LIVINGtatler.com October 2019 101[products and is happier outdoors
in tattered old jeans and a T-shirt.
‘He’s not vain at all, oh my god no,’
says James. ‘When we first met he
had this scraggy beard and was
bright red from skiing, having not
applied any suncream properly.’ In
fact, Ivar is happiest when chopping
logs with a chainsaw or darting
around the park on a motorbike. He
likes teaching James the ways of
the countryside, showing him how
to drive tractors or herd deer. When
they go on holiday together, Ivar will
make James go abseiling or sky-
diving, when all James wants is to lie
on a beach. ‘He’s like my little Action
Man doll,’ Ivar says. ‘I like to teach
him things, make him do things he’s
not used to. You know when you’re a
kid you had a little Action Man that
you threw out of a window or made
a parachute for? I do that with James.’I suppose I do quite like to shock.’
It’s why he has agreed to appear
on the new series of The Island,
the Channel 4 reality TV series: to
show that it is possible to be a fifty-
something gay aristocrat and not
necessarily conform to stereotypes.
‘A lot of people in my generation
are worried about coming out
because we perceive gay men to be
camp stereotypes, like Larry Gray-
son.’ He also wanted to prove that
people who live in big houses aren’t
incompetent layabouts. ‘I suppose
that a lot of people might perceive
aristocrats to live in big houses,
totally surrounded by staff and
completely unable to do anything
for themselves, which is actually so
far from the truth. If you live in
these sorts of houses, you have to
be hands-on.’
What the Royal Family will
make of Ivar’s television appear-
ance remains to be seen. Although
he grew up close to them, these
days there is a little more distance.
‘The family has got very large,’ he
says. ‘When we were younger we
went to royal events all the time.
But now that everyone has had
children, quite rightly everything
has slimmed down.’ He will from
time to time accompany members
of the Royal Family overseas on
business trips, and remains close to
Prince Edward and the Countess
of Wessex, who are his daughters’
godparents. ‘They’re very support-
ive and think James is brilliant.’
For his part, James has adapted
remarkably well to his new life. He
still keeps a flat in Richmond, and
now works part time, doing the
occasional long-haul flight. Does
he worry at all about Ivar’s forth-
coming fame as a television star?
‘There’s no point worrying about
anything like that,’ he says. ‘I just
take every day as it comes. One thing
I will say about Ivar is that you’re
always outside your comfort zone.
He’s always making me do things I
would never have done before. But
when I look back I think, “Actually,
that was quite enjoyable.” And
that’s the thing. You don’t really
start to enjoy life until you’re out-
side your comfort zone.’ (THE ONLY WAY IS UP
Ivar on the main
staircase. Below, the
couple outside the
orangery with RosieShirt, £155, by
FAVOURBROOK.
Trousers, £465,
by ANDERSON &
SHEPPARD. Socks,
£45, by HOLLAND
& HOLLAND. Shoes,
Ivar’s own‘People in my
generation are
worried about
coming out
because we
perceive gay men
to be camp
stereotypes.’‘We make a very good team,’
says James, turning to the topic of
the wedding business. ‘We have
young couples who come over
looking to get married, and I only
let Ivar talk to them for about five
minutes as he starts saying “Are
you sure? Do you know how much
it costs to get married? You will
probably get divorced...!”’ Ivar
roars with laughter. ‘Sometimes if
they come along with their parents
I will say “Well of course we were
married here”. And there will be a
raising of an eyebrow....’ I sense
that Ivar likes to shock. ‘I suppose
I do quite like to shock. Why not?’
He tells how one of their assistants,
Vicky, ‘who is quite proper’, says it’s
important to wheel Ivar in ‘because
she says they like to see the nob.’
So Ivar has a plan to appear one
day in a twinset and pearls. ‘I
would love to see her face. So yes,Ivar wears jacket, POA, by
HUNTSMAN. Trousers,
£465; tie, £130; pocket
square £30, all by
ANDERSON &
SHEPPARD. Shirt, POA;
socks, £45, both by
HOLLAND & HOLLAND.
Shoes, Ivar’s own. James
wears shirt, £325; tie, £95,
both by ANDERSON &
SHEPPARD. Suit, to
order, by HUNTSMAN.
Socks, £45, by HOLLAND
& HOLLAND. Shoes,
£430, by CROCKETT
& JONES10-19LIV-Mountbatten.indd 101 19/08/2019 14:06