POOR BEA’S A BLUE BRIDE
The princess fears she’ll never get a happy ending
Snuggled in close to the man who mended her heart, a beaming Princess Beatrice looked like the happiest girl in the world as she posed for her engagement photos back in September. After years of sadness, the young royal thought she’d finally found her fairytale with beau Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and she was delighted to share their news with the world.
But now, her dream is in tatters thanks to the nightmare that’s engulfed the royal family over Prince Andrew’s friendship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. And a devastated Beatrice – who celebrated the engagement last week without her father at her side – has told pals she’ll never forgive him for ruining what should be the happiest time of her life.
“Poor Beatrice, she’s absolutely beside herself,” tells a source. “She’d been so excited about her wedding and now she just feels humiliated and ashamed. Each week things just seem to get worse, and the idea of walking down the aisle on her dad’s arm appals her.”
Amidst earlier rumours she’d decided to cancel her engagement party, Beatrice and Edo ploughed ahead with the bash in London last Wednesday night after the Queen’s official Buckingham Palace Christmas luncheon.
While celebs including Robbie William’s wife Ayda Field and pop star Ellie Goulding were spotted arriving at the exclusive Chiltern Firehouse, there appeared to be one notable absence – her father.
“Staying away was a devastating blow for the duke and a sign of just how bad things have got,” says a source. “The plan was always for him to attend Beatrice’s engagement party alongside Fergie. But things have turned far more toxic.
“He agreed that he didn’t want to overshadow the event, especially as high-profile people would be there and it could have put them in a difficult position.
“People close to him were also in fear of embarrassment or abuse, which would have just been mortifying.”
The lavish event, which had been months in the planning, came just a week after the emergence of a shock photo from the princess’ 18th birthday party, showing sex predator Epstein, his alleged pimp Ghislaine Maxwell and disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein.
The grinning trio are said to have been invited to the Windsor Castle party by Andrew, whose links to Epstein saw him removed from public duty after a disastrous television interview in which he showed no sympathy for the sex offender’s victims.
“Beatrice has been in floods of tears over this latest revelation. She was stunned and told her friends that it’s the final straw,” alleges our source, who says the princess has struggled to cope since her dad’s fall from grace. Beatrice has become so anxious, she’s barely leaving the house and loved ones are worried.
“Everyone’s rallying around and she managed to put on a brave face for the engagement party last week, but she’s virtually inconsolable. Her mum Sarah Ferguson is telling her it’ll blow over and there’s no point worrying, but she’s in a bad way.”
When Beatrice, 31, fell in love with the property tycoon, 36, back in 2018, pals say it finally felt like her life was getting back on track after the devastating end of her 10-year relationship with Uber executive Dave Clark.
Her relationship with Edo signalled a fresh start and they were excited about starting their life together. But their union was tested almost immediately with reports that the father father-of-one of one was still living with his ex, Dara Huang, when he started dating Beatrice.
“It didn’t make Edo look good, but Beatrice held her head up high because in her heart she knew he was a wonderful man,” reports the insider. “And she’s always supported his relationship with his son Woolfie. She says he’s a brilliant father.”
While the Epstein scandal has caused greater stress than they ever could’ve imagined, friends say it’s Edo’s constant love and support that’s getting her through.
While it’s believed they’ll wed in June next year, it’s unclear yet where it’ll take place, with reports their first choice of the Guards’ Chapel in St James’s Park has been ruled out over the scandal. But they’ve made it clear nothing will stop them exchanging vows when the time comes.
“There have been stories saying the wedding’s cancelled, but that’s totally untrue,” says our source. “They are more determined than ever to say ‘I do’. Yes,
it’s likely to be a very low-key wedding by y royal standards, but the love between these two is so strong and that’s all that matters.
“Edo has told Beatrice they’ll get through this together and that one day it’ll all be a distant memory. She’s so grateful for him because right now, she’s not sure she’d be able to cope without him.”