Princess Beatrice, the daughter of Prince Andrew, is not going to have her planned engagement party on Dec. 18 in London. Fearing that the paparazzi will be swarming the event outside, in light of the Duke of York's controversial scandal, the princess and her fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, will instead host a low-key celebration at a friend's private residence.
According to the Daily Mail, Princess Beatrice and Edo were supposed to hold their engagement party at the A-list venue, Chiltern Firehouse. There were concerns, however, from the people close to the princess that the original venue would raise so much attention, especially from the press.
The couple was convinced by their friends to move the party in a less high-profile venue so that even Prince Andrew could attend the event under the radar. The Duke of York has been at the center of headlines in the last few months because of his association with the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the woman who have come out to accuse the royal of sexual assault.
Princess Beatrice and Edo, however, have not made it clear if the engagement party date would also be moved. The couple have also not yet officially announced the date of their wedding.
It was understood that Princess Beatrice and Edo planned to tell their friends when and where they were actually getting married during the engagement party. Royal fans speculate that it will be a spring or summer wedding
The couple have been engaged since September 2019. Since then, however, Prince Andrew has been in the news following his disastrous interview with BBC.
Royal commentators said that it's inevitable Prince Andrew's controversy would overshadow his daughter's wedding. As it is, however, the Duke of York has been trying to stay out of the spotlight. He has resigned from his royal duties and is no longer considered as a working royal for an indefinite period.
However, even before the scandal became an even bigger train wreck, Princess Beatrice was said to have desired a low-key wedding with a small number of guests unlike his sister Princess Eugenie's wedding in 2018 or the weddings of her cousins, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Royal expert Marlene Koening finds that it is not surprising since a quiet wedding will have no live coverage and press photos. Koening also said that the engagement party changes is still good news from Princess Beatrice because she's not postponing her marriage.
