Princess Beatrice reviewing royal wedding plans in May due to coronavirus pandemic, spokesperson says
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After multiple pushbacks, Princess Beatrice and her fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are still reviewing their royal wedding plans, Fox News can confirm.
The eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, both 60, Beatrice, 31, was scheduled to tie the knot with the 37-year-old property developer on May 29 at St. James Palace in London, with a lavish reception at her grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s garden at Buckingham Palace.
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However, the pair has made the conscientious decision to do away with the nuptial reception for now, as the world around them endures through the novel coronavirus pandemic.
"Princess Beatrice and Mr. Mapelli Mozzi are very much looking forward to getting married but are equally aware of the need to avoid undertaking any unnecessary risks in the current circumstances," a spokesperson for the couple told Fox News on Thursday. "In line with government advice for the UK and beyond, the couple are reviewing their arrangements for 29th May.
"They are particularly conscious of government advice in relation to both the wellbeing of older family members and large gatherings of people," the spokesman continued. "Therefore, the planned reception in the Buckingham Palace Gardens will not take place. The couple will carefully consider government advice before deciding whether a private marriage might take place amongst a small group of family and friends."
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The couple’s decision came after the U.K. government extended the nationwide lockdown for an additional three weeks on Thursday.
Furthermore, a royal insider told People magazine on Thursday that amid the growing concern surrounding the virus, “the invitations were never actually sent out.”
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Last month, the outlet maintained that details surrounding the wedding were still being ironed out, but Mozzi’s family is from Italy, and the region has been hit hard by the virus.
As for the ceremony itself, the couple had reportedly already rescheduled it twice due to Beatrice's father Prince Andrew’s public scandal that has pierced the royal exterior.
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Beatrice’s father is Queen Elizabeth II’s third child and second son. The Duke of York is eighth in the line of succession to the British throne. In November 2019, Andrew announced that he asked his mother, 93, if he can “step back” from his public duties following a disastrous interview with the BBC about his relationship with the financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
A source for the outlet said in February that the royal bride-to-be had elected to have a smaller ceremony given the pushbacks.
“The date was changed two times to adjust [around Andrew’s scandal],” the insider told People at the time. “It will be smaller than the original plan.”
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A royal source insisted at the time that the pair was "keeping with their wishes for a more low-key” affair.
The source also shared that Andrew will be present and walk his daughter down the aisle.
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“Andrew will probably give a toast at the reception like any father of the bride," the source said. “They will try to normalize this as much as possible.”
Fox News' Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.