King Charles' cousin appearing on reality show marks a new 'era' for the royals and it spells disaster - Opinion
He name-dropped two key royals in his first scene...King Charles’ second cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, is making headlines for his appearance on reality show The Traitors US – so what does this mean for the future of the royal family?
It’s not the first time we’ve seen a royal relation on the small screen. It can often lead to unwanted attention for The Firm.
The British aristocrat Lord Mountbatten, born to David Mountbatten, is the third marquis of Milford Haven, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousin once removed, and His Majesty’s second cousin.
King Charles‘ hopes of transforming the royals into a ‘slimmed down’ monarchy is no secret, therefore royal family members rocking up on reality shows may prove difficult for him in the future.
Lord Ivar Mountbatten name-drops Harry and Meghan on The Traitors US
The royals have a large family spanning across Europe and now the US. Although not a senior member of The Firm, Lord Mountbatten is still involved with the royals. He is godfather to Lady Lousie Windsor, Charles’ granddaughter. Lady Louise’s parents, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, are godparents to his children as well.
Lord Mountbatten is also the first out gay member of the extended royal family, after coming out in 2016.
However, he name-dropped Harry and Meghan and his royal connection in the very first scene of the series.
During the season 3 premiere he said: “I was born with a very nice last name. Mountbatten.
“It’s one of the royal family’s surnames”, he added on the reality show.
To make sure his point hit home, he continued: “Harry and Meghan’s children are called Mountbatten-Windsor. [King Charles] is my second cousin”.
Although, it didn’t put him in a good light, it wasn’t the first time someone connected to The Firm appeared on reality TV…
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Royal family member appeared on reality show Celebrity Big Brother
Gary Goldsmith, Kate Middleton‘s uncle, signed up to last year’s Celebrity Big Brother and received backlash at the time.
The 59-year-old appeared on the show in March, before the Princess of Wales announced to the world she had been diagnosed with cancer. At the time, her absence from official duties following her planned abdominal surgery had caused intense speculation over her health.
Her uncle’s appearance on the reality show didn’t help the situation as the royal family attempted to squash vile rumours swirling over Kate.
The self-made millionaire revealed intimate details. This included calling Prince William “oi you [bleep]” after the future king accidentally broke one of his ornaments at a party.
He also drudged up the feud between Harry and his family after the show, stating he believes the Prince would return to the UK if he apologised.
Goldsmith added: “Harry wouldn’t even make my pub quiz team, but he was loved by us all and he had the best job in the world. He had all the privilege but with diminished duties”.
Fuelling speculation around Kate’s absence
The biggest headline from his time on the show came when fellow celebrities asked over the whereabouts of Princess Kate. Instead of squashing the rumours, the lack of confirmation from her uncle only added fuel to the fire.
Love Island star Ekin-Su Culculoglu asked about Kate. He replied: “So, because she doesn’t want to talk about it…The last thing I’m going to do…
“There’s a kind of code of etiquette. If it is announced, I will give you an opinion.”
She then told Goldsmith she hoped Kate ‘was okay’. He responded: “I think the most important thing… I spoke to her mum, my sister. She’s getting the best care in the world, and all the family has done is put the wagons around and looked after family first before anything else.”
But, the timing couldn’t have been worse.
A source close to William and Kate told the Daily Beast at the time that it caused a ‘feeding frenzy’.
They said: “Gary’s a private citizen, and he can do what he likes, but he must have known that doing Big Brother right now would fuel the feeding frenzy. It’s inconsiderate to say the least. Kate and William have had every excuse to dump Gary but they never have. But if he says something embarrassing, or gives away any personal information, that will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
Mike Tindall asked Prince William’s permission to go on I’m A Celebrity
Then we have Mike Tindall, Zara’s husband and Princess Anne’s son-in-law.
The rugby star joined I’m A Celebrity in 2022 and he didn’t exactly avoid the topic altogether.
Before going into the jungle, he admitted he didn’t need to get permission from the royal family for his reality show stint. Although, he asked for it out of courtesy. Mike approached William, Zara’s cousin, before accepting the offer.
He admitted at the time: “You don’t want to upset anyone. I spoke to the Prince of Wales about it and he said ‘Great, go have fun'”.
Mike dropped several insights into The Firm, from his trousers splitting in front of the Princess Royal at Zara’s 30th birthday party, to being allowed to wear jeans and a tee in Buckingham palace.
The athlete also spoke about his friendship with William and Prince Harry. But he kept quiet over their infamous feud.
King Charles’ and a slimmed down monarchy
While the king himself has never declared a plan of action, it’s understood he wants a smaller “working unit” for the royals moving forward, expert Robert Hardman told Marie Claire.
However, his actions have said otherwise.
Let’s take the Buckingham Palace balcony as an example. During his mother Elizabeth’s reign, there would often be extended members of the family standing next to her. When we look back at Trooping the Colour last year, we saw Charles, Queen Camilla, William and Kate and their three children, Prince Edward, Sophie and their children, Princess Anne, Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke of Kent, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Not much more than a dozen royals stood on the balcony, compared to 44 family members in 2019.
It seems to be something Charles wants to avoid.
With this in mind, how does family members popping up on any given reality show look?
Considering royals close to the king are taking part – Lord Ivar and Mike Tindall – the risk of private details from within The Firm increases. Kate Middleton’s uncle on reality TV likely gave the Prince and Princess of Wales a headache, at the worst possible time, too.
Airing the royal family’s dirty laundry is never received well, either. Harry and Meghan have already been accused of playing this card for their Netflix series and Spare.
Charles and Kate were praised for speaking up about their health battles in the past year. Although they are entitled to their privacy, being more open with the public has been a major shift for the royal family – but I don’t think future appearances on a reality show is the answer.
We have enough reality stars already, we need our royals.
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