, Penelope Thompson. The pair split in 2010 and divorced in 2011, with Ivar coming out five years later.

Ivar is also the first openly gay member of the royal family and tied the knot with his husband, flight attendant James Coyle, in 2023.

Speaking about their relationship to Tatler, he said:”I just find it quite odd. I suppose I’m quite traditional.”

© David M. Benett

Speaking about coming out, he added:”When I mentioned it to Ella [his eldest daughter] she was very cool about it. All her friends go on weekends where they snog each other, boy or girl, then go back and tell each other. I think that generation are just totally unfazed by it all.”

He also revealed how the royal family reacted to the news, saying:”They don’t really talk about it. I mean, the royals, they don’t communicate very well.”

He also spoke about his role in the royal family back in 2019, saying:”The family has got very large. When we were younger, we went to royal events all the time. But now that everyone has had children, quite rightly everything has slimmed down.”

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This hasn’t been Ivar’s first time on the silver screen, as he has also starred in Keeping Up with the Aristocrats and The Island, before taking on The Traitors.

For those yet to watch the show, which is set to air on Peacock in the US in January 2025, the game follows a group of contestants, with some being marked as ‘Traitors’ while the rest of the team, the ‘Faithfuls,’ try to work out who among them is a Traitor and have them banished from the game.

© Peacock

Meanwhile, they have to take on a series of challenges to increase their pot of money, which is divided among the Faithfuls if they end the game with no Traitor in their midst. If there is one Traitor left, they take home the whole pot.