Why Princess Beatrice can't have her wedding reception inside Buckingham Palace

Princess Beatrice's upcoming wedding reception will not be held inside Buckingham Palace amid security fears.

  • Princess Beatrice will marry Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on May 29, 2020 at the Chapel Royal at St James Palace
  • It will be the first royal wedding of 2020
  • The reception will be held in Buckingham Palace's gardens, rather than inside the palace due to security fears
  • It follows royal news that ....

Princess Beatrice will not be able to hold her wedding reception inside Buckingham Palace, despite The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge being offered the same privilege nine years ago.

Instead, the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's wedding reception will be hosted in a marquee in the palace gardens - just outside Buckingham Palace - in a bid to stop guests stealing from the palace.

According to royal expert, Angela Mollard, Princes Beatrice and Edoardo's wedding will be a small affair compared to previous royal weddings.

"This is going to be in a small chapel, only 150 people can be there," she said. "Of course in the marquee at Buckingham Palace, no one is allowed inside in case they steal anything.”

Events over the past couple of months have meant Princess Beatrice, Eugenie and their mother, The Duchess of York, are under huge spotlight. And the scandal surrounding her father, Prince Andrew, means the logistics of Bea's wedding could be "interesting" to watch.

"I think this is going to be an interesting wedding," Angela said during New Idea's ROYALS podcast. "There's not going to be any carriage procession. Obviously with Kate and William, Meghan and Harry, Eugenie there was that carriage procession. We saw a lot of visuals on it."

Angela Mollard's predictions about Beatrice's upcoming nuptials come just months after the 60-year-old announced he’d be stepping down from royal duties for the “foreseeable” future as his association with Jeffrey Epstein continued to cause “major disruption” to the “valuable work” of his family.

Following his “disastrous” Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, Prince Andrew released a statement: “It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support.

“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission. I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein."

Georgia Farquharson

Georgia writes across Woman & Home and Good to Know and specialises in all things royal. Previously labelled the "Queen of the royals," Georgia knows the whose who and what's what when it comes to the monarchy. When she's not eagerly following the royal family, Georgia enjoys shopping and self-care. She lives with this motto in mind; "if your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough."