When it comes to royal relationships, Princess Beatrice has thrown courting protocol firmly out the window. Rather than engaging in a formal royal wedding with a plethora of guests and silverware, the Queen’s granddaughter chose to marry Count Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a top-secret, highly intimate, wedding on July 17th, 2020 at Windsor Castle.
But before the lovers tied the knot, they had quite the romantic history.
WATCH NOW: Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s love story. Article continues after video.
The 35-year-old royal married Edoardo, who is known as Edo, in a low-key ceremony attended by less than 20 guests after the pair were forced to cancel their original wedding date of May 29th, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the time, Buckingham Palace confirmed that The Queen, Prince Philip, and Beatrice’s mother Sarah Ferguson, and father Prince Andrew, as well as her sister Princess Eugenie, and her husband Jack Brooksbank were all in attendance on the day.
The princess’ wedding will go down in the history for a myriad of reasons, including for the repurposed vintage gown by Norman Hartnell she wore that her grandmother, The Queen, wore herself in 1967 for the State Opening of Parliament, and also that it was the first secret royal wedding in 235 years, due to the pandemic.
The princess was first linked to the successful property developer in mid-2018 after they reportedly hit it off after meeting at Princess Eugenie’s wedding.
Edoardo, 40, works as a property developer and is reportedly a multi-millionaire owning a property consultancy company specialising in finding and developing multi-million dollar homes.
He is also divorced and has one son, named Wolfie, who is seven years old.
Beatrice was previously in a 10-year relationship with Dave Clarke before they parted ways in 2016.
To celebrate Bea and Edo’s very modern royal romance, we’ve taken a look back at their whirlwind love story.
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi still managed to enjoy a special, albeit much smaller, celebration on Friday July 17th 2020, tying the knot in secret at the All Saints Chapel in Windsor with just 20 friends and family present.
According to reports, Princess Beatrice and her mother Sarah Ferguson pulled together the last-minute wedding in just two weeks.
The guest list may have been small but the celebrations were by no means watered down! VIP guests partied under an oversized tent at the Royal Lodge, complete with jumping castles and glamping pods.
Proud grandparents the Queen and Prince Philip posed from a safe distance with the newlyweds.
In a romantic tribute, Edo posted this behind-the-scenes snap with his new wife accompanied with the couple’s favourite poem I Carry Your Heart by E. E.
“I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart) I am never without it (anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling) I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
“And it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart).”
A new wedding picture surfaced on Instagram in the weeks following the pair’s surprise nuptials, with the pair seen alongside Edo’s son Wolfie – Can you spot him in the background? It’s an extremely rare sighting of the young boy!
The royal was first linked to the successful property developer in mid 2018.
It’s believed they first met at Princess Eugenie’s wedding on October 12th 2018, and it’s said they hit if off instantly.
The pair attended their first event together, stepping out at the Third Annual Berggruen Prize Gala in New York in December 2018 but were not photographed together.
Just a few months later in March 2019, Bea and her real estate mogul beau made a dazzling red carpet appearance at the Portrait Gala event at the National Portrait gallery in London, pictured.
In May 2019, the couple attended the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston, alongside Beatrice’s mother Sarah Ferguson.
Meet the parents! Their romance ticked along so well that Beatrice soon introduced her new boyfriend to her parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York.
Things were getting serious! In September 2019, the love-birds reportedly jetted to Positano on the Amalfi Coast of Italy for a romantic getaway.
“They looked very much in love and happy. It would not be a shock to see theirs being the next royal wedding,” an onlooker told the MailOnline of the jet-setters.
The big announcement: That same month, the palace confirmed that Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi had proposed to Princess Beatrice.
“The Duke and Duchess of York are delighted to announce the engagement of Her Royal Highness of York to Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.”
And the ring was simply gorgeous!
Proud mum Sarah Ferguson quickly took to social media to express her joy, sharing two black-and-white photos of the happy couple which were snapped by Misan Harriman at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park.
“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,” Sarah beamed at the time.
In December 2019, the soon to-be husband and wife threw a lavish engagement party at trendy London hotspot the Chiltern Firehouse. The event boasted an A-list guest list including names like Pippa Middleton, James Middleton, Ellie Goulding and James Blunt.
However Princess Beatrice’s father Prince Andrew skipped the event as it was in the aftermath of his disastrous Newsnight interview.
Wedding countdown! In February 2020, it was revealed the couple would be tying the knot on May 29th at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace, followed by a reception at Buckingham Palace.
In a sweet touch, Edoardo’s revealed his then three-year-old son Wolfie was going to be his best man.
Sadly in March 2020, Bea and Edo announced they’d be postponing their wedding due to the risk of coronavirus.
“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. 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. Therefore, the planned reception in the Buckingham Palace Gardens will not take place,” a spokesperson said at the time.
But just two months later the couple surprised the world by tying the knot in secret!
On day ten of Wimbledon in 2021, the newlyweds made an appearance in the Royal Box at Centre Court.
Just days after the tennis tournament wrapped up, Edo shared a heartwarming anniversary tribute to his wife on his Instagram account.
“I can’t believe it has been 1 year. Every second of every day since has been so full of joy, happiness, laughter, and love. You are the kindest, loveliest, and most beautiful person in the world. Thankyou my darling for every second. ❤️👰💍”
Just weeks later, Edo penned yet another beautiful tribute to his wife, this time to mark Beatrice’s birthday.
“Happy birthday my love. I love you with all my heart. ❤️”
In October 2021, the Princess of York and her husband made the visit to Athens, Greece where they attended the wedding of Nina Flohr to Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark.
The couple attended Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales’ inaugural ‘Together at Christmas’ community carol service on December 8th, 2021 in London.
Being a member of the royal family paid off for F1 superfans Beatrice and Edo who had the opportunity to go trackside at the F1 Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit on March 20, 2022.
Just look at those smiles!
Her Royal Highness left royal watchers around the world gobsmacked with her gorgeous red carpet gown that she wore to the charity preview night of ‘A Gallop Through History’ Platinum Jubilee celebration at the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Windsor Castle in May 2022.
Edo scrubbed up quite nicely as well!
To continue the jubilee celebrations, the couple stepped out together to attend the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in June 2022 – huge grins adorning their faces.
After photos of Beatrice were published, Edo reshared them to his social media where he described his wife as “phenomenal” and “stunning.”
Awww!
Edo made sure to pair his tie with his wife’s pink floral patterned Zimmerman dress and millinery during an appearance at Royal Ascot in 2022.
Two months later, Edo took his Instagram once more to share yet another loved-up birthday message to his wife.
“You are the world’s best wife. Along with this, you are the best mother in the world. We love you so very much. Happy birthday my darling. ❤️”
The husband and wife duo made a repeat appearance at the ‘Together at Christmas’ carol service in December, 2022.
Returning to Royal Ascot for another year, Beatrice and Edoardo enjoyed a day of fun and frivolity on June 20th, 2023.
In one of our favourite all-time photos captured of the couple, Beatrice and Edo played the part of royalty perfectly as they made an appearance at Vogue World, held in London in June 2023.
“My beautiful wife, bringing joy to my life ❤️,” captioned a photo of Bea that he shared from his event to his social media.
Just weeks later the couple celebrated their third wedding anniversary, Edo taking to his Instagram to mark the special occasion.
“Happy wedding anniversary to the most beautiful wife in the world. I am so grateful for every moment we have shared, every challenge we have overcome, and every dream we have pursued together. I love you more than words can say, and I can’t wait to celebrate many more anniversaries with you. Xx”
Attending the Art of Wishes Gala 2023 at Raffles on October 09, 2023 in London.
Fans of the couple were thrilled to see them joined by Christopher Woolf at the third annual ‘Together at Christmas’ carol service on December 8th, 2023.
In a rare, candid photo of the couple, Bea and her darling Edo were all smiles as they rang in the new year for 2023.
We just love to see them smile together!
Aspects of article originally appeared on our sister site, Now To Love.
To find your own royal romance, sign up for eharmony.
