Royal snub? BBC and ITV may not air Princess Beatrice's wedding live after Prince Andrew scandal
Royal weddings are normally huge public affairs, watched by millions from the comfort of their homes. However, when Princess Beatrice marries Italian property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi later this year, it looks like there may not be any live coverage of the event, sources report.
The BBC will not be showing full live coverage of Princess Beatrice's royal wedding, it was revealed on January 4. The Daily Mail reports that ITV has also refused to say whether it will televise the marriage – with royal experts suggesting that after the Prince Andrew controversy, the wedding may even be held privately.
The BBC has announced that it will not offer the usual extended live footage and will instead offer "news coverage of the wedding across our services". This is a huge deviation from the norm and likely to come as a blow to the broadcasters involved considering the ITV broadcast of Princess Eugenie's 2018 wedding to Jack Brooksbank reportedly pulled in no less than three million viewers.
The wedding date has not been announced as of yet but Buckingham Palace is expected to confirm both the date and the venue within the next few months. The wedding is expected to be held in either late May or early June so that it does not clash with Royal Ascot. It is believed that the ceremony may take place at St George's Chapel in Windsor.
According to Mirror, ITV has refused to comment on the coverage for the upcoming royal wedding "until our teams are fully back in place next week". Mirror also reports that Princess Beatrice’s wedding is expected to be “the last royal wedding of its kind for a long time”.
The national broadcaster is normally offered the rights to a royal occasion free of cost. However, the Daily Mail speculates that the BBC's controversial 'Newsnight' interview with Prince Andrew over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal may have affected the change.
Royal author Phil Dampier reportedly told The Mirror: "Andrew is so toxic at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised if it's going to be a private wedding with a couple of photos released afterwards". Buckingham Palace has said that further wedding details will be announced to the public "in due course".