The royal family has had a lot going on lately: In addition to all of the drama with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepping down as senior royals, there’s also a big wedding in the works.
Princess Beatrice and her fiancé, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, are scheduled to wed later this year. And now, according to royal sources, Queen Elizabeth has decided to let Princess Beatrice have her reception at Buckingham Palace—something that hasn’t happened since Prince William and Kate Middleton got married there in 2011. (Royals fans will remember that Harry and Meghan wed at Windsor Castle and had a reception at Frogmore House. And Princess Beatrice’s sister, Princess Eugenie, also wed at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in 2018.)
The news comes as Princess Beatrice’s father, Prince Andrew, was suspended from his royal duties because of his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex felon who died in 2019. According to the Daily Mail, Prince Andrew opted not to go to his daughter’s engagement party at the London restaurant Chiltern Firehouse because of the scandal. It’s unclear if Queen Elizabeth offered Buckingham Palace as a reception venue to Princess Beatrice before or after the engagement party, but her friends say she’s excited.
“Bea was delighted and very grateful to accept. It was a really special gesture as it will be the first wedding celebration at Buckingham Palace since William and Catherine’s in 2011,” an insider told the Daily Mail.
There aren’t many other details about what else is in store for Princess Beatrice’s wedding, but with a venue like Buckingham Palace, it’s bound to be gorgeous. It will likely also be full of personal touches, which Princess Beatrice has already embraced: Just after she got engaged, she responded to everyone who sent her congratulatory messages with sweet handwritten cards. They read, “Thank you so much for thinking of us after the engagement.” We’ll have to see what other details she’s planned when she ties the knot later this year.
