Bea’s glitzy engagement bash at ultra trendy club
Talk of the Town
IT’S been more than three months s since Edo Mapelli Mozzi proposed – and some unkind commentators s were beginning to question whether r he and Princess Beatrice were ever r going to make it down the aisle.
But my Palace mole has revealed the pair have finally been given Royal permission to t hrow an engagement party – meaning it’s all systems go for the Big Day.
And despite the recent controversy that has engulfed Bea’s father, Prince Andrew, the couple have chosen to stage their bash in London’s most high-profile club. I can reveal Beatrice, 31, will host the lavish event on December 18 at the A-list hangout Chiltern Firehouse, well-known for the debauchery of some of its clients.
Andrew is said to have been invited, though he would be wise to steer clear of the banks of photographers permanently outside the Marylebone club – regulars include Tom Cruise, Madonna and Kate Moss – not to mention its famously sweaty dance floor in the ‘Ladder Shed’, a nod to the building’s heritage as a Victorian fire station.
Though some friends have raised eyebrows over Beatrice’s choice of club, many were relieved to get the invitation through at all. Some feared Andrew’s downfall would delay his eldest daughter’s plans to marry.
Behind the scenes, the Queen declined to sign off on a wedding date until a week ago and is still refusing to allow an official announcement until after the Election, though Beatrice’s inner circle have been sent a ‘save the date’ reminder with their engagement party invitations.
My source says: ‘She is up against the clock if she wants to have a wedding within the six-month time frame usual for aristocratic nuptials, but everyone is so relieved things are moving. She’s been very down. A wild, glitzy, high-profile engagement party should cheer her up.’
Meanwhile, I hear t hat after spending Christmas apart, Beatrice and property developer Edo, 36, will reunite in the Kenyan beach resort of Lamu for New Year’s Eve.