Princess Beatrice Will Get a New Title After Her Royal Wedding—and Everything Else We Know
There are plenty of traditions surrounding the royal family and royal customs that are being upended these days (we’re looking at you, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle), but in the case of Princess Beatrice’s wedding to financier Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, centuries-old traditions withstand the test of time.
In fact, when the 31-year-old royal weds her Italian beau Mozzi, 36, on May 29, she will gain a royal title—but not the one that fans might expect. While Queen Elizabeth bestowed the Duke and Duchess titles upon Prince William and Kate Middleton (otherwise known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) and upon Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, before they gave up their royal titles), Princess Beatrice will instead become a Countess.
This is because Edoardo is a descendant of the Italian aristocracy, his father, Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, recently told the Mail on Sunday.
“Edoardo is the only male descendent taking the family into the next generation,” he said. “He is a count—his wife will be a countess automatically and any of their children will be counts or nobile donna.” Additionally, Edoardo is set to inherit a 19-bedroom, 18th-Century neoclassical mansion in Casatenovo, Italy, known as the Villa Mapelli Mozzi, as part of his title. “I’ve never seen him so happy,” Alessandro added.
While the wedding is expected to be much smaller and intimate in scale than any of the other royals’ recent weddings, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo’s nuptials are expected to be no less elegant. And while her new title reflects a centuries’ old tradition of joining two royal families together, there are plenty of ways that she’s making her wedding day her own. Here’s what we know so far about the low-key celebration.
It will take place in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace.
The palace announced the news in early February, following months of speculation about where the couple would exchange vows after their joyful engagement last September. It’s important to note that the Chapel Royal is considerably more intimate than St George’s Chapel, where her sister Eugenie got married in October 2018. Chapel Royal seats just 150 guests, as compared to St George’s Chapel, which can fit an astounding 800 guests. The couple will then hold their reception in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, by invitation of the Queen, Princess Beatrice’s grandmother. The last royal reception held at Buckingham Palace was for Prince William and Kate Middleton, back in 2011.
Edoardo’s 3-year-old son Christopher will be his best man.
Better known to his friends and loved ones as “Wolfie,” Edoardo’s son Christopher Woolf Mapelli Mozzi will make history as the youngest best man ever at a royal wedding. According to the Daily Mail, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo wanted to ask Wolfie to take on the role because they wanted him to know how much his new stepmother loved him. Wolfie’s mother, Edoardo’s ex and American architect Dara Huang, will also be in attendance at the nuptials.
The couple is asking their guests to refrain from giving gifts.
In place of lavish, expensive gifts, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo are asking their guests to “learn more” about the charities that are closest to their hearts, namely Big Change and Cricket Builds Hope. Princess Beatrice helped found the former and currently serves as a trustee on the board; the organization brings communities together to support young people. Cricket Builds Hope utilizes the popular sport cricket as “a tool for positive social change in Rwanda.”
They will also eschew the public carriage processional, and the ceremony will not be televised.
Whereas Princess Beatrice’s sister Princess Eugenie, as well as her cousins Prince Harry and Prince William, all took part in the tradition, Princess Beatrice is opting to keep the ceremony truly as low-key as possible. One potential reason for this change is protocol is her father, Prince Andrew, who made headlines for other reasons late last year following Beatrice’s engagement news. As a result of the drama surrounding his ties, Prince Andrew has since taken a “step back” from his royal duties; he will still, however, be walking his daughter down the aisle May 29.
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