9 Royals Believed to Be Part Of The LGBTQ+ Community

But going back in history, many more royals were actually thought to be gay or bisexual, although it’s difficult to accurately assign modern labels to historical figures. While how they would personally identify is up for discussion, historians believe that these royals were a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Learn about some of these past and present royals below ...

1. Lord Ivar Mountbatten

Queen Elizabeth’s cousin Lord Ivar Mountbatten was the first British royal to officially come out as gay. Lord Ivar was previously married to businesswoman Penny Mountbatten but after over a decade together, the pair split in 2010. It wasn’t for another six years that he would officially announce that he was dating a man -- although he says he knew he was bisexual from the time he was a teenager.

“I am a lot happier now, though I am still not 100% comfortable with being gay,” he told the Mail on Sunday at the time. “‘Coming out’ is such a funny phrase but it's what I suppose I did in a rather roundabout way, emerging to a place I'm happy to be. I have struggled with my sexuality and in some ways I still do; it has been a real journey to reach this point.”

In 2018, Lord Ivar married his husband James Coyle, later sharing that it was an “amazing day.”

2. Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil

Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of India came out as gay in 2006 when he was 41. His decision to come out received a lot of backlash, especially as homosexuality was illegal at the time. He was even publicly disowned by his mother. While his mother has not changed her opinion, Prince Manvendra says the public has become much more accepting over the years.

“When I came out in 2006, not a single person in my town was in my favor,” he told Tatler, adding that over time, things have changed. “People are proud that I have achieved something for a common cause, not just for myself.”

In 2013, Prince Manvendra married a man named DeAndre Richardson and more recently, he created a space on palace grounds to help at-risk LGBTQ+ Indians.

3. Prince Egon von Furstenberg

German royal Prince Egon von Furstenberg was married twice during his life -- once to designer Diane von Furstenberg and later to a woman named Lynn Marshall. Although he did not label his sexuality, it is thought that he was bisexual based on his openness about his encounters with both men and women. In a 1981 interview, he shared that he had “no regrets” about being with a man sexually.

“I can't stay with the same person for long. I get bored sexually,” he told People at the time. “I’m very pleased. I have no regrets.”

4. Prince George, Duke of Kent

Prince George, Duke of Kent, was the younger brother of Queen Elizabeth’s father, George VI. During his lifetime in the early 20th century, Prince George never came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community but it’s been widely speculated that he was bisexual. According to numerous historians, George had relationships with both men and women. Smithsonian Channel docuseries “Private Lives of the Windsors” alleged that George “didn’t recognize any boundaries to his sexual exploration.”

“He was sailing very, very close to the wind, because you have to remember that at that time, homosexuality was illegal. You could go to prison for it,” royal biographer Christopher Warwick said in the series.

5. Princess Isabella of Parma

Princess Isabella of Parma lived between 1741 and 1763 and throughout history, it’s been speculated that she was possibly bisexual. Although she married Archduke Joseph of Austria as a teenager, it’s thought she had a romantic affair with his sister, Archduchess Maria Christina. Over the course of their friendship, Isabella and Maria Christina exchanged hundreds of letters, many of which were romantic in nature. Some of Isabella’s letters can still be found in the National Archives of Hungary.

“I love you to the point of worship and my happiness is loving you and being certain of you,” Isabella wrote in one letter in French. In another, she added, “It could very well happen that we kiss each other to exhaustion.”

6. King Umberto II of Italy

In the early 20th century, King Umberto II was married to Queen Marie-José of Belgium and they shared three children. Throughout their marriage, Umberto is said to have had romantic affairs with other men. According to historians in “Who’s Who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History,” in 1943, he was outed in the press. Then, in 1946, he was officially made king but just 34 days into his reign, the public voted to abolish the monarchy.

Later that year, Umberto separated from his wife and he lived out the rest of his life in exile.

7. Philippe I, Duke of Orléans

Philippe I, the youngest son of King Louis XIII of France, is thought to have been gay or bisexual. Throughout his life in the seventeenth century, Philippe is believed to have both dressed like a woman at times and had romantic relationships with men. According to “Homosexuality & Civilization,” Philippe’s mother often dressed him in feminine clothes -- which he continued to do through his life.

Court gossip allegedly also referred to his relationships with men as the “Italian vice,” a slang term for male homosexuality. Philippe did eventually marry Princess Henrietta of England, who died under mysterious circumstances. He later married Princess Palatine Elizabeth Charlotte but it is believed they slept in separate rooms.

8. Queen Anne

Queen Anne, who lived in the late seventeenth century, is thought to have had romantic relationships with two women -- which later inspired the movie, “The Favourite.” As a child, Anne became close with Sarah Churchill and eventually she became her second lady of the bedchamber. While the two were apart, they are said to have written numerous letters to one another, some of which were romantic in nature.

“Tis impossible for you ever to believe how much I love you except you saw my heart,” Anne wrote in one letter. Meanwhile, Sarah’s responses were burned.

When the women began to grow apart due to differing political views, Anne’s affection shifted to Sarah’s cousin, Abigail Hill, who was working as a woman of the bedchamber in Anne’s court. Over time, Abigail’s political influence over Anne came into question and a rift was drawn between all three women. Sarah is even said to have started rumors that Anne was in a sexual relationship with Abigail. While it’s unclear if there was any form of sexual relationship between any of them women, many believe the letters between Anne and Sarah seem to imply so.

9. Archduke Ludwig Viktor of Austria

Archduke Ludwig Viktor of Austria, the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph, is thought to have been a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout his life, he declined to marry a woman, despite having his family arrange numerous marriages for him. Things came to a head amid a scandalous incident at a bathhouse where he allegedly made a sexual pass at another man.

“It appears there was a row, and the Archduke was knocked down by one of the bathers, an athletic young man of the middle classes. According to witnesses, the young man’s actions were justified,” The Chicago Tribune reported in 1906.

Following the incident, Franz Joseph forbade Ludwig from staying in Vienna. He left the city for Salzburg, where worked as a philanthropist for the rest of his life.