Princess Beatrice's Royal Wedding Was Set for Today — All About Her Canceled Nuptials
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi will have to wait a bit longer to tie the knot.
Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter and the Italian property developer's royal wedding was scheduled for May 29, but like engaged couples around the world, they had to cancel their planned nuptials due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"There are no plans to switch venues or hold a bigger wedding. They aren't even thinking about their wedding at this time," a spokesperson for the couple told PEOPLE in mid-April. "There will come a time to rearrange, but that’s not yet."
The 31-year-old daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson was set to wed Edoardo at St. James's Palace in London with a reception to follow at her grandmother Queen Elizabeth's gardens at Buckingham Palace.
Unlike Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and younger sister Princess Eugenie's royal weddings, Beatrice’s nuptials were set to be a "low-key" affair, said a source, which is what the couple has always wanted. For example, there were no plans for a horse-drawn carriage ride.
CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
When Princess Beatrice does wed Edoardo, she will become stepmother to his young son, born in 2016, whom he shares with his former girlfriend Dara Huang, an architect and designer. The child was expected to be a pageboy in the wedding.
"He is very much part of their life," Beatrice’s friend previously told PEOPLE. "Beatrice has embraced the child as part of her life from the outset."
"Edo is easily one of the best dads, he is so involved, and Beatrice is already showing that she’s a fantastic step-mummy," the friend added.
Princess Eugenie/Press Association Images Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice
Coronavirus was not the only obstacle in Princess Beatrice's wedding planning. In November, her father Prince Andrew stepped back from his royal duties amid the fallout from his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"The date was changed two times to adjust [around Andrew’s scandal]," a source told PEOPLE. “It will be smaller than the original plan."
Despite the setback, the Duke of York is still set to give his eldest daughter away when she marries.
"Andrew will probably give a toast at the reception like any father of the bride," the source added. "They will try to normalize this as much as possible."
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Princess Beatrice and Prince Andrew
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Despite the cancelation of Princess Beatrice's wedding, Fergie, as the mother of the bride is affectionately known, recently told Royal Central that her daughter is "the happiest I have ever seen her in my life."
"She and Edo have a great love for each other and passion for life," Fergie added. "For them to be getting married fills my heart with joy."
Sarah Ferguson/Instagram Princess Beatrice, Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew and Princess Eugenie
"It's sad for me that Beatrice, she was going to get married next week, but they postponed the wedding," Fergie also said on the City Island Podcast.
While Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, have been quarantining with Fergie and Prince Andrew at their Royal Lodge home in Windsor, Fergie shared that Beatrice and Edoardo were not staying with them.
"Edo and Beatrice have been living with her future mother-in-law, who is lovely. Great friend of mine," she said. "But I'm missing my other daughter, but it's just like everybody else. We are just the same family as everybody else."
