The wedding date of Princess Beatrice and property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's nuptials were announced today, with the Royal Family announcing in a statement that they were set to tie the knot on May 29. They are set to marry at The Chapel Royal in St James's Palace, but not without some adjustments to their wedding day plans - in part because of Prince Andrew’s relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
According to former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, who appeared on the UK morning television show Lorraine, the Royal Family is “going to have to rethink the arrangements of Beatrice’s wedding.”
Bond’s statement came after being asked what effect the Epstein scandal and Prince Andrew’s subsequent BBC interview late last year would have on his 31-year-old daughter’s wedding.
After Bond pointed out that Prince Andrew’s 60th birthday party - which would have taken place in February of this year - had already been canceled entirely, she turned her attention to the upcoming nuptials.
Bond clarified that Prince Andrew’s former relationship with Epstein were not the only factor impacting on Princess Beatrice’s wedding plans. Backlash following her sister Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank in October 2018, may also play a role in reducing the scale of Beatrice’s ceremony.
“There were outcries over Eugenie’s security costs for the taxpayer,” Bond said. Eugenie’s high profile ceremony in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle reportedly required security that cost an estimated $2.6 million - paid for with taxpayers’ money.
“I don’t think they’ll want a similar embarrassment for Beatrice,” she continued, adding, “So I imagine that will be scaled down somewhat.”
Princess Beatrice and Mozzi announced their engagement in September of 2019, but the couple’s upcoming wedding was quickly overshadowed by accusations made against Prince Andrew - which he denies.
While Beatrice’s father will reportedly still walk her down the aisle on her big day, he was not seen at her engagement party last month.
