MUM'S THE WORD
Beatrice will be the FIRST princess in the Queen’s family to become a step-mum when she marries dad-of-one Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
PRINCESS Beatrice will become the first stepmum among the younger royals when she ties the knot with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi next year.
Today, the royal, 31, announced her engagement to the property tycoon, 36, who has two-year-old son called Christopher 'Wolfie' Woolf with his stylish former fiancé Dara Huang.
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Princess Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne, will be the only princess to marry a partner who already has a child.
The only royal family member of the previous generation to find themselves in the same position as Prince Charles.
When he married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, he became stepfather to her son Tom and daughter Laura – meaning Camilla became a stepmum to Prince William and Prince Harry.
Millionaire property tycoon Edoardo was previously engaged to Harvard-educated architect Dara Huang - mum of his toddler son – and popped the question in 2015.
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However, the romance wasn’t to last with Edoardo breaking up with DH Liberty-founder Dara around six months before dating Princess Beatrice.
A source told Fabulous Digital: “Almost overnight, Chinese-American fiancee Dara became Edo's ex fiancee.
“The talented Harvard-educated architect had been planning her idyllic wedding to Edo but was unceremoniously dumped.”
Beatrice has been going out with Edo, who specialises in discreetly developing multi-million pound homes for rich clients, since around the nuptials of Princess Eugenie last October.
A friend told The Sun that they “hit it off instantly”.
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The loved up couple, who will tie the knot in 2020, beamed with happiness in photos to announce their engagement today.
The pics, taken by Beatrice's sister Eugenie, show the future bride in a floral dress and flaunting her solitaire ring with baguette diamonds on the band, designed by Edoardo himself with British jeweller Shaun Leane.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, the princess and her fiancé said: "We are extremely happy to be able to share the news of our recent engagement.
"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 this will stand us in great stead for the years ahead, full of love and happiness."
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A source told Fabulous Digital: “Beatrice was delighted to find herself in the company of easy on the eye Edo and they started dating under the radar almost immediately."
Beatrice shacked up with the businessman and introduced him to royal relatives - leaving Dara sleeping on a pal's sofa.
A Royal source insisted that Beatrice wouldn't have started a relationship with Edo unless she was certain things had ended with Dara – although the romance started when they were still sharing a London home.
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Edoardo, 36, has now moved in with Beatrice at St James Palace and also impressed her parents after joining them at the Bahrain Grand Prix in April.
They’ve even been to weddings together, including in Tuscany in July, and stayed in one of his family’s houses in Kenya at the beginning of the year.
They went public with their relationship in March, after Princess Beatrice attended a charity fundraiser at the National Portrait Gallery with her new beau.
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Beatrice has been single since splitting from her American boyfriend Dave Clark in 2016 after a decade together.
The split was thought to be over the princess's keenness to wed.
Descended from Italian nobility, Edo is a Count whose father Alex was an Olympic skier in the early 1970s.
Edo has been a family friend of the Yorks for years and when his stepfather Christopher Shale - a close friend of former Prime Minister David Cameron - died in 2011 at Glastonbury, Andy, Sarah, Bea and Eugenie all went to the funeral.
MORE ON THE ROYAL FAMILY
We shared how Princess Beatrice ‘is ready to start a family with multi-millionaire property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’ – and mum Sarah Ferguson is chuffed.
We shared how Princess Beatrice didn’t need The Queen’s permission to get married – unlike Prince William and Prince Harry.
In other royal news, we told you Kate Middleton beats Meghan Markle in YouGov royal popularity poll – while Prince Harry trumped Prince William.
Princess Beatrice is engaged to multi-millionaire property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
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