"You will never be alone my love, my heart is your home. Hand in hand, today, tomorrow and forever.”
These were the beautiful, romantic words which Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi dedicated on Instagram to his fiancee, HRH Princess Beatrice, on their day their engagement was officially announced.
Who could not feel a thrill of excitement and joy, looking at the official engagement photos of this wonderful couple? The beautiful Princess and the handsome young businessman gaze into each other's eyes, full of the raptures of love!
For all of us who admire Princess Beatrice and the York family, it's a wonderful moment to share in this joy and look forward to an eagerly anticipated Royal Wedding. Whilst we know about Princess Beatrice - about her job in the tech sector, her advocacy for women in business, her multifaceted charity work and so on - perhaps we're not so familiar with her fiance. So let's take a look at what we know of the handsome young gentleman who captured her heart, and trace the devopment their relationship...
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi is descended from Italian nobility. His father, Count Alessandro, competed as an alpine skier for Britain in the 1972 Olympics. But he was primarily brought up in the UK by his mother Nikki and his stepfather Christopher Shale. Mr. Shale, who died in 2011, was an important figure in the Conservative party and a close friend of former PM David Cameron.
The couple were also friends of the Duke and Duchess of York - so Beatrice and Edo have actually known each other for many years, even though they only became a couple around two years ago. Many people say that the best relationships are those that have a foundation of friendship, which certainly bodes well for the couple.
Edo has a young son, Wolfie, from a previous relationship - hardly an unusual situation and this day and age, and he and Beatrice are sure to get on well, in my view!
In terms of working life, Edo owns his own property development company, Banda, was specialises in high-level, luxurious homes for the elite. He is a highly successful businessman and has built up a major fortune in his own right.
One thing that Edo shares with Beatrice is a strong drive to help others through charity work. In his case, this is combined with his love of sport. He founded Cricket Builds Hope (CBH), an organization that teaches Rwandans how to play cricket. According to its website, "CBH harnesses the power of sport to promote reconciliation and tackle deep-seated social issues like gender inequality through specially tailored sessions run by CBH’s cricket coaching team."
Over the last or so, we have seen increasing signs of the couple's closeness. This included them appearing together at an event at the National Portrait Gallery alongside the Prince of Wales and the Queen of Spain. Edo was also seen with the Yorks at Buckingham Palace, for "Pitch at the Palace", the event that the Duke of York runs to give entrepreneurs a chance to kickstart their businesses.
A further sign of the couple's relationship evolving towards marriage was the beautiful, gold "Juste un clou" Cartier bracelet, worth £2600, that Beatrice was seen wearing from Summer 2019. It was specially engraved with an E, showing that it was a romantic gift from Edo. Later, Beatrice could be seen wearing the same bracelet for her engagement photos!
Beatrice and Edo were now now thoroughly in love, and the handsome young businessman began plotting the moment when he ask for his beautiful Princess' hand in marriage! The opportunity came in September 2019, as the couple jetted off for a magical, romantic trip to Italy's stunning Malfi coast. He chose the terrace of the £6,000-a-night Le Sirenuse Hotel in Positano, just as the sun was setting on the blue sea that stretched out below them. There, he dropped to one knee and asked Beatrice if she would spend her life with him. She accepted.
Edo had had a stunningly beautiful ring designed for her. It features two 0.75 carat baguettes set either side of a central 2.5 carat diamond. It was inspired by Beatrice's love of art deco and Victorian styles, and was created by top jewellery designer Shaun Leane.
Some days later, the couple joined Princess Eugenie and other friends at the wedding of Misha Nonoo and Mike Hess. As they witnessed one couple pledging themselves for life, Beatrice and Edo must have been thinking ahead to their own fairy tale wedding, planned for 2020!
On the official announcement of the engagement a few days later, the couple's families expressed their joy. "We are the lucky parents of a wonderful daughter who has found her love and companion in a completely devoted friend and loyal young man", said the Duke and Duchess of York. The Duchess, through her social media accounts, added that "I know what a mother feels so I have tears of joy!"
Edo's parents said they were "delighted" and added that "Our family has known Beatrice for most of her life. Edo and Beatrice are made for each other, and their happiness and love for each other is there for all to see".
And of course many hundreds of members of the public posted their own congratulations to the couple and told how delighted they were for them both!
For York fans especially, these are exciting times! The announcement came just weeks before two big events for us to celebrate - Princess Eugenie and Jack's first wedding anniversary on 12 October, followed three days later by the Duchess' 60th! And now another wedding to look forward to in 2020 - Beatrice in her bridal gown, Eugenie as maid of honour (repaying her sister's service in the same role) and the Duchess once more as a beautiful, lively Mother of the Bride! In fact, due to a change in the law, she will make history as the first Royal Mother of the Bride to be recorded on the marriage certificate!
The only question now is whether the wedding will be a big public affair in the style of Eugenie and Jack's big day. We certainly hope so! But whatever the couple decide, we will celebrate their beautiful love story and wish them a lifetime of perfect happiness together!
