Princess Beatrice and Edo Mapelli Mozzi’s ‘open and natural smiles’ showed they were ‘lost in their own bubble of love’, and conducting the wedding away from the public eye ‘allowed the to show their genuine feelings’, a body language expert has claimed.
The couple tied the knot in a surprise ceremony on Friday, releasing pictures alongside the Queen and Prince Philip the following day.
Beatrice, 31, and Italian property developer Edo, 37, were due to tie the knot at the Chapel Royal of St James’s Palace, in London, on 29 May. But their ceremony was postponed due to Covid-19 and no new date was given by the palace at the time.
The couple opted to have a small ceremony with roughly 20 people in line with social distancing guidelines, and in order to shield the Queen, 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, who are in the vulnerable category.
Body language expert Judi James has told FEMAIL that having a scaled-back wedding due to COVID-19 and the scandal surrounding Beatrice’s father Prince Andrew, may have allowed the Princess and Edo Mapelli to have a more ‘natural’ wedding: She said of this picture: ‘This more relaxed mode allowed the couple to pose with more inward-facing torsos rather than the more social, front-facing pose we tend to see from royal wedding couples. Bea looks out towards the cameras but her hand clasp is close to Edo’s body and he places his own hands over it fondly, beaming down at her with a proud, protective-looking smile.’
And now body language expert Judi James has told FEMAIL that having a scaled-back wedding due to COVID-19 and the scandal surrounding Beatrice’s father Prince Andrew, may have allowed the couple a more ‘natural’ wedding.
She said: ‘Royal weddings are often so top-heavy in terms of protocol, guest numbers and press attention that any moments of genuine intimacy and the kind of fun, loving body language most couples enjoy on their big day will often be lost.
‘It’s the non-royal partner who often suffers the most, trying not to buckle under the nerves caused by what is often their first exposure to all the kerfuffle that membership of the royal firm entails.
‘One huge advantage of Beatrice and Edo’s pared-down event was that we got to see the couple lost in their own bubble of love together rather than over-sharing with a huge crowd.’
The couple opted to have a small ceremony with roughly 20 people in line with social distancing guidelines. Judi said: ‘The couple look happy and relaxed together in this more fun pose. Bea’s hand is on top in the clasp which breaks with the normal royal tradition of old-fashioned chivalry and the way their arms are bent emphasizes the sense of evenly-balanced togetherness.’
She continued: ‘Their timing was clearly less of an issue than when every moment is being shown live around the world, meaning they had time to peer happily out from the door of the church, and social distancing meant they could stand close together alone for the photos without the usual huge line-up of relatives to worry about.
‘Edo could look more relaxed and Beatrice could look openly delighted and excited and their signals as a couple could be far fresher and more natural than usual.’
Anaylsing the pictures, which were released on Saturday, Judi continued: ‘Both Bea and Edo produced smiles of pure happiness and their mirroring suggested some like-minded thinking.
‘Beatrice even broke with tradition and placed her hand on top of the clasp as they walked together, suggesting they were sharing the taking of the lead, and their rather sweet body language signals looked like a response to one another rather than polite sociability based on a large audience.
‘Even the Queen was able to go into loving and supportive granny mode, leaning forward from the correct social distance to throw a warm, beaming smile at the couple as they posed for photos.’
Anaylsing the pictures, which were released on Saturday, Judi continued: ‘Both Bea and Edo produced smiles of pure happiness and their mirroring suggested some like-minded thinking.’
Beatrice and Edo confirmed their happy news on Friday, but postponed sharing the photos until Saturday, so as not to overshadow Captain Tom Moore, who was knighted on Friday.
The stunning photos show Beatrice and Edo posing standing in the flower-adorned arch of the Royal Chapel of All Saints, in the grounds of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s home of Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park.
Notably Prince Andrew is not in the photos, with the Queen and Prince Philip standing at a suitable social distance from the happy couple in another photo.
Beatrice opted for a a vintage dress by Norman Hartnell, on loan from Her Majesty The Queen.
The stunning tiered wedding dress featuring a fitted bodice encrusted with a drop-pattern of jewels, and boasting retro, semi-sheer puff sleeves.
The ivory gown featured bejewelled straps and a flattering bustier, running into a ruffled floor-length skirt, and the royal wore her hair styled into a layered side-parting.
Judi said: ‘Even the Queen was able to go into loving and supportive granny mode, leaning forward from the correct social distance to throw a warm, beaming smile at the couple as they posed for photos.’
Beatrice’s floor-length veil was notably attached to one of the Queen’s favourite tiaras, made by fine jewellery house Garrard in 1919 from a necklace given to Mary as a wedding present, before it was given to the Queen Mother in 1936 and later loaned to Princess Elizabeth and Princess Anne for their wedding days.
The dazzling tiara was designed to look like a fashionable Russian headdress with 47 diamond bars.
The chapel, which can accommodate 180 people, was an ideal choice for social distancing, especially given the bride’s grandparents are both in their 90s and in a high risk group. Weddings of up to 30 people are allowed under current government guidelines. The reduced guest list means that the couple will have to celebrate with celebrity friends such as Ellie Goulding, Karlie Kloss and Cressida Bonas at a later date.
Flowers from well-wishers were seen being unloaded from vans after the wedding, as Buckingham Palace confirmed no reception or other event was taking place.
A statement released by the palace said: ‘The small ceremony was attended by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and close family. The wedding took place in accordance with all relevant Government guidelines.’