Princess Beatrice's royal wedding won't look like the ones we've seen in recent years. In fact, we may be limited in how much we see of the 31-year-old's special day. Sources are suggesting that Prince Andrew's eldest daughter's wedding won't receive any live television coverage, a huge departure from what we've previously seen.
Beatrice's engagement with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi was announced in late September. The announcement came between two other significant events. About a month prior, disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his jail cell. Later, it was confirmed that he took his own life. His death brought his heinous actions and Prince Andrew's alleged connection to them into the spotlight yet again.
A little over a month after the engagement was announced, Andrew sat down for the disastrous BBC Newsnight interview that was ultimately his last chance to speak out publicly. Days later, he retired from public life for the foreseeable future. While that decision was determined to be best for the royal family, it has left Beatrice's wedding and the details thereof in limbo. While everyone loves a royal wedding, the public may not feel so warmly about this one considering recent events.
When Princess Beatrice announced her engagement to Edoardo "Edo" Mapelli Mozzi in late September, fans of the royal family were excited. After seeing her sister, Princess Eugenie, celebrate her own wedding just a year prior, it seemed another grand royal wedding would be in the works. From the very beginning, however, there were whispers that this wedding would not be like the others.
Beatrice's engagement came over a month after the death of Jeffrey Epstein. The disgraced financier and convicted sex offender was found dead in his jail cell. Later, his death was ruled a suicide. His death raised questions about what kind of justice his accusers could now find, the ability of the powerful to escape consequences, and what might happen to his many rumored co-conspirators.
One of those rumored co-conspirators is Beatrice's father, Prince Andrew. The friendship between Andrew and Epstein had long been scrutinized by the public. In efforts to clean up that scrutiny, especially in a time where his family would inevitably be in the spotlight, Andrew sat down for what became a disastrous interview with BBC Newsnight.
In that interview, it became clear that Andrew was out of his depth. He struggled to appear sympathetic toward Jeffrey's accusers. He defended his friendship with the man, using a lot of poorly thought-out excuses. Public sentiment quickly turned against him.
As a result, the royal family took action. It was determined that Andrew would step down from public life "for the foreseeable future." While that decision was made out of necessity and a need to protect the monarchy after a rocky year, it left Beatrice's upcoming wedding in limbo.
The fallout from Andrew's interview reportedly caused Beatrice's engagement party to be delayed. The couple held the party in December at Chiltern Firehouse, a hotel in London. While her mother and sister attended the event, Andrew did not.
A date for the wedding was not expected to be announced until after the new year, so we're anticipating news of a time line for the nuptials any day now. Rumors indicate it will be an early June wedding. As for the size of the event, people are unclear whether it will be the public spectacle that's typical of a royal wedding or a more intimate affair.
Originally, this was said to be for a number of reasons unrelated to Andrew. For one, Beatrice is a distant ninth in line to the throne and therefore not obliged to do things in as official a capacity. There's also the fact that after three royal weddings in the last decade, British taxpayers aren't too keen on funding another, which could explain her desire to scale down the event.
A source told People that the desire for a smaller wedding than that of her sister or cousins speaks more to who Beatrice is as a person. "Beatrice is more serious and Eugenie is the outgoing extrovert, she’s so bubbly and fun," the source said.
"Beatrice is more reserved and discreet. She holds back more, she is very polite, very well-educated but more formal and quiet in her personality, so I think it will be a very different wedding to Eugenie’s."
The latest news about Beatrice's royal wedding indicates that both the BBC and ITV have reported they will not air the event live. BBC has said it will offer "news coverage" of the event across its platforms. ITV refuses to comment at this time.
You may recall that the BBC refused to air Eugenie's wedding in 2018. After the BBC said there wasn't enough public interest in the York line of the family, Andrew lobbied the network for a change of heart. The event was ultimately aired on ITV.
Despite all the controversy around Andrew, he reportedly won't step away from being involved in the wedding. It could be another reason why Beatrice and Edo are looking for something quieter. "I definitely think he will walk her down the aisle," the source asserted.
"He plays a very traditional role in her life," the source added of Andrew and Beatrice's relationship. "She’s his greatest supporter." While that may be the case, his involvement in her big day will keep the public's eyes on the event, whether or not it's desired.
Many of those closest to the royal family feel that a scaled-down event is the best move. While not having the event televised may feel like a sting to their public personas, it will also act as damage control. They can carefully craft what will come out about the event and minimize negative feedback, which will surely be a relief to Beatrice.
