Queen Elizabeth II reportedly declined to open a new terminal at Bristol Airport after her cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, was barred from boarding a flight with his shotguns.

Lord Ivar revealed on the Rosebud podcast that he was travelling to the Scottish Highlands for a shooting weekend with the late monarch. Airport staff told him his firearms could not be brought aboard for security reasons. When he arrived at Balmoral and explained, the Queen was said to be unimpressed.

“She turned to her equerry and said, ‘Simon, I would like Lord Ivar’s guns to be up here tomorrow morning. Please see to it,’” he recalled. She then reportedly quipped: “They want me to open their new terminal. I don’t think I will now.”

In the end, Princess Anne performed the opening in 2015, and Lord Ivar admitted he “quietly laughs” at the memory every time he passes through the airport.

Lord Ivar Mountbatten’s royal ties

Lord Ivar is Queen Elizabeth’s third cousin once removed and a descendant of Queen Victoria. He is also related to King Charles through his father’s side and is a godparent to Lady Louise Windsor, the daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.

Beyond his aristocratic background, Lord Ivar has appeared in reality TV. In 2025, he was one of the winners of the third season of the US version of The Traitors.

Royal hunting traditions and Prince George

The story comes as speculation continues over whether Prince George could soon be introduced to the royals’ long-standing hunting traditions during the family’s summer at Balmoral.

Royal biographer Duncan Larcombe suggested the young prince may even be initiated into the centuries-old ritual of “blooding” — where the blood of a hunter’s first kill is smeared on their face. However, Princess Kate is said to strongly oppose the practice. Author Tom Quinn noted in Yes, Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants that the Princess of Wales has “put her foot down and insisted there will be no blooding for her children.”