Diana, Kate, and Meghan married into royalty,
gaining worldwide fame in the process. But you haven't heard as much about the son of
an Olympian – and Italian noble family – that Princess Beatrice married in 2020.
Although royal spouses are full-time working royals, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli
Mozzi have careers outside of the firm. As noted by Private Air in a sit-down with Mozzi,
the royal family spouse is the founder and managing director of Banda Property,
a property development and interior design company focusing on remodeling
already established infrastructures into homes, galleries, event spaces, and more.
Mozzi — casually known as Edo — entered the business straight out of school,
turning over his first real-estate project at just 22 years old. He told the publication,
"I like the challenge of finding a solution to what seems near impossible.
Often it's the challenges that produce the most spectacular and unique projects.
Having studied business and economics for financial grounding, I knew that
property investment and development would be the way forward for me."
Within eight years, a 30-year-old Mozzi had become the force behind more than 400,000
square feet of developed property in London, boasting an $875 million value, according to BBC.
According to The Sun, Mozzi was previously engaged to his longtime
girlfriend Dara Huang in 2018 — and Huang is incredibly impressive in her own right.
A Harvard graduate and extremely sought-after architect, Huang established her own company
and has worked with various high-level clients. After having lived together for three years — and
expecting to tie the knot — Mozzi and Huang called it quits, but not without complication.
Mozzi reportedly started dating Princess Beatrice while he and his ex-girlfriend were
still living together, and it was only a matter of weeks after they ended their relationship
that he was back on the dating scene. Still, the publication noted that Huang has never publicly
commented on the timeline, or how things panned out between her and her ex.
It may be a little scandalous by royal standards, but Mozzi and Huang share a son,
Christopher, who was born in 2016. The youngster goes by the nickname Wolfie, and both his mom
and dad have shared a number of candid pictures of him on social media over the years. What's
more is that Princess Beatrice has since made a statement on what it means to be a bonus mom.
Speaking with Hello magazine in 2021 about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and
growing up with dyslexia, Beatrice opened up about education amid the 2020 crises,
sharing that she had worked with Wolfie on his studies at home. She candidly admitted,
"Homeschooling, that was definitely not my forte! Not going to lie. Sadly, I can't blame that on
dyslexia. But I've felt very lucky to have had the chance to work with my bonus son [Wolfie]
over the course of the school closures. It was a huge learning curve for all of us."
Prince William met Kate Middleton at university and Prince Harry met Meghan Markle through a
mutual friend, but Princess Beatrice and Mozzi have known each other for years,
thanks to their close-knit families.
According to People magazine, initial rumors assumed the couple had crossed
paths early on in their relationship thanks to similar social circles,
but they've actually known each other since as early as 2011.
Mozzi's stepfather, Christopher Shale, was a businessman, politician, and close associate
of former Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron, of course, ran in the upper echelon of British
political power, crossing paths with the royals on a regular basis. The publication also stated
that the prime minister was a good friend, specifically, of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.
When Shale unexpectedly passed away in 2011, his funeral was attended by the who's who of British
royalty, including Andrew and Fergie. Princess Beatrice accompanied her parents to the funeral,
crossing paths with her future husband while
maintaining the social circles her parents had already established.
After rumors about the newly minted couple spread around the royal family watchers,
Princess Beatrice and Mozzi made their debut in 2019,
and it wasn't a casual affair. The pair stepped out at the National Portrait Gallery gala,
accompanying none other than Kate Middleton in the process, according to People mag.
The young princess was spotted in a gorgeous velvet dress with layered skirt detailing,
while Mozzi looked dapper in a clean, crisp tuxedo.
It was the couple's first public appearance, and as expected, questions about the couple swirled.
It was quickly established after their debut that Beatrice and Mozzi were smitten with each other.
According to The Sun, a source weighed in on the couple, gushing that their bond had everyone
around them quickly realizing that an engagement wasn't out of the question. The insider said,
"They hit it off instantly and have a real laugh together. They've been on holiday
together and Beatrice introduced him to Fergie and her dad. Things are moving very quickly and
it wouldn't surprise anyone if they got engaged within a short period of time."
Princess Beatrice may have been with her former boyfriend for a decade without much
movement toward marriage, but with Mozzi, she must have known that he was the one.
Not too soon after the couple made their public debut, Mozzi popped the question.
"I got a strong impression he was picking his words with care."
And an enthusiastic Beatrice gladly accepted the proposal. Taking to Twitter to announce the
engagement, the couple said they were "extremely happy" to share their news with the world,
and pointed to their shared passions as a hopeful sign for the future. They wrote,
"We share so many similar interests and values and we know this will
stand us in great stead for the years ahead, full of love and happiness."
Mozzi and Beatrice's happy news was commented on by the princess' parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah
Ferguson, who wrote in a joint statement they were "thrilled" for the pair. The divorced duo wrote,
"We are the lucky parents of a wonderful daughter who has
found her love and companion in a completely devoted friend
and loyal young man. We send them every good wish for a wonderful family future."
To say that 2020 changed pretty much everything is a severe understatement, and many engaged couples
found themselves unexpectedly halting their wedding plans. Princess Beatrice and Mozzi
weren't exempt from wedding setbacks either, but it's not for the reason you might think.
According to Vanity Fair, the couple originally announced that their wedding would take place in
May 2020, with about 150 people in attendance. However, the date was reportedly pushed due to
Prince Andrew's ongoing scandals in the news — the optics simply weren't good for the couple.
Of course, COVID-19 pandemic protocols drastically curbed the couple's wedding
plans, but maybe it was for the best. An inside source dished to
People magazine about the wedding and Beatrice's true feelings on the matter,
saying that a low-key ceremony was in fact a better fit. The friend noted,
"I think because of everything going on with her dad, [a scaled-down wedding] was
actually better in many ways. Beatrice has always been more low-key. She is a little
more serious and more traditional, and she would have been very conscious to do the right thing."
Beatrice abruptly decided that she no longer wanted to wear her originally planned wedding
gown, instead asking Queen Elizabeth II if she could borrow a dress from her.
"Because the queen had more time to be around for them,
she's almost closer to her grandchildren than her children at times, and Beatrice particularly."
In addition, the wedding was brought together entirely by Beatrice,
Sarah Ferguson, and Mozzi's mom — the three of them working tirelessly to
get everything done. A friend of Edo and Beatrice shared,
"They swung into action and brought it all together in two weeks, which is quite
extraordinary. [...] They just jumped at the chance when the [COVID-19] ban was removed.
They were both desperate for it to happen. They wanted everything to be very classic and elegant;
small but refined. It felt romantic and lovely."
Mozzi may have already been a father to Wolfie,
but he and Princess Beatrice had family aspirations of their own.
In May 2021, the couple announced they were expecting their first child, with the BBC
noting how happy Queen Elizabeth II was with the news. A statement from the palace read,
"Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
are very pleased to announce that they are expecting a baby in autumn of this year.
The queen has been informed and both families are delighted with the news."
The outlet additionally noted that the baby would become the queen's 12th great-grandchild,
the birth following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's second baby in the summer.
Of course, with another royal baby comes a shift in the line of succession — the BBC
noted that Beatrice and Mozzi's baby would slide in as the 11th in line to the throne.
Mozzi and Beatrice welcomed a little girl, Sienna, into the world on September 19th,
2021, to a chorus of well wishes. The announcement read,
"Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr. Mozzi have named their daughter
Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi. The couple have said,
'We are all doing well and Wolfie is the best big brother to Sienna.'"
USA Today reported that the couple's little girl weighed in at 6 pounds,
2 ounces at birth, and was warmly welcomed into the family. A palace statement read,
"The new baby's grandparents and great-grandparents have
all been informed and are delighted with the news.
The family would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care."
While Mozzi is successful in his own right, he certainly seems to enjoy his role as a royal
spouse. Mozzi is surprisingly active on Instagram and has taken to social media on a number of
occasions to sing Queen Elizabeth II's praises. In a post from April 2022, Mozzi wished the queen
a happy birthday, noting that later in the year they'd enjoy celebrating her "incredible service."
In June 2022, Mozzi took to social media once again to congratulate the monarch during the
Platinum Jubilee — a celebration marking the queen's 70 years on the throne. He wrote,
"Congratulations to Her Majesty The Queen on her remarkable [Platinum Jubilee].
Thank you for your 70 years of steadfast and dedicated service."
"Isn't it good, yes."
Honestly, we love to see it.