Who is Princess Beatrice's husband? Get to know Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi first walked into the spotlight in 2018, when he started dating the ever-so-private Princess Beatrice.

The British-Italian aristocrat, who is the CEO of his own property development company, has been making headlines since – for his intimate lockdown wedding to the Princess, the arrival of their daughter Sienna, and for being the handsome date who often accompanies Beatrice to high-profile events.

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So what exactly do we know about Edo, as his family and friends call him? Keep reading to find out…

Who is Edoardo and where is he from?

Edoardo, 40, hails from Italian aristocracy. He is the son of former skier Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, who competed in the 1972 Olympics. His mother Nikki Williams-Ellis is a close friend of Beatrice's parents Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York, as was Edo's late stepfather, the Conservative politician Christopher Shale, who died of a heart attack in 2011 at Glastonbury.

In 2017, Nikki re-married sculptor David Williams-Ellis, who has a very good relationship with his stepson Edoardo.

Edoardo's family and the Yorks have been close friends for years. Sarah is godmother to Edo's half-brother Alby Shale.

He was born at London's The Portland Hospital (the same hospital as his wife Beatrice) in November 1983. He attended the Dragon School in Oxford, then Radley College in Oxfordshire, before obtaining an MA in Politics at the University of Edinburgh.

What does he do and how did he make his millions?

At the age of 23, Edoardo set up his own property development and interior design company, Banda, of which he is now CEO and creative director. On his public Instagram account, which boasts 146,000 followers, Edoardo often shares swoon-worthy photos of his properties around the world – as well as very sweet tributes to his wife Beatrice on milestone moments.

"Like his mother… he's very determined. Banda is a very, very successful business and it's growing and expanding and gaining quite a lot of influence around the world – and doing some beautiful work," his stepfather David Williams-Ellis previously told HELLO!: "Even though Edo's got a big design team, he's very much on top of the brief. He works incredibly hard and has an input on every project, as far as I can see."

Edoardo previously revealed to the New York Times that he knew from a young age that he wanted to go into property development. "I spent my childhood being dragged around to see sites. I used my holidays to do ten to 15 internships with developers and property banks and legal firms and agencies, so I felt I had the big picture of the property sector."

His exact net worth is not known, but he is reported to be a multi-millionaire. After all, he developed £700 million worth of London property by the age of 30.

The businessman's philanthropic side

Alongside his half-brother Alby, Edoardo co-founded the charity Cricket Builds Hope in his late stepfather Christopher Shale's memory. The charity uses cricket as a tool for positive social change in Rwanda.

"Edo and Alby were brought up completely together by Christopher," Edoardo's stepfather David told HELLO!. "They were effectively brothers and Christopher was effectively his father when he was growing up.

"Christopher had been involved in teaching cricket in Rwanda and Edo and Alby used to go out there. And so when he died they wanted to do something, so, along with their mother, they raised a considerable sum of money and built a cricket ground in Rwanda which is now one of the top three cricket grounds outside England.

"But Cricket Builds Hope has become more than a cricket ground. It's a big educational and social programme in East Africa."

How did Edoardo and Princess Beatrice meet?

The couple were actually family friends for a long time before they became romantically involved. David revealed to HELLO!: "When Beatrice first met Edo she was a teenager. Edo was maybe 18, 19 and probably looking out into the world, which looked rather exciting and glamorous. But I think they formed a bond from quite early on in their lives, which they revisited when they re-met and fell in love.

"Edo is very much in love. He's a kind person and kindness goes a long way in a relationship."

The couple reportedly reconnected in October 2018 at Princess Eugenie's wedding, where Beatrice acted as maid of honour to her younger sister. They hit it off and by early 2019, they were publicly an item.

Beatrice had been in a ten-year relationship with boyfriend Dave Clark, but the pair split in 2016. Edoardo, meanwhile, was engaged to architect Dara Huang from 2015 to 2018. They share a son, Christopher "Wolfie" Woolf, together.

The couple's first public appearance

Some five months after Eugenie's royal wedding, Beatrice and Edoardo made their first public appearance in London in March 2019. They arrived at the 2019 National Portrait Gallery Gala together. Shortly after, they were spotted holding hands together in New York City.

The groom-to-be's romantic proposal

In September 2019 after a whirlwind courtship, Edoardo popped the question on holiday in Capri, Italy. The businessman is clearly proud of his Italian heritage; his family own an impressive estate in Lombardy, 21 miles from Milan.

In a statement, the happy couple said: "We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and can't wait to be married. We share so many similar interests and values, and we know that this will stand us in great stead for the years ahead."

Edoardo designed the engagement ring with Mayfair-based British jeweller Shaun Leane.

The couple held an engagement party at celebrity hotspot Chiltern Firehouse, where celebrity guests included Ellie Goulding and her husband Caspar Jopling, James Blunt and his wife Lady Sofia Wellesley, plus Robbie and Ayda Williams. The Princess of Wales' siblings James Middleton and Pippa Matthews also attended.

Original wedding plans and lockdown nuptials

The couple had high hopes of marrying in May 2020 at the historic Chapel Royal at St James's Palace, but due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns and restrictions on weddings, Edoardo and Beatrice surprised royal watchers when they announced they had secretly tied the knot on 17 July 2020.

In keeping with government guidelines at the time, the bride and groom were joined by fewer than 20 guests when they exchanged vows at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, a stone's throw from Royal Lodge where Beatrice grew up. The bride borrowed a stunning Norman Hartnell dress from her grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, which she had altered for her special day.

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At the time, Edoardo shared three images from the big day on Instagram, including one of him looking adoringly at Beatrice and another of the newlyweds silhouetted against the bright summer sunshine. He captioned the images with words from the e e cummings poem i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart), one of two poems read during the ceremony by his mother Nikki and his new mother-in-law Sarah.

Proud father-of-two

Edoardo is the proud father to two children: his seven-year-old son Wolfie from his previous relationship, and his daughter Sienna, who Beatrice gave birth to in September 2021.

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His stepfather David has previously praised Edoardo and Beatrice's parenting skills, telling HELLO!: "I think as a father, it's family first for Edo and he's an amazing father to both his children. I've seen it first-hand from a really good angle.

"He's brilliant with his children and he adores them naturally like any father. But he gives them a lot of time and a lot of patience, and I think with his busy life it's probably quite difficult sometimes to do that.

"But he's been able to do that and I think, as a couple, both Edo and Beatrice are extraordinary with their children [and] the time and the energy they give to them."