Wedding of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi: July 17, 2020

[sophie25]

The chapel at St James' can only hold about 150 guests IIRC. They could have had many more at the reception and any after parties held at Royal Lodge/other venues but 1,560 seems....inaccurate on the DM's part.

I think it's just been a mistake I think they've meant to write 150.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

If this goes on much longer, there are going to be a lot of weddings like this, and I suppose they'll just be looked back on as coronavirus-era weddings. My grandparents had a very small wedding at short notice in 1941, when my grandad was able to get a few days' leave from the Army. It wasn't what they'd planned, but it was just the way things were at the time, and it was the same for a lot of couples. Hopefully Beatrice and Edo will have a long and happy marriage, and then it won't really matter that they missed out on a big wedding .

Some of the most romantic weddings of all time are the WWII weddings where bride and groom wed hastily before the groom had to ship off to war.

My hunch is that the #1 reason they decided not to wait out the COVID crisis is that for Beatrice, the presence of both her grand parents was essential...non negotiable even.

There is also the suspicion on my part that they want to start their family immediately. I would not be the least bit surprised if Beatrice is well into her first pregnancy by the end of the year.

 

[Biri]

In the novel "Rilla of Ingleside" the main protagonist even organizes a war-wedding for her friends

 

[Queen Claude]

The article that states that Beatrice planned "to marry in front of 1,560 guests in the Chapel Royal" was by Richard Kay, and it seems like he has lost the plot. I know not to expect high journalistic standards from The Daily Mail but his article was absurd! He wants to make the point that Beatrice's wedding demonstrates that "Prince Andrew's fall is complete" and as I am reading it I am recalling how much Andrew has been photographed this week.

 

[Nico]

The article that states that Beatrice planned "to marry in front of 1,560 guests in the Chapel Royal" was by Richard Kay, and it seems like he has lost the plot. I know not to expect high journalistic standards from The Daily Mail but his article was absurd! He wants to make the point that Beatrice's wedding demonstrates that "Prince Andrew's fall is complete" and as I am reading it I am recalling how much Andrew has been photographed this week.

You can't fit 1500+ guests in the chapel royal anyway.

 

[Heavs]

That would have been over the guest list of Eugenie and Jack's and Harry and Meghan's at St George's put together. That's more a Westminster Abbey crowd, not even St George's, let alone the Royal Chapel. But the article was about Andrew and not really about the wedding anyway or the long list of *other* reasons it was a private service.

 

[Hallo girl]

The Queen told Sir Tom about the wedding earlier that day. So the Queen knighted Sir Tom after the ceremony in the chapel of Royal Lodge.

The government only changed the criteria at the beginning of July, so the couple possibly had a template just waiting for the restrictions to be eased. Similar with Captain Tom, they had to wait for restrictions to be lifted. I wondered if a reason to keep it quiet was , bearing in mind social distancing, to avoid crowds turning up to watch for arrivals etc.

 

[JR76]

That is, according to both The Royal Rota and Pod Save The Queen, the reason why very few (if any?) engagements are communicated in advance. They don't want any crowds to show up.

I wondered if a reason to keep it quiet was , bearing in mind social distancing, to avoid crowds turning up to watch for arrivals etc.

 

[Denville]

I think it's just been a mistake I think they've meant to write 150.

Or possibly there was meant to be a large number of guests who would be at the wedding reception. However the number at the wedding service was meant to be small as that smaller chapel was booked for May, and they were probably trying to keep things limited and discreet because of the Andrew scandal

 

[Denville]

Some of the most romantic weddings of all time are the WWII weddings where bride and groom wed hastily before the groom had to ship off to war.

My hunch is that the #1 reason they decided not to wait out the COVID crisis is that for Beatrice, the presence of both her grand parents was essential...non negotiable even.

There is also the suspicion on my part that they want to start their family immediately. I would not be the least bit surprised if Beatrice is not well into her first pregnancy by the end of the year.

more probably the PTB or the RF felt it would look bad if she didn't have her grandparents there and it would look bad if they waited several months to have a bigger wedding but then the grandparents could not attend...

 

[Osipi]

Or maybe, just maybe it was what the bride and groom wanted. Small, intimate and private. They may have been overjoyed not only that Bea's grandparents where there but also that the crowds were not. They may be people that actually don't like doing things on a grand scale.

 

[HighGoalHighDreams]

Note that the flowers from the photograph were not a bridal bouquet, but a gift to Beatrice from the florist.

 

[Denville]

Or maybe, just maybe it was what the bride and groom wanted. Small, intimate and private. They may have been overjoyed not only that Bea's grandparents where there but also that the crowds were not. They may be people that actually don't like doing things on a grand scale.

or Maybe not. They might have preferred a bigger ceremony or a big reception with a lot of guests.. but there was criticism of Eugenie's relatively "middle sized" wedding 2 years ago.. and since then Andrew's scandal has been so appalling that a bigger wedding was not going to happen

 

[Osipi]

or Maybe not. They might have preferred a bigger ceremony or a big reception with a lot of guests.. but there was criticism of Eugenie's relatively "middle sized" wedding 2 years ago.. and since then Andrew's scandal has been so appalling that a bigger wedding was not going to happen

I do not believe that for a minute, any part of the wedding plannings were a go or don't go because of Andrew's mess. Public optics also is something I don't feel that would figure into the wedding either. This is a family occasion and the day belonged to Beatrice and Edo.

I would even state that anything the public would have thought, could have though and maybe even mused over for a NY minute had no bearing on the wedding at all. Covid-19 and restrictions and guidelines, yes. Having Granny and Grandpa there, yes. The question of "what will people think?", no.

 

[crm2317]

I’m delighted for Beatrice and Edo that they just went for it and got married! I suspect the very private wedding isn’t what they really wanted given the initial plan for St James Palace and the garden party at Buckingham Palace. However I’d imagine with an uncertain future because of COVID, her ageing grandparents and the fact that it feels that every week there is more negative press about Andrew they just decided to go for it!

 

[Denville]

I do not believe that for a minute, any part of the wedding plannings were a go or don't go because of Andrew's mess. Public optics also is something I don't feel that would figure into the wedding either. This is a family occasion and the day belonged to Beatrice and Edo.

I would even state that anything the public would have thought, could have though and maybe even mused over for a NY minute had no bearing on the wedding at all. Covid-19 and restrictions and guidelines, yes. Having Granny and Grandpa there, yes. The question of "what will people think?", no.

Of course they were concerned about the Andrew situation. for Bea to have big fancy wedding with photos of Andrew with her would not have gone down well. This way he was able to take his daughter down the aisle without any photographers and crowds.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

or Maybe not. They might have preferred a bigger ceremony or a big reception with a lot of guests.. but there was criticism of Eugenie's relatively "middle sized" wedding 2 years ago.. and since then Andrew's scandal has been so appalling that a bigger wedding was not going to happen

I don't believe for a minute that Beatrice ever wanted a lavish public wedding. I don't know her personally but even before her father's disgrace every thing i have read about her points to a young woman who is individualistic and confident...but also quite sensitive.

I cannot see her being comfortable in the middle of a big brouhaha like her sister and cousins.

And for me in a way....Beatrice's wedding is the most personal and romantic of all the recent British Royal weddings. I am very happy for her.

 

[Queen Claude]

You can't fit 1500+ guests in the chapel royal anyway.

I know that and the reporter writing the story and his editors should have known that as it was well reported when the announcement was made where the May wedding was going to take place.

That would have been over the guest list of Eugenie and Jack's and Harry and Meghan's at St George's put together. That's more a Westminster Abbey crowd, not even St George's, let alone the Royal Chapel. But the article was about Andrew and not really about the wedding anyway or the long list of *other* reasons it was a private service.

Exactly! My tin foil hat theory, and I am rather embarrassed that I even thought about this enough to have a theory, is that Kay and the DM did not care about the facts in a 'the article will be cyber bird cage liner the next day' kinda way. He just threw out a quick story to get clicks and does not care that his assertions will be disproven either by discerning readers or when additional information comes out about the wedding.

 

[Denville]

I don't believe for a minute that Beatrice ever wanted a lavish public wedding. I don't know her personally but even before her father's disgrace every thing i have read about her points to a young woman who is individualistic and confident...but also quite sensitive.

I cannot see her being comfortable in the middle of a big brouhaha like her sister and cousins.

And for me in a way....Beatrice's wedding is the most personal and romantic of all the recent British Royal weddings. I am very happy for her.

I don't know if she did or not, but I think she may well have wanted a reasonably "princessy" wedding.. However Eugenie's wedding was criticized, in 2018.. and since then the Andrew situation has gone from bad to worse, so her chance of having one were slim.. and now the combination of Covid and Andrew combined to make it impossible.

 

[duchesschicana]

I don't know if she did or not, but I think she may well have wanted a reasonably "princessy" wedding.. However Eugenie's wedding was criticized, in 2018.. and since then the Andrew situation has gone from bad to worse, so her chance of having one were slim.. and now the combination of Covid and Andrew combined to make it impossible.

I think it obvious they were never going to have a princess wedding even IF she wanted one, there was no engagement interview or wedding merchandise as of yet. The originial chapal chosen for the wedding only fit 150 guests. To me it was clear from the start it was going to be more private, but i think the couple may have wanted it that way too with out being scrutinized. Plus Edo and ex are very protective of Wolfe's privacy

 

[muriel]

The chapel at St James' can only hold about 150 guests IIRC. They could have had many more at the reception and any after parties held at Royal Lodge/other venues but 1,560 seems....inaccurate on the DM's part.

I think the suggestion that 1,560 guests were to be invoted was a simple typo, that should have been picked up.

 

[Prisma]

Congratulations to Princess Beatrice and Edoardo! Wishing them much happiness.

I'm thrilled they are married and the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh could attend. They can always have a larger reception later. The wedding news was also a bright spot for me yesterday during a stressful time.

Many engaged couples have to adjust to COVID-19. My former coworker did the same. She and her fiancé had planned their wedding in Hawaii where her family (mostly for her grandmother) lives but they recently married in California with most attendees on Zoom.

 

[Denville]

I think the suggestion that 1,560 guests were to be invoted was a simple typo, that should have been picked up.

very probably it was a typo... it was a ref to the Chapel which holds about 150 people. but I think that back at the time of their engagement while Bea knew it would have to be a smallish wedding, she was planning on a much bigger reception.

I think it obvious they were never going to have a princess wedding even IF she wanted one, there was no engagement interview or wedding merchandise as of yet. The originial chapal chosen for the wedding only fit 150 guests. To me it was clear from the start it was going to be more private, but i think the couple may have wanted it that way too with out being scrutinized. Plus Edo and ex are very protective of Wolfe's privacy

Maybe.. I dont know much about Beatrice but I think that even if she did want a wedding of the size of Eugenie's she knew by January 2020 that that was going to be impossible with the Andrew factor.

 

[Queen Claude]

Andrew and Fergie are pretty shameless and Beatrice and Eugenie seem devoted to them. If Beatrice got married at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, it would've been the fourth St. George's wedding in two years. My guess is that the St. James's wedding venue was selected more because it is in Beatrice's backyard, it is rife with royal history including being The Chapel Royal being where Victoria married Albert. Undoubtedly St. George's was on Beatrice's short list of wedding venues, but I can see a strike against it being that it was the venue of other recent weddings and Beatrice and Edo wanting something different.

Since the original plan was for the wedding to be at the same chapel that previous monarchs married in followed by a garden party at Buckingham Palace (!!!) I can't get behind that May wedding was not going to be a pomp and circumstance royal wedding. Yes it was going to be different but not lesser.

Yes the actual wedding was lesser in terms of scale due to pandemic but I hope that it was meaning and joyful for the couple and their families.

 

[Winnie]

I do not believe that for a minute, any part of the wedding plannings were a go or don't go because of Andrew's mess. Public optics also is something I don't feel that would figure into the wedding either. This is a family occasion and the day belonged to Beatrice and Edo.

I would even state that anything the public would have thought, could have though and maybe even mused over for a NY minute had no bearing on the wedding at all. Covid-19 and restrictions and guidelines, yes. Having Granny and Grandpa there, yes. The question of "what will people think?", no.

I agree with you 100% Public and gossip opinions would not have a part in the planning. Hell, people are giving their opinions now and not one photo or exact guest list has been published, so what should they care about public opinion. The fact that their grandparents are elderly and they dearly wanted them to attend without overdue stress on them was probably a huge point in this date and bravo to their thoughtfulness. JMO

 

[Denville]

Andrew and Fergie are pretty shameless and Beatrice and Eugenie seem devoted to them. If Beatrice got married at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, it would've been the fourth St. George's wedding in two years. My guess is that the St. James's wedding venue was selected more because it is in Beatrice's backyard, it is rife with royal history including being The Chapel Royal being where Victoria married Albert. Undoubtedly St. George's was on Beatrice's short list of wedding venues, but I can see a strike against it being that it was the venue of other recent weddings and Beatrice and Edo wanting something different.

Since the original plan was for the wedding to be at the same chapel that previous monarchs married in followed by a garden party at Buckingham Palace (!!!) I can't get behind that May wedding was not going to be a pomp and circumstance royal wedding. Yes it was going to be different but not lesser.

Yes the actual wedding was lesser in terms of scale due to pandemic but I hope that it was meaning and joyful for the couple and their families.

I think that the idea was that the May wedding would be small and kept fairly private but Bea would be able to have a big reception since that would be able to be totally Private. I am sure they did not fancy the idea of Andy handing his daughter into the church with perhaps unfriendly watchers around. so this way, they have been able to keep the wedding completely private and possibly have a bigger reception at a later date...

 

[Moonmaiden23]

The Buckingham Palace garden party reception would have been amazing. Quite a privilege too.

Now that her beloved grand parents have witnessed the actual wedding, I am still holding out for a glittering party on the Continent at some future date...perhaps the Villa Mapelli Mozzi in Italy or the family property on Lamu Kenya.

 

[tommy100]

I'm pretty sure the Dm article is just a typo, at the time other royal reporters were pointing out that using the Chapel Royal meant it would be a much smaller wedding than the others we have seen given how small it is.

I think Beatrice and Edo had already decided on having a small intimate wedding anyway with a bigger party or series of parties (one at BP and probably others as well). Beatrice strikes me as the most sensitive of the two sisters and I don't think she wanted a big huge fuss wedding, she may have even been relieved in some ways that (as horrendous as it is) Covid has necessitated a very very small wedding. I think if they had wanted to everyone would have been open to them having the wedding they planned when things get back more to normal.

The DM is reporting 15 people were present and that after the service (which guests socially distanced at) there was a reception in the gardens of Royal Lodge (which is after all yards away from the Chapel). They said Beatrice did wear the gown intended for the May wedding and will leave for Italy at some point for holiday/honeymoon. They say Wolfie was Edo's "mini best man".

 

[suztav]

Can’t wait to see the pictures!

 

[ACO]

Surprised the pictures haven't come out yet. I guess they are to be Sunday paper exclusives. Though not sure why they said they would come out today if that is the case.