UPDATE, 12/23/24 at 8:28 a.m. ET:
Pregnant Princess Beatrice’s Christmas plans have reportedly changed after news that she would be skipping out on the annual royal family celebrations.
On Saturday, December 21, Hello! Magazine reported that Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, would be headed to Sandringham following advice from her doctors. According to the publication, Beatrice was advised against traveling long distances as she reaches the end of her pregnancy.
Beatrice and Edoardo — along with their 2-year-old daughter, Sienna, and his 8-year-old son, Wolfie, whom he shares with ex-fiancé Dara Huang — are set to join the royal family in Norfolk. Beatrice and Edoardo will also reportedly join the family for their annual Sandringham walkabout.
Original story continues below:
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will reportedly not celebrate Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham this year.
According to Hello! magazine, Beatrice, 36, and Eugenie, 34, will be spending the holidays with their respective inlaws. This will be the first time the royals will spend the holiday season away from their royal family members since their respective weddings.
Beatrice has been married to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi since July 2020. The couple share daughter Sienna, 3, and are currently expecting baby number two. (Edoardo, 41, is also a father to 8-year-old Wolfie, whom he shares with ex-fiancée Dara Huang.)
Eugenie, for her part, wed Jack Brooksbank in 2018. The pair are the parents of sons August, 3, and Ernest, 18 months.
Prince Andrew Gets Visits From Daughters and Grandchildren Amid Crisis
Beatrice and Eugenie — the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson — have traditionally spent Christmas at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England with King Charles III and other members of the royal family. The only time the princesses did not attend was in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Independent previously reported that Beatrice and Eugenie’s parents will also not be spending Christmas at Sandringham. The news came shortly after reports surfaced of Andrew’s alleged connection to a businessman accused of being a Chinese spy.
In a December 14 statement to BBC, the Duke of York, 64, claimed that he “ceased all contact” with the individual. Andrew’s office further claimed that Andrew met the man “through official channels” and “nothing of a sensitive nature [was] ever discussed.”
According to the outlet, the alleged spy — who has been referred to as H6 — was previously banned from the U.K. in 2023 following security court proceedings. Judges were told that H6 allegedly tried to gain Andrew’s influence and was subsequently invited to his birthday party in 2020.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Have ‘The Best of Both Worlds’ as Royals
Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy in the U.K. denied the espionage claim. “Some individuals in the U.K. are always eager to fabricate baseless ‘spy’ stories targeting China,” a spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Andrew’s latest scandal since he is a non-working royal. In 2020, Andrew was stripped of his title by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and forced to take a step back from his official duties and patronages after he was sued for sexual misconduct. Andrew denied the allegations. In 2022, Prince Andrew settled the lawsuit out of court.
While Andrew is no longer a working member of the royal family, Beatrice has taken on some extra responsibilities. Last month, she stepped in for Charles, 75, when she attended The King’s Foundation’s Future Textiles exhibition in London. During the event, she met with the foundation’s executives and several students.
