The British royal family has been through a lot of negative news and shocking revelations since the start of the year.
However, it shouldn’t be just the bad stuff, right? It’s a good thing that the royal family has something exciting to look forward to in the coming months, and that is Princess Beatrice of York’s wedding day!
The 31-year-old Beatrice is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II’s third child. She is about to walk down the aisle to marry her fiancé, businessman Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, on May 29. And on February 7, the wedding venue was officially announced.
The ceremony will be held in Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace. According to a statement from the Palace, their private reception will take place in the gardens of Buckingham Palace right after the rites.
Considered as a “working chapel”, the Chapel Royal holds regular services for the general public aside from private events. The capacity of the chapel is lesser than the wedding venues of Beatrice’s older cousins, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Prince William and Kate Middleton, who are also known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, had a televised grand royal wedding in 2011 in Westminster Abbey, which sits up to 2K guests.
Meanwhile, Harry and American former actress Meghan Markle, aka the Duke and Duchess of Sussex exchanged vows in St. George’s Chapel, which can accommodate 800 guests.
Even though the venue is much smaller, it doesn’t lack significance and history in the royal family. In February 1840, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg got married there. William and Kate’s sons, Prince George and Prince Louis were baptized in this chapel; just like Beatrice herself. The venue is also special for the Yorks as Beatrice’s sister, Princess Eugenie, got married to Jack Brooksbank in that chapel.
Having been built in 1540, the Chapel Royal has undergone alterations over the decades. The most notable one is that by Sir Robert Smirke in 1837.