- Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Queen Elizabeth's cousin, announced his engagement to partner James Coyle.
- It's the first same-sex wedding in the royal family.
- Prince Harry marrying Meghan Markle, a biracial American actress and feminist, was groundbreaking in its own way.
- The queen has spoken about LGBTQ+ rights in recent years, and her solo outing with Markle signaled her support for Markle joining the family.
- These royal weddings signal a shift for the monarchy becoming more diverse and inclusive.
Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Queen Elizabeth's cousin, announced that he will marry his partner James Coyle this summer, marking the first same-sex wedding in the extended royal family.
This is not Mountbatten's first marriage, however. He and his ex-wife Penny were married for 16 years and have three daughters. On their wedding day, she wore an heirloom tiara and the celebrations were attended by Princess Margaret and Prince Edward. Then, eight years ago, he confessed to struggling with his sexuality throughout their marriage and the couple divorced.
"I was never unhappy in our marriage," he told The Daily Mail. "I adored Penny — really loved her. But I always describe it as trying to get a square peg into a round hole."
This summer, his ex-wife will walk him down the aisle and give him away at the altar.
People are thrilled that the royal family will celebrate its first gay wedding and hope that it will garner more support for the Commonwealth's LGBTQ+ community.
The Royal family will have their first gay wedding in history!!! Lord Ivar Mountbatten will wed James Coyle.
— Love, Eduard 🐼 (@commoncranbry) June 17, 2018
🌈❤🌈❤
I'm so happy to know that there would be a same-sex wedding in the Royal family! Being able to live as your authentic self is a blessing & human right/ Warmest congrats to #LordIvarMountbatten & his partner #JamesCoyle!
— Cameron M.Hatter (@rock_all_u_got) June 18, 2018
Anyone else hoping the Queen will attend Lord Ivar Mountbatten’S wedding to James Coyle? He’s her cousin after all and it would be a great way to show that the royal family cares about LGBT causes and the LGBT citizens of the UK and Commonwealth!! 👨❤️💋👨👨❤️💋👨
— Olivia Rya Kaged (@OliviaRyaKaged) June 17, 2018
I know it’s not truly a royal wedding - Lord Ivar’s not even in line for the throne - but congrats to him on his wedding!! I wish Lord Ivar Mountbatten and James Coyle all the best in their future together!! Hopefully this will encourage more support of LGBT causes!!
— Olivia Rya Kaged (@OliviaRyaKaged) June 17, 2018
Queen Elizabeth is known for maintaining political neutrality in public, but she's become more outspoken for LGBTQ+ rights in recent years.
In her speech to open Parliament last year, Queen Elizabeth said that "My government will make further progress to tackle the gender pay gap and discrimination against people on the basis of their race, faith, gender, disability, or sexual orientation." According to Pink News, it was the first time LGBTQ+ rights were mentioned in a speech by the queen since 2003, when she proposed introducing civil partnerships. The queen also gave her royal seal of approval to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill legalizing same-sex marriage in England in 2013.
Mountbatten's wedding is the second historic royal wedding this summer, signaling a new direction for the monarchy.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding earlier this summer was historic in its own way.
In many ways, Markle was not a typical royal bride. She's an American woman who has had a successful acting career. She's divorced. She's biracial. Her biography on the royal family's official website states that she's a feminist who advocates for women's empowerment through providing access to menstrual health and education.
And yet the royal family seems to have stood by her at every turn. Kensington Palace released a statement condemning "the racial undertones of comment pieces, and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments" directed at Markle while they were dating. Markle joined the royal family for Christmas celebrations at Sandringham while she and Prince Harry were engaged — an invitation usually reserved for spouses. Prince Charles accompanied Markle down part of the aisle when her father did not attend. The queen keeps a photo of the couple in her office at Buckingham Palace. And shortly after their wedding, the queen and Markle carried out a royal engagement together where they looked like they were having a blast.
The royal family maintains many old-fashioned rules and traditions, but this summer's lineup of royal weddings appears to indicate a royal family that is becoming more inclusive and representative of the diverse people they rule.
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