She was once a fixture on the London scene, enjoying nights out at private members’ clubs, attending fashion shows, charity balls and other high-profile events with her nearest and dearest – but much of that has changed for Princess Beatrice.
Given the House of York’s recent tarnishing, as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s relations to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein surfaced, it’s perhaps understandable that their eldest daughter has somewhat retreated from the spotlight.
But Beatrice’s close relations also appear to have taken a turn: her husband, Edo Mapelli Mozzi, frequently works in the United States. Andrew is in exile. Fergie is searching for solace abroad, and her sister Eugenie is busy prepping for her third child.
Property developer Edo, far from being by his wife’s side, was spotted at a work breakfast in Palm Beach, Florida, last week to discuss design in hospitality spaces; while the duration of his trip is unclear, he previously jetted there in January, just weeks before his father-in-law’s arrest.
The couple were seen together for the first time in weeks for Poppy Delevingne’s 40th on May 7, when they put on a united front amid rumours that their marriage is on the rocks in the wake of the Epstein scandal.
As they arrived at Hart Pub in London, Beatrice, dressed in a suede trench coat, strode ahead of Edo, wearing a neutral facial expression.
Her plain demeanour was in stark contrast to her sister, Princess Eugenie, who held a beaming smile as she proudly showed off her visible pregnancy bump while holding hands with her husband, Jack Brooksbank.
Sporting a shiny, bright blue coat over her outfit – which also featured a black satin shirt with white polka dots – Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s daughter looked to be in good spirits.
Beatrice and Poppy share a close friendship that spans several years and are frequently photographed at celebratory occasions together – perhaps helping to explain for the model’s apparent olive branch offering to the estranged princess.
However, there have been rumblings of a distance surfacing with her other celebrity friendships.
She was once a fixture on the London scene, enjoying nights out at private members’ clubs, attending fashion shows, charity balls and other high-profile events with her nearest and dearest – but much of that has changed for Princess Beatrice (pictured on May 7)
Beatrice’s downcast demeanour was in stark contrast to her sister, Princess Eugenie, who held a beaming smile as she proudly showed off her visible pregnancy bump while holding hands with her husband, Jack Brooksbank
Last week, at her friend Olivia Buckingham’s baby shower, also attended by Poppy Delevingne and Nicky Hilton, Beatrice was nowhere to be seen in the carousel of images shared to Instagram – though Hello reported that the princess was present.
Beatrice’s new way of living was summed up last week when she was spotted loading her designer luggage into the back of a cab, without the help of friends or family, her destination unknown.
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The princess, dressed in a floral dress and black blazer, carried her personalised £2,710 Horizon 55 Monogram Louis Vuitton suitcase to a waiting taxi.
And when Eugenie and her husband Jack celebrated his 40th birthday days later, Beatrice attended the lunch at Soho Mews House without her other half.
Celebrations, meanwhile, continued for the birthday boy and his wife with dinner at the exclusive Notting Hill restaurant Dorian later that evening.
It comes after Sarah Ferguson broke cover in Austria last month. The disgraced former royal, 66, is urgently seeking refuge with friends after her luxury £2,000-a-night apartment at the Mayerlife wellness spa in Altaussee, near Salzburg, Austria, was compromised when photos of her nearby were published last month.
According to sources, Ferguson barely left her first-floor two-bedroom chalet overlooking the stunningly beautiful lake since checking in nearly a month ago, and was never seen on the large balcony.
She ordered all her meals via room service – bresaola beef with mozzarella was a favourite, as was chicken breast.
She was never seen on the resort’s walking trails, or down by the lake, or at its clay tennis courts. Her contact with the outside world was kept to a bare minimum, though she had her hair done on March 24 by a visiting stylist.
Sources close to Fergie say that she remains in constant touch with her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, on the phone, while both of them have been increasingly concerned over her mental health.
Beatrice and Poppy share a close friendship that spans several years and are frequently photographed at celebratory occasions together – perhaps helping to explain for the model’s apparent olive branch offering to the estranged princess
Beatrice’s new way of living was summed up last week when she was spotted loading her designer luggage into the back of a cab, without the help of friends or family, her destination unknown
Edo Mapelli Mozzi (pictured left) was spotted at a work breakfast in Palm Beach, Florida, last week
Despite the mounting pressure on her, friends describe a woman who is tired but not broken. ‘She just wants a door that doesn’t open for strangers,’ a source said. ‘That’s all it is. She wants to breathe.’
The King’s household has made plain for some time that the duchess is no longer part of official royal life. She is not invited to Sandringham or Balmoral and will never appear on the Palace balcony again.
Charles is said to be still fond of his nieces despite the astonishing downfall of their father in recent years, and will permit them to attend royal events in future.
It is believed that neither Beatrice nor Eugenie have visited Andrew, 66, during his exile in Sandringham.
