A ROYAL SURPRISE
Princess Beatrice says “I do” to her Prince Charming, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, in a small, socially distanced ceremony
Insiders tell Us the real reason Princess Beatrice opted for a small, secret wedding.
It’s the day every little girl dreams of: decked out in her white dress, her future husband waiting at the end of the aisle, hundreds of friends and family dabbing tears of joy. And though Princess Beatrice did have the gown (borrowed from her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth) and her prince — Edoardo “Edo” Mapelli Mozzi — it’s fair to say that everything else about her July 17 nuptials diverged dramatically from anything she could have imagined.
MAN PLANS, GOD LAUGHS
Beatrice, 31 — the older daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson — and Edo, 36, who got engaged in September 2019, were originally set to wed in May but were forced to postpone because of the pandemic. “Bea always dreamed of having a noexpense-spared royal wedding, like Meghan’s and Kate’s,” a source tells
Us. When that became impossible, the couple decided to tie the knot
“in a secret ceremony at All Saints Chapel in Windsor Great Park.” Only 20 people attended — the queen and Philip, Andrew and Fergie, her sister, Eugenie, Edo’s family and a small group of close friends.” Christopher Woolf (a.k.a. Wolfie), 4, Edo’s son with ex Dara Huang, was pageboy and best man. “Bea adores her stepson,” says the source. “Wolfie loved every minute of the wedding and felt so grown-up.”
To protect their guests — especially Queen Elizabeth, 94, and
Prince Philip, 99 (above) — “everyone was asked to take a Covid test prior to the wedding; temperatures were also taken upon arrival, and everyone social-distanced,” the source says.
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Shockingly, the pandemic wasn’t the biggest thorn in Beatrice’s side on her big day: In November 2019, her dad, Andrew, was stripped of his royal duties over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his own alleged related crimes (Andrew denies all allegations against him). When Epstein’s reported accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, was apprehended on July 2, “Bea and Edo didn’t want to wait,” says the source. “With pressure mounting on Andrew to testify, the situation could get messier. Ghislaine’s saying she won’t talk about Andrew, but that could change if she’s offered a deal.”
PUT ON A HAPPY FACE
The day wasn’t all grim for the bride and groom, though. At the reception in a tent on the Royal Lodge grounds, “beer and champagne flowed, traditional pub food was served, and there was a photo booth with props,” the source tells Us. “Bea and Edo played all their favorite music on a jukebox, and everyone stayed overnight in luxury tents. There were definitely some hangovers the next day.”