Princess Beatrice's wedding reception cancelled, couple may hold private ceremony

While there is no clarity on whether Princess Beatrice's wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi will go ahead as planned in May, their grand wedding reception at Buckingham Palace due to be hosted by Queen Elizabeth II has already been cancelled due to the rapid spread of novel coronavirus.

Princess Beatrice and her fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are reconsidering their plans to get married at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace on Friday, May 29 due to the recent guidelines of social distancing issued by the UK government, reports Harper's Bazaar. Meanwhile, there is also confusion surrounding their wedding guests from the side of the groom who is an Italian nobility, as they may not be able to attend due to the lockdown in the country.

Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the British monarch, issued a statement regarding the wedding ceremony and said: "Princess Beatrice and Mr. Mapelli Mozzi are very much looking forward to getting married but are equally aware of the need to avoid undertaking any unnecessary risks in the current circumstances. In line with government advice for the UK and beyond, the couple are reviewing their arrangements for 29th May."

Although it is confirmed that the reception will no longer take place at the Buckingham Palace Gardens, it is not yet decided if the couple will continue with the wedding date and tie the knot in a much small ceremony.

"They are particularly conscious of government advice in relation to both the wellbeing of older family members and large gatherings of people. Therefore, the planned reception in the Buckingham Palace Gardens will not take place. The couple will carefully consider government advice before deciding whether a private marriage might take place amongst a small group of family and friends," the statement further read.

The statement comes amid cancellation of several engagements by the members of the British royal family, as well as other royal families across the globe, in wake of the deadly pandemic. While Queen Elizabeth II cancelled her visit to Cheshire and Camden as well as all her upcoming palace garden parties, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla suspended their scheduled tour of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Cyprus and Jordan.

Meanwhile, it is speculated that the British monarch will have to self-isolate herself along with son Charles and daughter-in-law Camilla, if the British government follows up on the suggestion that people aged over 70 will be asked in the coming weeks to self-isolate for up to four months to protect them from COVID-19.