Princess Beatrice is engaged! Congratulations are in order for the 31-year-old daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, who today announced she will marry Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi next year.
In a statement, the couple said: "We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together.
"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."
Princess Beatrice went public with Edoardo - who's known as Edo, according to his Twitter account - in December last year. Since then, the couple has been photographed at various public events together.
According to a tweet from the Royal Family's official Twitter account, Edoardo Mapelli proposed to Beatrice in Italy earlier this month - perhaps on their trip to Rome last weekend for Misha Nonoo's wedding.
Princess Eugenie took Beatrice and Edo's engagement photographs in Italy, which have been published on official social media accounts.
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As soon as the news of Beatrice's engagement broke, Princess Eugenie posted a sweet tribute to her sister on Instagram, congratulating the couple.
"I'm so happy for you my dearest big sissy and dear Edo," she wrote. "It's been a long time coming and you two are meant to be."
Princess Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank in a ceremony at Windsor Castle in October last year.
Edoardo has been family friends with Beatrice for years; he is the stepson of Christopher Shale, who was once an aide to former Prime Minister David Cameron. Shale sadly died at Glastonbury Festival back in 2011 (he died inside one of the portable toilets and was later found to have passed away from natural causes), and among the guests at his funeral were Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, and Princess Beatrice herself.
Beatrice's fiancé is CEO of Banda Property, a London-based property development company specialising in creating "exceptional homes" (read: mega luxurious homes). Not that money matters or anything, but he's also reported to be a multi-millionaire.
That's what Edoardo does by day, but he also founded the charity Cricket Builds Hope, which teaches Rwandans how to play cricket as a tool for positive social change in the country. Given how close charitable causes in Africa are to the royal family's heart, we're sure Edoardo has gone down an absolute treat.
Congratulations to the happy couple!
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Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs. news, features and health. The route to her heart is a simple combination of pasta and cheese (somewhat ironic considering the whole health writing thing), and she finds it difficult to commit to TV series so currently has about 14 different ones on the go.
