Princess Beatrice married her fiancé, property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, in a private ceremony on Friday morning, Buckingham Palace confirmed.
The pair tied the knot with close family, including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Andrew, in attendance.
The event took place “in accordance with all relevant government guidelines” as it pertains to the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.K., the palace said in a statement.
Princess Beatrice, 31, was originally scheduled to marry the Italian property developer on May 29 at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace.
However, the reception was cancelled in March due to coronavirus concerns.
Queen Elizabeth II planned to host the reception in the gardens at Buckingham Palace. However, all garden parties were cancelled indefinitely due to the pandemic.
This undated photo released by Buckingham Palace shows Britain’s Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, in Italy. (Princess Eugenie/Buckingham Palace via AP).
Princess Eugenie/Buckingham Palace via AP
Beatrice’s wedding was months in the making, delayed several times by the coronavirus pandemic and renewed interest in her father’s longtime friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The couple were engaged in September 2019, but their original wedding plans weren’t announced until February.
Prince Andrew was also noticeably absent from Beatrice’s engagement party in December 2019.
The “scrutiny surrounding her father” could explain the gap, royal historian Carolyn Harris previously told Global News.
Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s third child, announced last year that he was withdrawing from his royal duties due to allegations by an American woman named Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Giuffre says she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew multiple times, starting at the age of 17.
She says she was sex-trafficked by Epstein, who died by suicide in August 2019. She alleges Epstein forced her to have sex with the prince in 2001 at the home of British socialite and friend of the prince Ghislaine Maxwell.
Prince Andrew denies all of the allegations.
A photograph of the prince with his hand around the waist of a teenage Giuffre standing next to Maxwell has been widely circulated.
The prince told the BBC in 2019 he has questioned the legitimacy of the photo and says he does not recall it being taken.
Prince Andrew stepped down from royal duties in November 2019, just days after he spoke with the BBC about his friendship with Epstein.
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein (have) become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” the 59-year-old said in a statement.
— With files from Global News’ Laura Hensley and the Associated Press
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