King Charles III’s cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, is one of the more unusual members of the royal family. He’s not particularly close to the main line of succession, which has afforded him a degree of freedom that other royals do not have. He’s been a business owner, has dabbled in becoming a reality television star, and in 2016, he made British history when he became the first member of the royal family to come out as gay.

Having the world’s press shine a huge spotlight on me overnight proclaiming me ‘The First Gay Royal’ was … pretty alarming,” he wrote in an essay for the Independent. “The reaction of my friends and family concerned me a lot, and I wondered if my world would suddenly collapse around me.”

Thankfully, Lord Ivar’s world hasn’t collapsed around him. Instead, he’s found a way through the ups and downs of the spotlight, forging his own path through a part of upper-crust British society that wasn’t always supportive of people who broke the mold.

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