King Charles's cousin to appear on US version of TV show that gripped Britain
The King's cousin will appear on a popular reality TV show
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King Charles’s cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, will appear on a US version of a TV show that was a hit in the UK.
Mountbatten, 61, will be a contestant on the reality series The Traitors US, a “stab-in-the-back” show with a $250,000 (£195,785) prize for the winners hosted by actor Alan Cumming.
Similar to the BBC show hosted by Claudia Winklemen, the series takes place in a castle in the Scottish Highlands, however the American edition sees celebrities as contestants rather than members of the public.
The 61-year-old, who is a non-working member of the Royal Family, is the son of Janet Mercedes Bryce and the late David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven. He is a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and a second cousin of King Charles.
The King's cousin will appear on a popular reality TV showGettyHis co-stars for the season three cast include Britney Spears ex-husband, Sam Asghari, Selling Sunset star Chrishell Strause and Zac Efron’s little brother Dylan.
Players will be divided into “faithfuls” and “traitors”, with the latter trying to eliminate other contestants to win up to the eye-watering prize.
His appearance on The Traitors US will not be his first foray into reality television, having appeared on ITV productions Keeping Up with the Aristocrats in 2022, and The Queen and her Cousins in 2021.
Mountbatten, a farmer, geologist, and businessman, made headlines in 2016 when he came out as gay and two years later, he made history when he became the first member of the Royal Family to have a same-sex marriage.
Lord Ivar Mountbatten (left) will appear on the hit US reality TV show
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Prior to coming out, the 61-year-old had been married to Lady Penny Mountbatten and they had two daughters.
After their split, the pair remained good friends and his former wife even walked him down the aisle at his wedding to James Coyle.
Speaking ahead of the nuptials, Lady Penny said: “It was the girls' idea. It makes me feel quite emotional. I'm really very touched.”
She said that Mountbatten changed so much after he “came out”.
The Traitors UK is a popular BBC reality TV show hosted by Claudia Winkelman
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Lady Penny Mountbatten, his ex-wife, is on good terms with her former husband
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“I now call him Fanny Cradock. He probably wasn't even aware that by keeping his sexuality a secret it was really quite tormenting him. Now it's "out" he's a completely different person. Everybody says they've never seen him happier,” she said.
Following the death of his own father in 1970, Mountbatten came to think of the late Prince Phillip as a father figure.
He told The Telegraph: “Prince Philip, then 49, and Uncle Dickie stepped up and supported my mother, who’d been left a widow aged just 31. She was hugely grateful to the Duke for keeping an eye on her and for being a sort of father figure to us, her two boys.”
“Prince Philip was a wonderful listener; you could tell him anything as long as you were being honest and forthright. He was happy to listen to your thoughts. But if he had some advice he thought you ought to hear, he’d give it to you.”
Production for The Traitors season three is already underway in Scotland, though a premiere date has yet to be announced.