Why Queen Elizabeth Isn’t Letting Princess Beatrice Get Married At St. George’s Chapel

Princess Beatrice has finally announced a wedding date and some details regarding her nuptials to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. However, there could be a reason why Prince Andrew’s eldest daughter is celebrating her marriage at the venue she is.

According to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, who spoke with Express UK about the upcoming affair, the reason for the couple’s low-key affair—which will not be televised—is because the Queen is trying to sidestep and avoid more scandal following a contentious few months for the royal family.

“The decision to have a low-key wedding for Princess Beatrice when she married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in May, but to have the venue as the historic Chapel Royal followed by a reception hosted by the Queen in the gardens of Buckingham Palace strikes the right note,” he said. “It also takes into account the changed circumstances since Eugenie’s stylish marriage to Jack Brooksbank which attracted a television audience of some three million people and was held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor in 2018.”

Among the dramas that have gripped the royals in recent months are not only Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from royal life—and the U.K.--but also a scandal which wrapped around Beatrice’s father. Prince Andrew gained new media and public glare following the suicide of Jeffrey Epstein, his former friend, and the interview he gave to discredit claims he had sex with an underage girl during his association with him. He was then forced to step back from his own royal duties and patronages and retreat from the public eye. However, he is still expected to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding, and the need to avoid more scandal likely influenced the Queen’s decision to host the wedding at Chapel Royal and not St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, where Beatrice’s sister, Eugenie, as well as Prince Harry and Lady Gabriella Windsor, all wed since 2018.

“Involving prestigious venues gives a cachet to the occasion, which the Queen obviously intended as well as keeping it private and relatively low-key with the Chapel Royal only seating 150 guests,” Fitzwilliams said. “There will, of course, be some public interest but there will certainly be considerable press interest.”

However, while the small venue might also be to try and avoid scandal, it is possible that Princess Beatrice and her future husband also had some say in their more low-key celebrations, as it was long reported the pair were seeking a more low-key affair to begin with.

Even before her father’s scandal, it was reported that Beatrice did not want to get married at St. George’s because of the number of high-profile weddings that have been held there the last couple of years, and she also wanted to keep things less flashy because of her future husband’s ex-fiancée, with whom he shares a child.

In addition, a smaller venue could be more ideal for the Princess of York because it will keep her guest list more compact as well. While senior royals like her grandparents, parents, Uncle Prince Charles and cousin Prince William are likely expected to all be in attendance, the smaller venue and their step back from roles as senior members of the family could keep the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from attending. Their not being there could suit Beatrice just fine though, as she was alleged in the past to not be happy with the two after her sister’s wedding since they used the event to confirm news they were pregnant and she felt they overshadowed the special day as a result.