How Princess Beatrice, Sarah Ferguson pulled off the perfect royal wedding secretly

Instead of a grand wedding that was originally planned, Princess Beatrice of York tied the knot with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in an intimate ceremony on Friday. However, organising a secret wedding comes with its own set of challenges.

Fortunately, Princess Beatrice had the constant support of her mother Sarah Ferguson as she planned her dream wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in just two weeks. The British royal opted for the All Saints Chapel for her nuptials with the property developer, which was followed by a reception in an Indian-style tent on the gardens of her childhood home Royal Lodge.

Having already postponed her wedding thrice, twice due to the controversy surrounding her father Prince Andrew's alleged association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and once due to coronavirus pandemic, Beatrice would have had to wait for several months if she wanted a grand ceremony.

The 31-year-old and her mother Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, managed to plan the perfect wedding in just two weeks while keeping it secret from the public. While the couple said their vows in an intimate ceremony attended by 20 guests, some 14 friends were invited for the reception at the Royal Lodge, reports Daily Mail.

Instead of purchasing a new wedding dress, Beatrice wore a remodelled ivory gown from the wardrobe of her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. She paired the vintage Peau De Soie taffeta outfit by Norman Hartnell with a treasured tiara that the British monarch had herself worn at her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947.

The royal was walked down the aisle by her father Andrew, while her three-year-old step-son Christopher aka Wolfie served as the best man and page boy for his father Mozzi. The couple had arrived in Windsor just a few days prior to their wedding, as they had been isolating with Mozzi's mother Nikki Shale at her mansion near Chipping Norton.

After saying their vows, the newly-married couple posed for a picture at the gate of the Chapel which was released by the Buckingham Palace to announce their wedding. In another picture clicked outside the gate, the couple was accompanied by the bride's grandparents, the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The wedding was followed by a reception hosted at the Royal Lodge by Andrew and Sarah. The party was held in a marquee which reportedly had a very laid back theme with a jukebox, draft beer, a dartboard, and sofas. There was also bespoke catering, cocktails, and a bouncy castle. The newlyweds partied into the early hours with family and friends before retiring into a glamping pod for their wedding night.

Beatrice was due to tie the knot with the Italian nobility at the Royal Chapel, St. James's Palace on May 29, followed by a reception hosted by her queen grandmother at the Buckingham Palace. The wedding was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Buckingham Palace released a statement Friday to confirm that the couple has instead tied the knot in an intimate ceremony. The statement read: "The couple decided to hold a small private ceremony with their parents and siblings following the postponement of their wedding in May. The service was in keeping with the unique circumstances while enabling them to celebrate with their closest family."

Prince William and Kate Middleton, who reportedly couldn't attend the wedding with their three children, retweeted a picture post by The Royal Family's Twitter account to congratulate the happy couple. The Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge shared the picture of the couple with her grandparents on their Instagram story writing: "Congratulations to HRH Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi." The bride's uncle and aunt, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, also shared a message of congratulation with a picture of the couple on the Clarence House Instagram account.