The First Ever Gay Royal Wedding Has Been Announced

Pride Month is really stepping it up this year. Not only is Amandla Stenberg out and proud, but Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, has just announced that he and his partner, James Coyle, will marry in a small ceremony later this summer. It won’t be a grand affair but a small, intimate ceremony befitting the two men in their mid-fifties. This is the first ever same-sex marriage in the extended Royal Family.

And the story gets even more heartwarming. In an interview with The Daily Mail, Lord Mountbatten explained that he did love his ex-wife, Penny, and that their wedding day was one of the happiest of his life. He was even open with her about his sexuality, but felt that he couldn’t come out because of his parents and the general homophobia in society. He was even bullied for his perceived homosexuality as a kid, and was convinced that he could never live openly. But now that he and Penny are divorced and he’s found a man to love, all is well, and his ex wife will even walk him down the aisle.

Penny and Lord Mountbatten share three daughters who, according to the article, Coyle considers his children as well. In fact, the adults are all close as well. “You and I have got on from the first ten seconds of meeting each other, haven’t we?” Penny asked Coyle during the interview.

In this “very modern marriage,” there was no proposal per se, just an agreement that the two men would marry. Lord Ivar explained, “I really wanted to do it for James…He hasn’t been married…For me, what’s interesting is I don’t need to get married because I’ve been there, done that and have my wonderful children; but I’m pushing it because I think it’s important for him…James hasn’t had the stable life I have.” And then he looked at his love and said, “I want to be able to give you that.”

Related: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Are Refusing $9.3 Million Worth of Wedding Gifts