British royal, Princess Beatrice married her longtime love, British-Italian property developer, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, in an intimate ceremony at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, on July 17th 2020. The couple’s closest family were present for the royal wedding including Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of York.
The wedding of Princess Beatrice and Mozzi had original plans to happen on May 29th at Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London, but considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the wedding was postponed. The statement released by Buckingham Palace after the postponed wedding read, “The couple held a small private ceremony with their parents and siblings following the postponement of their wedding in May. Working within government guidelines, the service was in keeping with the unique circumstances while enabling them to celebrate their wedding with their closest family.”
With COVID-19 restrictions in place, the attendance was small for Princess Beatrice’s wedding ceremony led by the Reverend Canon Paul Wright, Sub-Dean of the Chapel Royal, along with the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Domestic Chaplain to Her Majesty The Queen. Adhering to strict government regulations, no hymns were performed, but the church service included the readings of the First Epistle to the Corinthians and two of the couple’s favorite poems: Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare and “I carry you in my heart” by E E Cummings.
One of the most exciting things about a royal wedding is seeing the bridal gown and jewellery, as well as noting its designer, and it seems the British princess took a more sentimental and traditional route in what she wore. Instead of employing a well-known designer, Princess Beatrice opted to borrow a gown from her own grandmother, the Queen. She chose a vintage Norman Hartnell dress from her grandmother’s archives, and had the Queen’s personal dresser, Angela Kelly, help fit the dress to her exact size. The dress itself is comprised of ivory Peau De Soie taffeta and features a diamanté-encrusted bodice with organza puff sleeves trimmed with Duchess satin.
The gown’s designer, Hartnell, was also responsible for the Queen’s wedding gown in 1947 and was inspired by Botticelli’s Primavera at the time.
To complement her stunning vintage gown, Princess Beatrice borrowed the same tiara Queen Elizabeth wore at her own wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mary tiara. A family heirloom, the tiara dates back to Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from Queen Victoria, and was passed down to the Queen Mother who then allowed for Queen Elizabeth to wear it on her wedding day as her “something borrowed.”
Floral arrangements are also an important part of any bride’s big day and traditionally, British royal brides are seen carrying bouquets that are made up of only white flowers. Buckingham Palace reported that the princess’ bouquet had “trailing jasmine, pale pink and cream sweet peas, royal porcelain ivory spray roses, pink o’hara garden roses, pink wax flower, and baby pink astible” bought from Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park.
