Pregnant Princess Beatrice Dresses Up As She Joins Husband Edo And Sophie Wessex At Wimbledon In First Official Outing Since Announcing She’s Expecting

Jul 09, 2021

It was announced on May 19, 2021, that Princess Beatrice, 32, was expecting her first child with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and the news had left the royal family and Queen Elizabeth "delighted." This baby will be the queen's 12th great-grandchild. The announcement was made on the royal family's official Twitter account and has family members and royal fans excited for the future.

Since her announcement, Beatrice has not been seen, however, until her first public appearance in the Royal Box at Wimbledon on July 8, 2021. In photographs from the event, Beatrice is seen glowing in a polka dot black and white dress as she was also joined by soon-to-be-aunt Sophie of Wessex for the event as well. 

In March 2021, Beatrice herself became an aunt when Princess Eugenie, Beatrice's sister, welcomed a baby boy, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank with her husband Jack Brooksbank. It is certainly an exciting time for Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson! 

Beatrice's pregnancy news came at a time when the royal family was going through a hard time. Prince Philip's death on April 9, 2021, came as a major emotional blow to all members of the family and left the queen in deep mourning. Considering how close the queen has been to Beatrice, the pregnancy announcement was certainly a point of happiness for everyone in the family. 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's daughter's arrival has also been a reason for celebration recently. Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor's birth on June 4, 2021 has delighted members of the royal family, including her namesake, Elizabeth. 

The announcement for Beatrice's pregnancy was made on the Royal Family’s Twitter account and read,

“Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzo are very pleased to announce that they are expecting a baby in autumn of this year. The Queen has been informed and both families are delighted with the news.” 

While no other details have been released yet, this news comes as a source of joy for the queen after the devastating loss of Philip in April 2021. Philip was laid to rest in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday, April 17. The late prince was buried alongside former kings of England and other royals, the Associated Press reported. 

Beatrice has always been close to the queen, and this fact was cemented after Beatrice's wedding to Mozzi after Beatrice borrowed not only the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara—which Her Majesty had worn at her wedding to Philip in 1947—but also an iconic Norman Hartnell gown that belongs to the Queen. It elevated the idea of "something borrowed" for the wedding. According to Independent UK, Buckingham Palace revealed that the dress was “made from Peau De Soie taffeta in shades of ivory, trimmed with ivory Duchess satin, with organza sleeves” and “encrusted with diamanté and has a geometric checkered bodice”.

Beatrice also borrowed the Queen Mary fringe tiara, which Elizabeth wore on her own wedding day in 1947. According to The Court Jeweller, it's made up of 47 diamond bars made from stones that were once on a necklace that belonged to Queen Mary, which was given to her by Queen Victoria. The stunning tiara has proved popular for royal weddings as Princess Anne also wore it on her wedding day in November 1973.

A royal communications press release explained more about the wedding ceremony, as reported by PEOPLE Magazine:

"In accordance with government guidelines, no hymns were sung, but a selection of music was played. The National Anthem was played but not sung."

A source close to the royal family discussed the big day with PEOPLE in an interview, saying, 

"The Queen was the guest of honor, and it was very important that she was there. It was planned for some time, and everyone had to be extremely cautious leading up to the big day because the Queen was in attendance. They had to make sure everyone who was attending was in perfect health."

According to Express UK, Mozzi's five-year-old son Christopher from his previous relationship with architect Dara Huang was his best man. About her role as a stepmother, Beatrice made Christopher "a part of her life from the outset." Beatrice also wrote about her relationship with Christopher in an article for the Evening Standard on World Book Day. 

"This year, I had the great honor to become a stepmother, and have had the most remarkable time going back over some of my most favorite stories at bedtime. Together, we had such a special time reading through all the entries for Oscars Book Prize 2020," she penned. 

"My stepson has been, as many children have, home schooling this term," she continued, "Helping him to engage with stories is a great journey to inspire imagination, creativity, independence and humor." 

She concluded her article by writing, "We have all had to learn new ways to cope with the strangest of times. For our family, reading stories has been a great part of our journey to finding laughter and a little magic on the journey."

How do you think Princess Beatrice looks at her first public outing since her pregnancy announcement? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to let others know about this story as well.