Princess Beatrice: Will Royal tradition prevent her from choosing her own wedding ring?

Princess Beatrice of York, is expected to marry fiancé Edward Mapelli Mozzi next year. With no confirmed day yet, speculations on the nuptials have been high, one in particular surrounded her wedding ring. But, one royal tradition could get in the way of Beatrice’s choice. While royal life comes with a number of benefits, there are a number of rules, traditions and conventions that the Royal Family are required to adhere to. But what royal wedding tradition could affect Beatrice’s wedding band choice?

Beatrice and multimillionaire fiancé Edward Mapelli Mozzi have reportedly been together since mid-September 2018 before they announced their engagement news to the world last week.

In a joint statement, the newly engaged couple said: “We are extremely happy to be able to share the news of our recent engagement.

“We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and can’t wait to actually be married.

“We share so many similar interests and values, and we know that this will stand us in great stead for the years ahead, full of love and happiness.”

In an interview with Hello! magazine, Shaun Leane, 50 – the man behind the design of the gorgeous 2.5 carat engagement ring – revealed that Edoardo came to him four months prior to the engagement to start the design process.

“He came to me about four months ago. He was very involved in the process. When he saw the finished ring, he was blown away – he thought it was absolutely beautiful.”

The London based, British jewellery designer best known for his sculptural pieces created for Alexander McQueen is a four-time winner of the UK Jewellery Designer of the Year award.

He explained that the ring’s design is a fusion of Victorian and art deco, “that was something Edo requested.”

“Beatrice has a love for Victorian jewellery and he has a love for art deco so we wanted to fuse two sides of their personality into the ring, to represent their unity,” said Shaun.

Royal weddings have changed immensely over the years, with the advent of television, making them a popularised event that people around the world watch.

However, while some things are different, there are some key traditions that have been maintained throughout monarchical history.

The Royal Family have been using pure Welsh gold for their wedding rings since the Queen Mother’s wedding in 1923.

The wedding rings of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne and Diana, Princess of Wales were all made from the same nugget of Welsh gold, which came from a Welsh mine, Clogau St David’s Bontddu.

Recent royal brides including, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenie, also used Welsh gold wedding band, adhering to this convention.

Therefore, it is likely that Princess Beatrice will continue this tradition and use a Welsh gold ring herself.

In November 1981, the Royal British Legion presented the Queen with a 36-gramme piece of 21 carat Welsh gold, which is held by the Crown Jewellers to be used for Royal Weddings of today.

Another speculation circulating the media and on every royal fans mind is who will design the wedding dress of Princess Beatrice?

Celeb stylist and Fashion Retail Academy lecturer, Anthony McGrath told Express.co.uk: “The fashion quandary Princess Beatrice finds herself in is to go with her heritage and opt for a British Fashion house, like her relative Princess Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge, who employed the incredible skills of Sarah Burton, creative director for Alexander McQueen. 

“Or does she go for something a little more Mediterranean like her choice of fiancé and go for one of the many amazing Italian fashion houses, who I’m sure would only be too happy to cater to the needs and wants of a Princess, such as Giorgio Armani or Valentino.

“However, she may decide to take the diplomatic route and appease both her family and her in-laws, like the Duchess of Sussex, did who decided upon Clare Waight Keller, a British designer who is the artistic director of the French fashion house, Givenchy. So maybe we will see her be a little adventurous in her choice and maybe vie for someone like minimal British designer Neil Barrett, who is based in Italy.

Bedfordshire Business Woman of The Year 2019 and owner of wedding blog, show and magazine Magpie Wedding also added: “I think she’ll embrace the minimalist [wedding fashion] trend and choose a simple yet elegant dress by a UK designer -or maybe Italian as a nod to her husband to be. 

“I think she’ll choose the traditional touches such as monograms or personalisation and will be keen to add Italian touches where she can – greenery, swathes of flowers.

“She will want to add some modern touches – but I think that will stay pretty traditional to be honest and not embrace major trends.

“I would hope she will embrace more sustainable, ethical choices – choosing local suppliers for example.”

Younger sister, Eugenie, who also wed in October 2018 is a supporter of charities that battle plastic pollutions and chose to incorporate the ethical matter in her wedding by organising a plastic-free wedding ceremony.

So we might see Beatrice incorporate some ethical choices into her wedding.