Friday, 29 May is the day that Princess Beatrice was set to marry businessman Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the couple’s wedding has been set back indefinitely. While we patiently wait for the couple to tie the knot, Royal Central is taking a look back at the couple’s love story.
June 2011
While Beatrice and Edoardo (or, Edo, according to his Instagram) had only been dating about a year, the couple had known each other much longer.
Edoardo’s stepfather, Christopher Shale, passed away at Glastonbury on 26 June 2011. Close friends of his, Beatrice’s parents Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, attended his funeral along with Beatrice.
July 2016
[getty src=”470522630″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]Between 2011 and 2016, Beatrice and Edoardo were both in other relationships. The Princess dated Dave Clark for 10 years before splitting in 2016. Reportedly, the split was because Clark was unsure about marriage. According to People, they both needed “space after a period of ten years to see what they both want.”
May 2018
Edoardo split with his then-fiancée, American architect and designer, Dara Huang. The pair have a son together, Christopher Woolf.
Early September 2018
At this time, Edo and Beatrice’s relationship started to blossom. According to the Daily Mail, the pair had the same circle of friends and were properly introduced to each other through a mutual acquaintance.
Late September 2018
The Princess reportedly introduced her friends to her new boyfriend at a luxury party thrown by Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal Diwali in London.
November 2018
In November, rumours of a romance were in full swing. A friend of the couple told The Sun that the pair had “been on holiday together” and that Edo had been introduced to Beatrice’s parents. The friend went on to add that “things are moving very quickly, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they got engaged within a short period of time.”
10 December 2018
The couple confirmed their relationship by making a joint appearance at the Berggruen Prize Gala at the New York Public Library. Aside from reports from witnesses, there were no actual pictures to prove the couple’s attendance.
12 March 2019
[getty src=”1130153697″ width=”396″ height=”594″ tld=”com”]Beatrice and her boyfriend officially made it official with their first public appearance at a gala at the National Portrait Gallery. Beatrice’s cousin, Prince William and his wife, Kate were also in attendance.
31 March 2019
Edoardo accompanied the Princess and her parents to the Bahrain Grand Prix.
18 May 2019
[getty src=”1150256250″ width=”393″ height=”594″ tld=”com”]The couple were spotted arriving at St George’s Chapel for the marriage of Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston.
9 July 2019
Beatrice and her boyfriend were pictured leaving hand in hand from the glamorous London member’s club Annabel’s. After a night out, the couple both attended Lenny Kravitz’s photo exhibition the next day.
[getty src=”1154991188″ width=”381″ height=”594″ tld=”com”]31 August 2019
[getty src=”1165120776″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]The couple were seen attending the wedding of close friend Ellie Goulding and her long-time boyfriend, Caspar Jopling.
26 September 2019
On this day, the couple officially announced their engagement with photos taken by Beatrice’s sister, Princess Eugenie. The couple had become engaged in Italy earlier in the month.
A statement from Buckingham Palace was released, and the Princess and her fiancé said:
“We are extremely happy to be able to share the news of our recent engagement. We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and can’t wait to actually be married. We share so many similar interests and values, and we know that this will stand us in great stead for the years ahead, full of love and happiness.”
Beatrice’s mother, Sarah, the Duchess of York also shared her excitement on Twitter:
“I know what a mother feels so I have tears of joy. I am so proud of this sensational news. Andrew and I are just the luckiest people ever to have two great sons in law.”
25 December 2019
[getty src=”1190480187″ width=”412″ height=”594″ tld=”com”]Although it broke with royal tradition, Edoardo was invited to participate in the annual family Christmas Day walk at Sandringham. Traditionally, only those who have married into the Royal Family have been allowed to attend; however, it wasn’t the first time the tradition was broken as Prince Harry’s then-fiancée, Meghan Markle was allowed to attend in December 2017 ahead of their 2018 nuptials.
7 February 2020
[getty src=”809007060″ width=”594″ height=”397″ tld=”com”]The couple officially announced their wedding date for 29 May. The ceremony was set to take place at The Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace with a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by The Queen. At that time, it was also announced that no public money would be spent on the event.
