Princess Beatrice forced to cancel her May wedding because of coronavirus outbreak

THE Queen’s granddaughter Princess Beatrice has been forced to cancel her wedding on May 29 because of the coronavirus outbreak.

A friend of Bea - daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York - said she is “very sad” about the decision, but realised there was “no alternative” to moving the event to next year for the safety of all concerned.

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The wedding is the latest royal event to be cancelled after Buckingham Palace garden parties were axed and the Queen will leave Buckingham Palace.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed: "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.

"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."

Trooping the Colour, Royal Ascot and the Derby are also likely to be cancelled and the Chelsea Flower Show has already been stopped.

A royal insider revealed 31 year-old Beatrice and her fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were planning to use marquees and Portaloos from the garden parties for their reception in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

“The fact they won’t be available was a factor but the main reason is the safety of guests” said the insider.

“There were only going to be 150 guests at the wedding but double that amount at the reception.

“It was just too risky.

“The Queen had to be there and it wasn’t fair to put her in danger aged 94.

“The couple are obviously very sad but they realise other people are suffering much more and they are philosophical about it.”

The couple had been looking forward to their wedding in May

Unlike her sister Princess Eugenie, who married Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle in 2018 followed by a carriage ride to cheering crowds, Beatrice’s nuptials have been dogged by bad luck from the start.

She and wealthy property developer Edo, who got engaged in Italy last year, were never going to have a big event in the wake of Prince Andrew’s involvement with disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“The public wouldn’t have tolerated the cost of a televised set-piece service with Andrew walking his daughter down the aisle after he was taken off royal duties” said one courtier.

“Beatrice and Edo couldn’t get married in Italy because the Queen and Prince Philip would have been too old to travel, and then there were problems finding a venue.”

Eventually the pair decided to marry in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace followed by the reception in the nearby grounds of Buckingham Palace.

POSTPONED BLISS

The wedding was also going to be low key because Edo had a previous relationship with American architect Dara Huang and their three-year-old son Wolfie was going to be best man.

In a show of support for the couple, the Queen allowed Edo to stay at Sandringham last Christmas with the royal family, even though he and Bea were not married.

In recent weeks Edo, a long-time family friend of the Yorks, has tweeted his concerns about the Corona outbreak.

He talked about his concerns for the elderly and said it was a good idea for supermarkets to open up just for older people to shop.

“He is a very caring person and is being very supportive to Beatrice” said a friend last night.

“Of course he’s upset the wedding is being postponed but the important thing is for everyone to stay safe and they are looking forward to having the wedding next year when hopefully things are back to normal.”

Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Fergie has been “working all hours” organising the wedding and was said to be “bitterly disappointed” last night.

“Sarah has put her heart and soul into making it a lovely day but she like everyone else has accepted it can’t go ahead” said the friend.

“She’s just looking forward to reorganising it in happier times.”