It was announced that Princess Beatrice had followed through on her plans for her 2020 royal wedding by secretly marrying her fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York said yes to her boyfriend in the presence of her grandmother, Queen and Prince Philip, at Windsor Castle. Beatrice’s special day comes on a special anniversary in the history of the Royal Family.
The couple married at Windsor Castle, where His Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh have been protecting since March, on the 103rd anniversary of the family that assumed the Windsor name.
On July 17, 1917, King George V announced that the Royal Family would renounce their German surname, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and take the name of Windsor in honor of the Berkshire prank.
The family is believed to have chosen the name to show their support for the British population amid the German attacks on London at the height of World War I.
Royal expert Nick Bullen told True Royalty TV: “The reason the royal family is called Windsor is because of Windsor Castle.
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“In 1917, the family was called Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a very German name. In fact, the royal family was German.
“George V was on the throne, his wife Mary was German, Princess Mary of Teck. But a terrorist came to London in World War I and bombed a school in London’s East End, and killed many schoolchildren.
“And the bomber was called a Gotha bomber, the family was called Saxony-Coburg-Gotha.”
Bullen suggested that the royal family was so shocked by the attack that they finally decided to adopt a more British surname to show solidarity with the people.
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Princess Beatrix was originally slated to marry Italian Earl Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on May 29, but was forced to cancel her plans due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Only a few close friends and family of Beatrice and Edo attended the nuptials, as the limitations remain in place on the number of wedding guests.
About 20 guests are believed to have been present to see the couple say ‘Yes,’ and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were reported to have attended.
The Sun understands that the newlyweds spent the night with the Duke and Duchess of York at their Royal Lodge residence on the Windsor Estate, before exchanging vows at All Saints’ Chapel.
