Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi secretly tied the knot today, following delays to their original May 29 wedding date due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pair were married at The Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, where Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and close family were in attendance.
The newlyweds, who have known each other since childhood, said previously in an engagement announcement they were “so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together” and were pictured beaming in photos taken by Beatrice’s sister, Princess Eugenie.
Mozzi, who is a real estate developer, also took to Instagram at the time to write about his wife, declaring, “You will never be alone my love, my heart is your home. Hand in hand, today, tomorrow and forever.”
After the engagement announcement, focus quickly turned to the large diamond ring that Mozzi had given to Princess Beatrice.
Jewellery designer Michelle Oh told Evening Standard Insider that the ring is estimated to cost "at minimum £60,000". It’s clear that Mozzi would have required a hefty bank account to afford the ring, which he designed himself.
Here's how Mozzi has made his name as a businessman.
Who is Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi?
Mozzi is the CEO and founder of a property development and interior design company named Banda, which is based in London. The 35 year old comes from a family of real estate developers and the Italian businessman is a close family friend of the Yorks.
A statement released by Mozzi’s parents Nikki Williams-Ellis and Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi read: “We are truly delighted about Edoardo and Beatrice’s engagement. Our family has known Beatrice for most of her life. Edo and Beatrice are made for each other, and their happiness and love for each other is there for all to see. They share an incredibly strong and united bond, their marriage will only strengthen what is already a wonderful relationship.”
Mozzi has known from a young age that he wanted to go into property development, revealing that his mother Williams-Ellis was a commercial real estate executive. Williams-Ellis would take Mozzi along to properties and he previously told New York Times, ”I spent my childhood being dragged around to see sites.”
Although he opted to do a “masters in politics” at university, he was focused on real estate. He said, “I used my holidays to do 10 to 15 internships with developers and property banks and legal firms and agencies, so I felt I had the big picture of the property sector.”
In 2016 he was awarded the One to Watch award at the YN Property Awards. Mozzi, who also goes by “Edo”, has a 2 year old son from a previous relationship.
What is Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s net worth?
Mozzi’s business Banda caters specifically to wealthy clients, building slick and state-of-the-art developments. While Mozzi’s exact net worth is not currently known, House Builder and Development revealed that Banda had “circa £100m of property under construction, including sites in Battersea, Chelsea and Richmond” in 2016.
Speaking to City A.M., Mozzi revealed that he initially encountered difficulties when he attempted to set up the business in 2007 at 24 years old.
He revealed to the New York Times that the “collapse in the financial markets in 2008-09” and reluctance of banks to loan out money had been an issue.
He said, “The property market can be closed to young people as most banks won’t finance them. But the young can often be braver. I had no doubts when I first asked the bank to finance £45m-worth of development. Maybe I should have been more nervous but I’m a very optimistic person.”
Saying that he had a “strong vision for each development” and that he doesn’t “follow what the competition is doing”, he continued, “I believe you’re only as good as your last development.”
He also provided an insight into the kinds of clients that Banda deals with, saying, “People are now coming to the London market with £5 million or £8 million to play with, and they don’t just say, ‘Show me apartments in Notting Hill,’ they say, ‘Show me what I can get for my money, and I will make a decision about money, value and area, once you show me.’”
In 2018, a news report by Prime Resi revealed that Banda had sold its freehold on Richmond Brewery Stores for £5 million.
The business also expanded its business to cater to clients in New York, working on luxury properties in Greenwich Village as well as another with a striking view of the Empire State Building.
Banda also operates a store, which sells luxury marble 'price on enquiry' pieces online.
Princess Beatrice’s engagement ring
Princess Beatrice’s ring was unveiled on Instagram by her sister Princess Eugenie and the gigantic sparkler is believed to come with an extravagant price tag.
According to a statement released by the Duke of York’s official website, Mozzi designed the ring himself with British jeweller Shaun Leane and proposed in Italy.
We spoke with jewellery designer Michelle Oh, who provided more insight into the ring. Based on the pictures, she said, "The centre round brilliant cut diamond that looks to be at least 2ct in size. It's held with 6 claws, while the tapered baguette cut side stones are held in art deco style settings."
"The mount looks to be white so it'll either be platinum or 18k white gold, I would assume platinum!" she continued.
She also estimated that the ring would cost "at minimum £60,000".
