It may not have been the day she had planned, but Princess Beatrice‘s wedding to millionaire property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi had all the tropes of a modern-day fairytale.
Beatrice, the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York, originally planned to marry on May 29, 2020, at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace in front of 150 guests.
But due to Covid-19 restrictions, the couple had no choice but to rethink their plans
Unlike her younger sister, Princess Eugenie, whose wedding guest list consisted of 850 people, Beatrice’s ceremony was cosy and intimate with just 20 of their closest family members in attendance.
Beatrice, 36, and Edoardo, 41, exchanged vows on the grounds of Royal Lodge, the princess’s childhood family home in Windsor Great Park, on July 17, 2020.
In a touching tribute to her grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, Beatrice wore a dress designed by Norman Hartnell, which Her Majesty had first worn for a state dinner in Rome in 1961 and in London a year later, at the world film premiere of Lawrence Of Arabia.
The vintage gown was carefully remodelled for Beatrice by the Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly and designer Stewart Parvin.
The socially-distanced event at the Royal Chapel of All Saints marked the first royal wedding behind closed doors in 235 years.
It may not have been the day she had planned, but Princess Beatrice’s wedding to millionaire property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi had all the tropes of a modern day fairytale
For her big day, Beatrice wore a vintage dress by Norman Hartnell and the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara, which her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, had worn at her own wedding to Prince Philip in 1947
Beatrice had been engaged to Edo, the son of Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, a former British Olympian and Italian nobleman, since September 2019.
They were long-time family friends but started dating in October 2018.
It was reported at the time that the nuptials went ahead in July to make sure that the Queen was able to attend before she left Windsor for Balmoral later in the summer.
A friend of Beatrice’s told the Sun: ‘A massive wedding was out of the question because of coronavirus.
‘They were obviously very keen for the Queen to come, so the wedding had to happen before she goes up to Balmoral, so this was a great opportunity
‘They needed to make the wedding Covid-secure and safe for the Queen, so what better way than the All Saints Chapel with reception on site at the Royal Lodge, their family home.’
The chapel was decorated with pink and white delphiniums, roses and hydrangeas, all sourced from Windsor Great Park.
Beatrice carried a summer bouquet of trailing jasmine, pale pink and cream sweet peas, Royal Porcelain ivory roses, pink O’Hara garden roses, pink wax flower and baby pink astilbe.
Sprigs of myrtle also featured in the bouquet – a Royal Wedding tradition going back to Queen Victoria.
The chapel was decorated with pink and white delphiniums, rose and hydrangea, all sourced from Windsor Great Park
Socially distanced, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are pictured alongside Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi outside the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, after their wedding
Queen Elizabeth II at the world film premiere of Lawrence Of Arabia at the Odeon, Leicester Square, in 1962, wearing the same peau de soie taffeta dress by Norman Hartnell that Princess Beatrice had updated and wore for her own wedding
The bouquet was put together by Patrice Van Helden, co owner of RVH Floral Design, with blooms from the Savill Garden and Windsor Great Park.
In keeping with Royal Wedding precedent, the bride’s bouquet was subsequently placed on the tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.
This tradition was started by the Queen Mother, then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, back in 1923, who made the gesture to commemorate the death of her brother, Fergus, and other servicemen who lost their lives or were injured in the First World War.
During the 30-minute service, Sarah Ferguson and Nikki Williams-Ellis, the mothers of the bride and groom, read the couple’s favourite poems: I Carry You In My Heart by E E Cummings and William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116.
Edoardo’s three-year-old son, Wolfie, played the roles of bestman and pageboy.
Prince Andrew escorted his daughter down the aisle but did not appear in any of the photographs shared with the public.
While most royals opt for custom dresses, Beatrice wore something borrowed.
The late Queen and her granddaughter Beatrice had an extremely close bond, so much so that she turned to her grandmother ahead of her wedding day.
The late Queen and her granddaughters Beatrice and Eugenie – pictured in the early 1990s – had an extremely close bond
The limited Order of Service for Beatrice’s wedding on July 17, 2020
The bouquet was put together by Patrice Van Helden, co owner of RVH Floral Design, with blooms from the Savill Garden and Windsor Great Park
The princess stepped out in one of her grandmother’s dresses on her wedding day, along with the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara, which Her Majesty also wore the day she married Prince Philip in 1947.
The tiara was originally made for Queen Mary by Garrard and Co in 1919, from a diamond necklace that was a wedding day gift from Queen Victoria.
The gown by Norman Hartnell was made from peau de soie taffeta and organza, trimmed with duchess satin and encrusted with diamanté.
Angela Kelly and Stewart Parvin softened the full-skirted silhouette to create a more contemporary shape, and recreated the underskirt and petticoats, bound with silk tulle.
It exemplified Hartnell’s signature crinoline silhouette and passion for embellishment, showcased in geometric hand-embroidered diamantés across the bodice, waist and hips.
Norman Hartnell, a highly-regarded designer of the 20th century, was renowned for his creations favoured by the Windsors.
He designed both Queen Elizabeth’s wedding dress and coronation gown, as well as Princess Margaret’s bridal ensemble.
Princess Beatrice’s dress was altered in order to comply with the regulations of the place of worship. Short sleeves of triple organza were added to the straps and embroidered with vintage crystals to match the original design.
Beatrice’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, sent thank you cards to well-wishers following the wedding
Princess Beatrice’s loaned wedding dress on display at Windsor Castle in 2020, along with her shoes by Valentino
Only a replica of Beatrice’s bouquet is on display as the original was placed on the tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, a tradition started by the Queen Mother in 1923, who made the gesture after her wedding to commemorate the death of her brother, Fergus, and other servicemen who lost their lives or were injured in the First World War
Beatrice wore a pair of champagne satin Valentino heels, which went on public display with the full ensemble at Windsor Castle in 2020.
Since their wedding, the couple have welcomed two daughters: Sienna, born in 2021, and Athena Elizabeth Rose, who was born four years later.
Additionally, Edoardo has a son from a previous relationship, Christopher Woolf, also known as Wolfie, who Beatrice also cares for.
As the two celebrate their five-year wedding anniversary, traditionally marked by wood, they will remember their intimate wedding day and how they honoured Beatrice’s dear grandmother, the late Queen.
GLITTERING HISTORY OF BEA’S DIAMOND TIARA
The Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara
The Queen allowed Princess Beatrice, to wear the same tiara she wore at her own wedding in 1947.
The Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara, fashioned in 1919 from a necklace given to the current Queen’s grandmother by Queen Victoria, is a treasured heirloom.
It was lent to the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, as her ‘something borrowed’.
But two hours before the ceremony, a hairdresser securing Elizabeth’s veil with the tiara snapped part of it.
The tiara was rushed to maker Garrard’s London workshop where it was hurriedly welded back together and returned just in time.
The tiara was also loaned to Princess Anne for her wedding to Mark Phillips in 1973, but has rarely been seen in public since.
Queen Mary wearing the diamond fringe tiara in 1926
The tiara was also worn by the Queen in 1947 and Princess Anne in 1973 at their weddings
