Coronavirus could delay Princess Beatrice's wedding as her Italian fiance's family may be unable to fly to UK
The global threat of the coronavirus has plunged Princess Beatrice's wedding into uncertainty as her fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's relatives are from Italy and might not be able to fly to London to attend the ceremony on May 29.
Although the entire country of Italy is currently under lockdown, by order of their government, according to Daily Mail, Mozzi's 37, is from Lombardy, which was the first region in the nation to be shut down due to the virus.
The number of cases in the country as of March 11 is over 9000, which is more than half of the 18,000 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Europe so far. The number of fatalities due to the virus has hit 715 as of March 11. Health officials have said that the number may increase in the coming days.
This has led to fears that Beatrice's wedding might get delayed as London health officials warn the outbreak could last for months. As an increasing number of airlines ground flights, one of the biggest uncertainties is over the guest list and how many of them will be able to attend.
"Coronavirus has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works. Although there is no suggestion that Italy will remain in lockdown until the end of May, obviously, the whole thing does cast doubt over the guest list," a royal insider said.
It is also not known who all will end up attending Mozzi's bachelor party, although details about the event have not been made public.
One person who might give the wedding a slip is the Queen's 99-year-old husband Prince Philip, who has not been the healthiest lately.
Even as a recent report said that the 93-year-old British monarch has decided not to shake hands with the public for the "foreseeable future", her scheduled visits to Cheshire on March 19, and a visit to the London Borough of Camden on March 26 might get impacted by the virus.