Who Is Lord Ivar Mountbatten? King Charles's Relative Is on 'The Traitors'

The royals are no strangers to television. Throughout history, regal family members have graced the screen, with Queen Elizabeth II being the first to televise the annual Christmas speech, Princess Diana giving that infamous BBC Panorama interview in 1995, and Meghan Markle catapulting to fame with her role as Rachel Zane in Suits. Not to mention, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Netflix documentary show, Harry & Meghan, and Meghan's forthcoming series With Love, Meghan. And now, a more low-key royal is soaking up the spotlight by going the reality TV route.

The highly anticipated third season of Peacock's The Traitors is underway, having premiered with three new episodes on January 9. Hosted by Spy Kids star Alan Cummings and taking place in Scotland, the competition series follows a mix of 20 celebrities and reality TV stars as they play a murder mystery game for the chance to win a prize worth up to $250,000. The program has featured everyone from Dancing With the Stars' Maksim Chmerkovskiy to RuPaul's Drag Race's Peppermint. This season's roster now features literal royalty by way of Lord Ivar Mountbatten.

Yes, Mountbatten as in descendants of the British monarchy. Ivar is a British aristocrat, farmer, geologist, businessman, and King Charles III's second cousin. (The two men are both Queen Victoria's great-great-great grandsons.)

Ivar said it best himself to his fellow contestants during the premiere, "Harry and Meghan’s children are called Mountbatten-Windsor. [King Charles] is my second cousin."

While Ivar has lived his life more on the down low compared to other members of the monarchy, he attended the fancy Gordonstoun School—the same institution attended by Charles.

In 1994, Ivar married Penelope Anne Vere (whom he later divorced in 2011), and the pair welcomed three daughters: Ella Louise Georgina Mountbatten, Alexandra Nada Victoria Mountbatten, and Louise Xenia Rose Mountbatten. The royal web runs deep, as Ella's godfather is Prince Edward, Alexandra's godmother is Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Ivar is godfather to Edward and Sophie's daughter, Lady Louise Windsor.

Ivar has also made history, as one half of the first gay couple in the royal family to get married. He tied the knot with James Coyle in 2018, and in a sweet and sentimental moment, his ex-wife Penelope walked Ivar down the aisle. The two now live in Birdwell Park Estate, a property used as a hosting space for weddings and other events, and run a small cafe.

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