Meghan Markle helped Princess Beatrice's husband break major royal tradition

26 September 2023 , 10:34

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Meghan Markle helped Princess Beatrice's husband break major royal tradition

Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi have become regulars at royal events since their wedding. The couple announced their engagement on this day four years ago before marrying in an intimate ceremony in July 2020 - meaning Edo now attends official royal events and gets the best seats in the house for celebrations. But in 2019, before they wed, he was invited to a major event in the royal calendar - even though tradition said he shouldn't actually have been there.

That's because he was seen attending the Royal Family's private Sandringham Christmas celebrations, which usually are reserved for members of The Firm, and partners normally have to wait until they are married to join in. But Edoardo was given the rare privilege of joining the Christmas celebrations - despite not officially being part of the family.

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on Christmas Day 2019 (Getty Images)

He was seen making his way with the group to St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham before they headed back to the main house for their private festivities. However, the tradition was also discarded in 2017 when Prince Harry invited his bride-to-be Meghan Markle ahead of their wedding, paving the way for Beatrice to do the same with Edo. Meghan joined the Royals for the three-day Norfolk celebration as her own family were miles away in America.

The Princess of Wales and Mike Tindall on the other hand had to wait until they had wed their respective spouses Prince William and Zara Tindall before being allowed to tuck into that royal turkey.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attending the Christmas Day Church service in Sandringham in 2017 (Getty Images Europe)

Earlier this month, Beatrice and Edo celebrated the second birthday of their daughter Sienna, with Edo sharing a rare glimpse of the youngster on his Instagram account. In the adorable snap, Sienna, who is largely kept away from the public eye, can be seen in a cute floral red dress along with a sombrero hat as she walks along the footpath.

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Sharing a heartwarming message on his daughter's birthday, Edo wrote: "Happy Birthday Baby Girl. You bring us so much love and joy every day." He followed the sweet message with three red heart emojis. Sienna is a great-granddaughter of the late Queen, granddaughter to Prince Andrew and Fergie and 10th in line to the throne.

She was born in 2021 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London and was given the full name Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi by her proud parents. Edoardo also has a son Christopher Woolf 'Wolfie' from his previous relationship with architect Dara Huang - meaning 35-year-old Beatrice is his stepmum.

The meaning behind Sienna's first name was explained by a family friend who told Hello!: "They were looking for an Italian name which started with an S for Sarah, to honour the Duchess [Sarah Ferguson], and also reflected the golden rust colour of both the Duchess's hair colour and Beatrice's, which the new baby shares."

Jennifer Newton