It’s hard to compete with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding, but the most recent British royal I do’s might have done just that by making some serious history. Over the weekend, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, married his partner James Coyle, making it the first same-sex royal wedding in the British royal family. And it’s safe to say it’s been a long time coming.
On Saturday, Lord Ivar and Coyle got married in Devon, England in an intimate ceremony in front of their friends and family, including the lord’s three daughters – Ella, Alix, and Luli – and his ex-wife Penny, whom he divorced in 2011 after 17 years of marriage. The exes have remained close, so close in fact, that it was Penny who walked Lord Ivar down the aisle at the suggestion of their daughters. “It makes me feel quite emotional. I’m really very touched,” she told The Daily Mail back in June. If that isn’t break-up goals, we don’t know what is.
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While no one in the immediate royal family was in attendance, Lord Ivar, who came out publicly in 2016, told The Daily Mail that Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth’s third son and his close friend – he’s the godfather to Prince Edward’s daughter Louise, while the prince his godfather to his two oldest daughters – was supportive of his marriage. "Their diaries are arranged months in advance and they were not free," Ivar said of Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex. "But they adore James.”
On Instagram, Lord Ivar celebrated his big day, which also happened to be a rainy one. But, he didn’t let that get him down, writing, “Well we did it finally! It was an amazing day despite the miserable British weather. Fabulous service conducted by Trish Harrogate, chief Registrar for Devon, who set the perfect but lighthearted tone for what is a serious occasion.”
The day was reportedly filled with singing and dancing with monkfish for dinner followed by champagne. Lord Ivar had previously told The Daily Mail that his wedding would be a non-traditional low-key affair. “We went to a wedding a couple of weeks ago and said, ‘We’re not doing that. We’re not cutting cakes. We’re not having a first dance,'” he said. Coyle chimed in that “there won’t be two men in tuxedos on a cake, white doves or anything twee or contrived like that” the two just wanted “lovely food and really good music.”
And it seems they got their wish. On Instagram, Lord Ivar shouted out the gospel choir and the Bristol’s Teachers Rock Choir for their “superb singing” before thanking his family and new husband for making the day even more special. “Most importantly,” he wrote, “a massive thanks to my 3 gorgeous girls for being so understanding and supportive, without their support this could never have happened! And finally the biggest thank you to James for being just perfect.”