Princess Beatrice of York marries in secret ceremony at Windsor Castle attended by Queen
Jul 17, 2020
London [UK], July 18 : Princess Beatrice, the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York, married her long time boyfriend and real estate developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a secret wedding at Windsor Castle attended by Queen Elizabeth II on Friday.
Buckingham Palace confirmed to CNN that the pair have been engaged since September but the coronavirus pandemic interfered with the lead-up to their ceremony.
Mapelli Mozzi proposed while the couple were spending a weekend away in Italy last year.
"The private wedding ceremony of Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi took place at 11 am on Friday, July 17 at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor," the palace said in a statement.
"The small ceremony was attended by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and close family. The wedding took place in accordance with all relevant Government guidelines," the statement read further.
Mapelli Mozzi, who has a 2-year-old son from a previous relationship, is a wealthy businessman, as per British media reports. According to Companies House, he is the director of real estate company Banda Property.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is facing renewed scrutiny presently over his alleged sexual assault of Virginia Giuffre and relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following the arrest of Epstein's alleged accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, by the FBI.
Earlier on Friday, it emerged that Andrew's official website had been taken down from the internet.
"We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and cannot wait to actually be married," the couple said after their engagement.
Princess Beatrice is ninth in the line of succession to the British throne. She is the granddaughter of the Queen and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and first cousin of Prince William and Prince Harry.
In 2018, her younger sister, Eugenie, married Jacks Brooksbank in a ceremony at Windsor.
The princess' parents announced their separation and divorced in 1996, sharing joint custody of Beatrice and Eugenie.
