Saturday, October 12, 2024

Inside Princess Beatrice’s loving relationship with her stepson Wolfie Mapelli Mozzi as the Palace includes the 8-year-old in her pregnancy announcement

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As Princess Beatrice announced her pregnancy via Buckingham Palace yesterday, she made a touching nod to her ‘bonus child’.

The late Queen’s granddaughter, 36, and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 40, are preparing to welcome a new addition to their family in 2025.

The statement from the Palace, which was reposted on the royal family’s social media accounts, sweetly acknowledged that the royal baby will be a little brother or sister to Beatrice’s stepson, eight-year-old Christopher ‘Wolfie’ Mapelli Mozzi, as well as the couple’s three-year-old daughter Sienna.

Wolfie was born in 2016 to millionaire property tycoon Edo and his then-girlfriend, American architect and designer, Dara Huang.

Beatrice has gladly taken on the role of stepmother to Wolfie, calling him her ‘bonus son’ and introducing him into the royal fold, including at Kate Middleton‘s Together at Christmas carol service in Westminster Abbey last December.

Princess Beatrice enjoys a close bond with her ‘bonus’ stepson Wolfie Mapelli Mozzi (pictured at the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey)

Princess Beatrice has described becoming a stepmother to husband Edoardo’s son Wolfie a ‘great honour’ and revealed she had had a ‘remarkable time’ re-reading her favourite stories with him during lockdown.

The Queen’s granddaughter became the first princess in the late Queen’s family to marry someone with children when she wed property developer Edo in a private family ceremony at Windsor in July 2020.

Speaking to the Evening Standard to mark World Book Day in 2021, Beatrice said reading had given her ‘reassurance’ in lockdown, despite it not being her ‘strongest talent’ due to having dyslexia.

‘We have all had to learn new ways to cope with the strangest of times. For our family, reading stories has been a great part of our journey to finding laughter and a little magic on the journey,’ she told the publication.  

‘This year, I had the great honour to become a stepmother, and have had the most remarkable time going back over some of my most favourite stories at bedtime. Together, we had such a special time reading through all the entries for Oscars Book Prize 2020.’

She added that Wolfie has been, like many children, home schooling during lockdown, and said helping him to engage with stories is a great way to ‘inspire imagination, creativity, independence and humour’.

Wolfie made his first official appearance at a royal family event at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in June 2022 as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Beatrice has welcomed Wolfie into the royal fold (pictured: Princess Beatrice, Wolfie Mapelli Mozzi, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at the 2022 Christmas Service at Sandringham)

Beatrice has welcomed Wolfie into the royal fold (pictured: Princess Beatrice, Wolfie Mapelli Mozzi, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at the 2022 Christmas Service at Sandringham)

Wolfie is the son of Edo and American architect and designer Dara Huang (seen at the the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, 2022)

Wolfie is the son of Edo and American architect and designer Dara Huang (seen at the the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, 2022)

Princess Beatrice's stepson Wolfie looked adorable as appeared at the Princess of Wales ' Westminster Abbey carol concert last year

Princess Beatrice’s stepson Wolfie looked adorable as appeared at the Princess of Wales ‘ Westminster Abbey carol concert last year

In 2022, Wolfie spent Christmas at Sandringham, holding hands with Edo and Beatrice as he took part in the annual walk at St Mary Magdalene church. 

Last December, the eight-year-old also attended the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

And as the royal family welcomed Wolfie into their ranks with open arms, he also gained an extra grandmother in Beatrice’s mother, Sarah Ferguson.

Fergie, 64, has often spoken with incredible warmth about her eldest grandchild – and even included him in the dedications in her most recent novel.

‘Flora and Fern: Wonder in the Woods’, due to be released this month, is a book for children that the Duchess wrote while recovering from cancer.

The Duchess told the Mail on Sunday said: ‘I wrote Flora and Fern for my grandchildren and also my step grandson Wolfie. It is a special little story encouraging children to enjoy and respect nature and use their imagination to play.

‘The names Flora and Fern are chosen to encourage more understanding of how important nature is.’

Edo and Dara share custody of their son Christopher Woolf – known as Wolfie – and Dara is understood to remain on good terms with her ex and his wife, who is a hands-on stepmother.

Miss Huang was born and grew up in America, to where her maternal grandfather had emigrated from Taiwan. She was granted British citizenship earlier this year.

The Harvard-educated architect who grew up in Florida, has an undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and transferred to the Ivy League school for her Masters in Architecture.

The mother of Princess Beatrice’s stepson has said she is glad her son Wolfie has ‘two sets of parents trying to help him‘ navigate his childhood.

Dara, who was in a relationship with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi between 2015 and 2018, shares Wolfie with her ex, who is now married to Princess Beatrice.

He and Beatrice are parents to two-year-old Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, and co-parent Chrsitopher ‘Wolfie’ Mapelli Mozzi with Dara and her current partner.

The architect, who is from Florida but lives in Chelsea, said she is glad her seven-year-old son has ‘two sets of parents trying to help him on both sides’.

Eight-year-old Wolfie is the stepson of Americana architect Dara Huang (pictured)

Eight-year-old Wolfie is the stepson of Americana architect Dara Huang (pictured)

Princess Beatrice is pregnant with her second child. The eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson is already mother to Sienna Elizabeth, three, and stepson Wolfie, eight

Princess Beatrice is pregnant with her second child. The eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson is already mother to Sienna Elizabeth, three, and stepson Wolfie, eight

Beatrice and Edoardo with Wolfie, whom Edo shares with ex-fiancée Dara Huang, for the Christmas Day church service in  Sandringham in December 2022

Beatrice and Edoardo with Wolfie, whom Edo shares with ex-fiancée Dara Huang, for the Christmas Day church service in  Sandringham in December 2022

She told Harper’s Bazaar: ‘Wolfie has had two sets of parents trying to help him on both sides, and I just think, “The more, the merrier.” 

‘I feel lucky to have such positive people around him, who really embrace him – because it didn’t have to be so easy.’

Dara added: ‘It’s all about your point of view. I don’t understand people who are divorced and then hold their children as collateral; that doesn’t make any sense. 

Where will Princess Beatrice’s new baby be in the line of succession? How newborn will push Eugenie and royal cousins further down line to the throne 

Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s second child will be born 11th in line to the throne.

The royal baby will be a little brother or sister for the couple’s three-year-old daughter Sienna, who is currently 10th in line to the throne.

Beatrice’s younger sister Princess Eugenie sits in 11th place as it stands, but she will move down to 12th place once the baby is born.

The late Queen’s granddaughter, 36, and Mr Mozzi, 40, are preparing to welcome a new addition to their family in early spring.

The baby will also be a sibling to Mr Mapelli Mozzi’s son and Beatrice’s stepson, eight-year-old Wolfie, who is not in the line of succession.

Their new child will not be an HRH (His or Her Royal Highness) or a Prince or Princess – and will also not require the monarch’s permission to marry.

For hundreds of years, the Royal Marriages Act 1772 meant descendants of George II had to seek the sovereign’s consent before they wed, otherwise their marriages were deemed invalid.

But this law was repealed through the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, which restricted the consent to just the first six people in the line of succession.

As the new baby is 11th in line, they will not at present need to seek a monarch’s approval to wed.

George III, George II’s grandson, had ordered the 1772 Act after his younger brother, the Duke of Cumberland, secretly married Lady Anne Horton, deemed to be a highly disreputable widow of a commoner.

‘It’s about creating a happy home and lifestyle.’ 

Buckingham Palace yesterday acknowledged Beatrice’s role as a stepmother in the pregnancy announcement, writing : ‘Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their second child together in early spring; a sibling for Wolfie, aged eight, and Sienna, aged three.

‘His Majesty The King has been informed and both families are delighted with the news.’

Two new pictures from the family were shared to mark the announcement, with one showing blonde-haired Sienna from behind as she walks along a country lane, holding hands in the middle of her father and big brother Wolfie.

The grandchild will be a great niece or nephew to the King, and a second cousin of Prince George, Louis and Princess Charlotte.

He or she will also be Prince Andrew’s fourth grandchild, as Princess Eugenie has two children, August and Ernest Brooksbank.

The baby, who will not be an HRH, will be born 11th in line to the throne, with Beatrice’s younger sister Princess Eugenie moving down to 12th place.

He or she will also be the 14th great-grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and the second to be born since her death in 2022, following the arrival of Eugenie’s second child Ernest last year.

Beatrice is known to be a hands-on mother to both children, and has become close to her stepson Wolfie.  

Beatrice and Edo, who are not working royals, have been married for four years after tying the knot in 2020 at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park. 

The pair have been living in St James’s Palace while their £3.5million house in the Cotswolds is being renovated. 

Edo was previously engaged to Chinese-American architect Dara Huang in 2017 and the couple were together for three and a half years. 

Their daughter Sienna was worn on September 18, 2021, at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London

An announcement from the Royal Family said at the time: ‘Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter on Saturday 18th September 2021, at 23.42, at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London.

‘The baby weighs 6 pounds and 2 ounces. The new baby’s grandparents and great-grandparents have all been informed and are delighted with the news. The family would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care.

‘Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well, and the couple are looking forward to introducing their daughter to her big brother Christopher Woolf.’

History of British royal stepmothers

Former Queen of England Joan of Navarre became stepmother to King Henry IV’s children when they married on 7 February, 1403. 

Joan, who already had seven children with her late first husband John IV, Duke of Brittany, had no further children with Henry. She enjoyed a good relationship with Henry’s children from his first marriage, and is recorded to have often take the side of the future Henry V during family quarrels. 

Anne Boleyn became stepmother to husband King Henry VII’s daughter Mary I, which he shared with his first wife, Catherine of Aragon – as did his four future wives Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.

The subsequent four women also became stepmother to his and Anne Boleyn’s daughter Elizabeth I.

Jane Seymour gave birth to his only son Edward VI, with the role of stepmother to three children falling to his final three wives.

Queen Mary I, also known as Mary Tudor, became a stepmother when she married Prince Philip of Spain, who had a son from a previous marriage.

Lady Mary Grey, the youngest daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and Frances Brandon, provoked scandal when she married the Queen’s serjeant porter Thomas Keyes, son of Richard Keyes, esquire, of East Greenwich, Kent. He was a widower twice her age with six or seven children, which she became stepmother to.

Mary of Moderna became stepmother to widow James II of England’s two surviving daughters when they married in 1673. 

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