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“The King and His Husband” – The little-known gay history of British royals

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Updated on March 27, 2021

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Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, is set to marry James Coyle this summer in the “first-ever” same-sex marriage in the British royal family.

According to historians, the marriage isn’t thought to be the first same-sex relationship in British empire. And they couldn’t conduct their affairs freely or without triggering major political upheaval in their respective courts.

Edward II, who reigned from 1307 to 1327, is one of England’s less well-known monarchs. He was replaced by his son, Edward III, after feuds with his barons, a failed invasion of Scotland in 1314, a plague, further feuding with his barons, and an invasion by a political opponent. H is relationships with two men, Piers Gaveston and later, Hugh Despenser, were responsible for much of the more turbulent aspects of his reign.

Gaveston met Edward when the latter was about 16 years old. “Edward’s actions make it clear that he was fascinated with Gaveston,” Kathryn Warner, author of “Edward II: The Unorthodox King,” said. When Edward II became king, he made Gaveston Earl of Cornwall, a title normally reserved for members of the royal family, just piling him with lands, titles, and money,” according to Warner. He had a squabble with his barons over Gaveston, whom they felt was given way too much consideration and favor.

Gaveston was banished many times as a result of his friendship with Edward II, but the king still managed to get him back. Gaveston was ultimately murdered. Edward “constantly had prayers said for (Gaveston’s) soul; he spent a lot of money on Gaveston’s grave” after his burial, according to Warner.

Edward established a close friendship with another favorite and aide, Hugh Despenser, some years after Gaveston’s death. How close were they? Walker cited a 1326 annalist from Newenham Abbey in Devon, which referred to Edward and Despenser as “the king and his husband,” and another chronicler who said Despenser “bewitched Edward’s heart.”

Christopher Marlowe’s 16th-century play “Edward II,” which is known for its homoerotic depiction of Edward II and Gaveston, fuelled rumors that Edward II’s associations with these men went beyond friendship.