Princess Beatrice and fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s royal wedding canceled due to coronavirus lockdown
Princess Beatrice and her fiance, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, have reportedly canceled their May 29 wedding due to the lockdown in place caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A spokesperson confirmed the news and said that the wedding that was set to take place at Princess Beatrice's grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s gardens at Buckingham Palace will not be taking place anymore.
According to a report in People, the spokesperson said, "There are no plans to switch venues or hold a bigger wedding. They aren’t even thinking about their wedding at this time. There will come a time to rearrange, but that’s not yet."
The UK government had announced on Thursday that the nationwide lockdown will be in place for at least three more weeks and this includes government guidelines to avoid gatherings outside of close family groups. This is also the reason why the May 29 date wouldn't have worked for the couple, making it impossible to go forward with.
A source was also quoted in the report as saying, "the invitations were never actually sent out." It was also previously announced that the reception of the couple was no longer taking place. It was also reported that the couple was discussing tieing the knot in a private ceremony with friends and family instead.
It must be noted that Princess Beatrice's wedding was always meant to be a small celebration in comparison to Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and Princess Eugenie’s ceremonies. A royal source had also previously said that the couple had not been planning to have a carriage procession either "in keeping with their wishes for a more low-key" wedding.
Beatrice's father Prince Andrew had stepped back from his royal duties amid alleged ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was expected to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding ceremony and Christopher, who is Mozzi’s son with his former girlfriend Dara Huang, was also set to serve in the bridal party. About Andrew's part in the ceremony, a source said, "He plays a very traditional role in her life. She’s his greatest supporter. This is obviously very hard times."