Unlike her cousins Prince William and Prince Harry, who were awarded dukedoms after their weddings, Princess Beatrice won’t be given the title of ‘duchess’ after her nuptials this May.
Beatrice, 31, is set to marry British property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a private ceremony at Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace followed by a reception in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. The couple were engaged in September 2019.
Beatrice won’t become a duchess because British royal titles are passed through the male line “with a few exceptions that have taken place,” according to royal historian Carolyn Harris.
Before reforms were instituted in the House of Lords, the title of ‘duke’ entitled someone to a place in the peerage.
“Traditionally, these titles were bestowed on senior male members of the Royal Family,” Harris said. “You’d have a seat in the House of Lords, enjoying the political elite.”
In the late 19th and early 20th century, it was assumed that a princess would marry a foreign prince, so she would inherit the title of her husband. However, in recent generations, this hasn’t been the case.
In the event that a princess married a commoner, said Harris, it was customary to bestow a title on the husband. This happened with Princess Margaret’s husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones, who was given the title of Earl of Snowdon upon marrying the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II.
“But that hasn’t been the case in recent generations, or for Princess Eugenie, so I think it’s very unlikely that Beatrice’s fiancé will be given a title,” she said.
Harris predicts that Beatrice will retain her title, but there won’t be additional titles offered by the British monarchy with marriage.
Beatrice may, however, inherit a new title from Mapelli Mozzi’s side of the family.
Edoardo’s father, Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, told Daily Mail Online Beatrice will be granted the title of countess once they’re married.
“Edoardo is the only male descendant taking the family into the next generation,” the count said.
“He is a count, his wife will be a countess automatically and any of their children will be counts or nobile donna.”
However, given that Mapelli Mozzi doesn’t use his title, royal experts don’t think Beatrice will use this title in everyday life.
“When she appears in the Court Circular, I’d say it will be as ‘Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi,'” royal commentator Joe Little told Insider.
Royal experts weren’t surprised to learn of Beatrice’s intimate plans for her royal wedding given the renewed interest in the relationship between her father, Prince Andrew, and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Certainly, a public appearance by Prince Andrew is going to attract a lot of attention.”
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