Princess Beatrice wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi may be marred due to virus scare

After being cancelled twice due to uproar surrounding Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice's wedding with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi has hit another snag.

The wedding scheduled for Friday, May 29, at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace might be marred due to fear of the spread of coronavirus, which has witnessed six deaths in the UK. While the UK government has issued guidelines advising self-isolation to the people who return from Italy, which is one of the countries worst-affected by the virus in Europe, the Italy government has itself imposed a national quarantine on the entire country restricting the movement of the population except for necessary work and health circumstances.

If the spread of the respiratory disease is not contained by May, it might become an issue for the wedding guests from the side of the groom, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who belong to Italian nobility.

The Chapel at St. James's Palace has only 150 seats, which means the wedding will only be attended by a handful of people as compared to other royal weddings. However, there are speculations that even family and friends of Mozzi won't be able to get to England from their homes in locked-down Italy.

Mozzi hails from Lombardy, which was the first region in Italy to be locked down due to the virus. The 36-year-old property developer is the son of Count Alessandro 'Alex' Mapelli-Mozzi, former British Olympian and Italian nobility. Born and raised in England, the father-of-one holds dual British and Italian citizenship.

As the eldest son of the Count, Mozzi will inherit the Count title, making Princess Beatrice a "contessa" and "Nobile Donna," or noble woman. The 31-year-old granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II will remain a princess on her maiden side. The couple will also inherit the family's seat at one of the grandest villas in Italy- the 18th-century Mapelli Mozzi palace in northern Italy.

"The coronavirus has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works. Although there is no suggestion that Italy will remain in lock down until the end of May, obviously, the whole thing does cast doubt over the guest list," a royal insider told the Daily Telegraph. The insider added that it might also affect Mozzi's bachelor party, the date of which has not been revealed yet.

Meanwhile, the British royal family has been taking preventive measures against the virus, according to the advice given by health experts. The British monarch as well as Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall were spotted wearing gloves during public interactions. During the Commonwealth Service at the Westminster Abbey on Sunday, a protocol was set, barring the guests at the service to shake hands with each other to prevent the potential flow of the virus.