Why did Princess Beatrice marry Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in an intimate ceremony?

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi tied the knot in a surprise ceremony at the All Saint's Chapel in Windsor Great Park, a short drive from her family home Royal Lodge, on Friday. The big day was reportedly in the planning for some time.

"It was planned for some time, and everyone had to be extremely cautious leading up to the big day because the Queen was in attendance," a source told speaking to People. "It was very private, intimate and romantic," the insider added.

The princess and the family wanted her grandmother Queen Elizabeth II to join them for the happy occasion. "It was all about the Queen's schedule. The Queen was the guest of honour, and it was very important that she was there," said the source. The insider added that there was no mandatory COVID-19 testing for wedding guests, but all of them had to practice social distancing.

"They had to make sure everyone who was attending was in perfect health," the source said.

However, Mirror reports that the princess, 31, pulled off the secret wedding to save her disgraced father Prince Andrew from the public eye. This claim was made by a cousin of the groom. The couple always wanted a low-key wedding. But, the scaled down wedding was reportedly following public pressure on Beatrice's father over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Mozzi's cousin Dario Mapelli Mozzi, who is once removed, claims the couple may have slashed the guest list to avoid criticism. "We heard it was postponed to next year but that was clearly to keep it secret. Maybe they did it now to be sure that the Queen could be there. Or perhaps because of the problems with her father they didn't want to go overboard with publicity in case anyone criticised them," he added.

However, family friends denied that the private ceremony is connected to Andrew's problems over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Of late, pressure has mounted on the second son of the queen with the arrest of his friend Ghislaine Maxwell in the US recently.

The source told that Beatrice and Mozzi are having a "small party to celebrate" on Friday after the ceremony, and they're planning a honeymoon next month.

The bride's mother Sarah Ferguson told Royal Central in April: Beatrice is the happiest I have ever seen her in my life, and she and Edo have a great love for each other and passion for life. For them to be getting married fills my heart with joy."