The Truth About Princess Beatrice's Husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
While the members of the British royal family are interesting in their own right, take a moment to think about the royal spouses. No one is arguably more popular or commemorated than the late Diana Spencer, Prince Charles' first wife and "the people's princess." Then there are the more recent married-into-the-family members, including Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle. Middleton, wife to Prince William, has been described as the family's "secret weapon" for her dictated sense of style, dedication, and kindness. Meanwhile, Markle is the standout American actress who won the heart of Prince Harry.
Royal spouses are arguably more fascinating and have occupied a space in the press and the public eye all on their own. Even today, we still talk about Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson just as much as we talk about the now-disgraced Prince Andrew. Likewise, people pay just as much attention to Sophie, Countess of Wessex, as they do Prince Edward. But what about Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who married Princess Beatrice — Andrew and Fergie's daughter — in 2020? Who is he really? What does he do professionally? Is he the typical royal spouse, or is his past more illustrious than you'd think? We did the digging so you don't have to.
Edoardo Mozzi comes from an impressive family
Not that it's a competition, but marrying into the royal family could certainly be intimidating. From the wealth and status to the immense influence on the British public to the paparazzi and everything in between, it certainly takes a special type of person to look at such an environment and say, "I can handle that." As for Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, he might not have been so nervous stepping into the royal spotlight, as he comes from an impressive family already known to the public.
Mozzi's father, Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, has a title himself. He is a count (titles in the United Kingdom are still a big deal and indication of status), and he just so happens to be an Olympian. Joining Great Britain's Winter Olympic team in 1972, Alessandro competed for the country at the Japan Olympic Games. Mozzi's mother, Nikki Williams-Ellis, was also used to the spotlight given her high-profile marriages. Her previous husband, Christopher Shale, was a politician who famously died at the Glastonbury Festival in 2011. Williams-Ellis later married artist David Williams-Ellis and was even honored with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Prime Minister David Cameron in 2016.
He runs in well-respected and professional circles
Although royal spouses, such as Kate Middleton, are full-time working royals, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, have careers outside of the firm. To understand Mozzi a bit better, we dug into his professional life, and let's just say impressive is an understatement.
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, etc. Mozzi — casually known as Edo — entered the business straight out of school, turning over his first real-estate project at just 22 years old. "I like the challenge of finding a solution to what seems near impossible," he told Private Air. "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.
He was originally engaged to someone else in 2018
Even if you don't follow the royal family's every move to a tee, chances are you're aware of at least some of the scandals that caused havoc. And while Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi isn't widely known for his life before marrying Princess Beatrice, there are some questionable aspects of his past relationship that we discovered.
According to The U.S. Sun, Mozzi was first engaged to his longtime girlfriend Dara Huang in 2018. Huang was (and is) incredibly impressive in her own right. A Harvard graduate and extremely sought-after architect, Huang established her own company and has worked with clients including Cartier, Harrods, and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, a luxury hospitality company. 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 terminated their relationship that he was back on the dating scene. Despite any hard feelings, the publication noted that Huang has never publicly commented on the timeline, or how things panned out between her and her ex.
Edoardo Mozzi and his ex-fiancée share a son
It certainly is a little scandalous by royal standards, but yes, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Dara Huang share a son, Christopher, who was born in 2016. The youngster goes by the nickname Wolfie, and his dad has 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. Her comments during an interview with Hello! Magazine in 2021 were quite interesting.
Speaking on 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. "Homeschooling, that was definitely not my forte! Not going to lie. Sadly, I can't blame that on dyslexia," Beatrice shared candidly. "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."
He knew Princess Beatrice through close family connections
While Prince William met Kate Middleton at university, and Prince Harry met Meghan Markle through a mutual friend, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi have known each other for years thanks to their close-knit families. According to People, 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, the aforementioned 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 — the picture should be becoming clear.
When Shale unexpectedly died 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 mother and father had already established.
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mozzi made their debut in 2019
After rumors about the newlyminted couple spread around the royal family watchers, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi made their debut in 2019, and it wasn't a casual affair. While many of us go on first date outings to a coffee shop or trendy restaurant, Mozzi and Beatrice stepped out at the National Portrait Gallery gala, accompanying none other than Kate Middleton in the process, according to People. 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 of course, questions about the couple swirled.
While different notions about how the couple initially met presented themselves in the media, it was quickly established after their debut that Beatrice and Mozzi were smitten with one another. As noted by 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.
"They hit it off instantly and have a real laugh together," the source said of the couple during their early days. "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."
Edoardo Mozzi is the co-founder of his stepfather's charity
An important aspect of the royal family is giving back, and many of its members work with a variety of charities. With that in mind, it's no wonder Princess Beatrice was taken by Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, as he has established himself within the charitable community as well. Per BBC accounts, Mozzi is the co-founder of Cricket Builds Hope, a charity organization in Rwanda and Christoper Shale's brainchild. Shale was said to have been inspired by the dedication the nation's young people had for the game of cricket. Using the sport as a tool to connect, he was convinced that it could be used to enact "positive social change."
According to the organization's website, Shale wanted to help provide resources to the Rwandan cricketers he'd come across. "He worked towards building the first grass wicket in the country, with a pavilion, to help popularize the game." Unfortunately, Shale didn't get to see his plan come to fruition. The website notes that the politician passed before the charity got off the ground. As a result, Mozzi — and Shale's family and friends — have carried on the efforts in his honor.
After a whirlwind romance, Edoardo Mozzi popped the question in Italy
Princess Beatrice may have been with her former boyfriend for a decade without much movement toward marriage, but with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, she must have known that he was the one. Not too soon after the couple made their public debut, Mozzi popped the question, 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. "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," the couple wrote to a chorus of likes, retweets, and comments.
Mozzi and Beatrice's happy news was further commented on by the princess' parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, who wrote in a joint statement they were "thrilled" for the pair. "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," the divorced duo wrote. "We send them every good wish for a wonderful family future."
Edoardo Mozzi has weighed in on policy discussions in London
While members of the royal family famously don't weigh in much on topics of a political nature, the same can't be said for Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Now we should note that the royals are making more of a concerted effort to discuss issues such as mental health and environmentalism, but in a 2016 op-ed for Property Week, Mozzi made his thoughts on the London mayoral race — and the issue of housing — incredibly clear.
Working as a successful housing developer, he weighed in on the lack of affordable options in the city of London, urging the two leading candidates to comment on the issue. "Both mayoral frontrunners, Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan, are looking to address this with policies ensuring a large proportion of new homes built in the city are offered to Londoners ahead of investors, but affordability remains the biggest issue," Mozzi wrote. "There are simply not enough homes being built."
Princess Beatrice's future husband went on to say that the city of London was not lacking in space, but rather "imagination" to address the housing crisis. "The new mayor will need to be more forceful in terms of pushing through large-scale redevelopment projects in central London," Mozzi explained. "Infrastructure is the key to unlocking sites."
Edoardo Mozzi and Princess Beatrice's wedding plans were put on hold, but not for the reason you might think
To say that 2020 changed pretty much everything, for pretty much everybody, is a severe understatement, as many engaged couples found themselves unexpectedly halting their wedding plans. Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi weren't exempt from nuptial setbacks either, but it's not for the reason you might think. As noted by 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 scandal involving Jeffrey Epstein, and 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 about the wedding and Beatrice's true feelings on the matter, saying that a low-key ceremony was a better fit. "I think because of everything going on with her dad, [a scaled-down wedding] was actually better in many ways," the friend noted. "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."
The pair tied the knot in a quickly prepared ceremony
Given the pressures regarding Prince Andrew's allegations and ongoing pandemic restrictions, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice put together a small ceremony in a matter of weeks, with People detailing that the wedding was the result of last-minute preparations, changing plans, and hard work.
First and foremost, 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. In addition, the wedding was brought together entirely by Beatrice, Sarah Ferguson, and Mozzi's mom, Nikki Williams-Ellis — the three of them working tirelessly to get everything done. "They swung into action and brought it all together in two weeks, which is quite extraordinary," a friend of Edo and Beatrice shared of the big day. "...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."
Edoardo Mozzi and Princess Beatrice shared exciting family news in May 2021
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi may have already been a father to son 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 BBC noting how happy Queen Elizabeth II was with the news. "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," a statement from the palace read. "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 shortly 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, as BBC noted that Beatrice and Mozzi's baby would slide in as the 11th in line to the throne.
The couple welcomed their first child in October 2021
The birth of a royal baby always comes with pomp, and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice's experience was no different. As posted on the royal family Twitter account, Mozzi and Beatrice welcomed a little girl, Sienna, into the world on September 19, 2021, to a chorus of well wishes. "Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi have named their daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi," the announcement read. "The couple have said, 'We are all doing well and Wolfie is the best big brother to Sienna.'"
USA Today further detailed that Sienna was born shortly before midnight at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital — noted as being an unusual location, given that most royal children are born at St. Mary's Hospital. However, the couple's little girl weighed in at 6 pounds, 2 ounces at birth, and was warmly welcomed to the family. "The new baby's grandparents and great-grandparents have all been informed and are delighted with the news," a palace statement read. "The family would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care."
Edoardo Mozzi has sung the queen's praises on social media
We love a supportive husband, and while Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi is successful in his own right, he certainly seems to revel in 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 (and Princess Beatrice's, of course). In a post from April, 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. "Congratulations to Her Majesty The Queen on her remarkable #PlatinumJubilee," Beatrice's husband wrote. "Thank you for your 70 years of steadfast and dedicated service." Honestly, we love to see it.