Princess Beatrice and Edo release wedding photos with Queen after secret ceremony
Princess Beatrice has released her wedding photographs after she married her fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a secret ceremony in front of the Queen on Friday morning.
The princess had to postpone her wedding to property tycoon Mozzi, which was due to be at the end of May, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
But thanks to an easing of lockdown measures in England, the couple was able to tie the knot in front of the Queen, Prince Philip, and a small number of family members, at The Royal Chapel of All Saints in the grounds of Windsor Great Park.
The palace said in a statement: “Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York and Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were married in a small family ceremony on Friday 17th July. The ceremony took place at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, with the kind permission of Her Majesty The Queen.
“The couple decided to hold a small private ceremony with their parents and siblings following the postponement of their wedding in May. Working within government guidelines, the service was in keeping with the unique circumstances while enabling them to celebrate their wedding with their closest family.”
Read more: Princess Beatrice stuns in vintage wedding dress as she borrows Queen's tiara
They have released two photographs, one showing them leaving the chapel, and the other outside, stood apart from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Beatrice also became a step mother on Friday, as her new husband has a son, Wolfie, from a previous relationship.
The palace confirmed Wolfie acted as best man for his father, and was also pageboy. Prince Andrew walked Princess Beatrice down the aisle.
The bride’s wedding dress and tiara were both borrowed from the Queen. The dress was a vintage Norman Hartnell, made from Peau De Soie taffeta, trimmed with satin and encrusted with diamanté and has a geometric checkered bodice.
Beatrice also borrowed the tiara her grandmother wore at her own wedding to Prince Philip.
The ceremony included two readings, but no hymns, in line with government guidance. The couple’s mothers read two of their favourite poems, Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare and “I carry you in my heart” by E.E. Cummings.
There was also a reading of 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13.
Read more: Princess Beatrice marries fiance in front of the Queen in secret Windsor wedding
The bride’s bouquet was taken after the ceremony to Westminster Abbey, where it was laid on the tomb of the unknown soldier, a tradition for royal bouquets.
The bouquet also included spring a myrtle, another royal tradition.
The Queen spoke to Captain Sir Tom Moore about the morning’s ceremony, as she knighted him on Friday afternoon.
She told Sir Tom and his family: “My granddaughter got married this morning both Philip and I managed to get there – very nice.”
They will share their anniversary with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall’s, birthday. The wedding also happened hours before the Queen knighted Captain Sir Tom Moore in a special ceremony, the first engagement with a member of the public in months.
While it’s another royal wedding to take place in Windsor, the couple chose not to have their ceremony in St George’s Chapel, in the castle itself.
The chapel there is best known as the venue for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, but also hosted Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank, and Lady Gabriella Windsor’s ceremony.
Beatrice, 31, and Mozzi, 37, started dating in Autumn 2018 and were soon tipped to walk down the aisle.
They announced their engagement in September 2019, and planned to marry in the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace in London, and were due to have their reception in the garden of Buckingham Palace.
The couple hoped to use the same infrastructure from the Queen’s garden parties to host their guests.
But the Queen, 94, had to cancel the parties as mass gatherings were banned due to the pandemic.
And the couple then had to put the ceremony on hold too as the government prevented any taking place while the virus was at its peak.
Read more: Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie praise 85-year-old fundraising in her grandson's memory
The ceremony on Friday was not announced before it happened, and had about 20 guests.
Andrew, Beatrice’s father, stepped back from his royal duties in November after a disastrous interview on BBC Newsnight about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
His website was taken down earlier this week, with Buckingham Palace explaining the contract with the host had expired and not been renewed.
The address now redirects to his page on the Royal Family’s main website.
However, it means the pages detailing the lives and work of his daughter, Beatrice and Eugenie, have now gone. The palace said the main website was for working royals.
