Questions have been raised around whether Princess Beatrice may lose her place as ninth in the line of succession to the throne when she marries Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
WATCH: Sarah Ferguson reveals details about Beatrice’s wedding
The fact that property tycoon Edo may be a Catholic could cause controversy for the young royal, and the couple may have to face the historic royal bias against Catholicism.
Edo’s religion could be called into question in this context, as it was only recently that an end to discrimination against Catholicism was re-written into the laws governing royal marriages.
However they could be off the hook, as since the 2013 Succession to the Crown Act came into force, the monarch or anyone in line to the throne can marry a Catholic.
The fact that he was born in Italy, a predominantly Catholic country, raises the possibility that if he is Catholic, Beatrice’s marriage could be the first time a royal hasn’t lost their succession rights by marrying a Catholic.
Some discrimination does still remain in law, however, as anyone in line to the throne cannot covert to Catholicism themselves, and their children must be raised in the Anglican faith if they too are to retain succession rights.
It could all be a fuss about nothing, as according Express.co.uk the Duke of York’s office have confirmed that Edo is in fact an Anglican, although details of his Anglican baptism were not confirmed.
This means that Beatrice and Edo could decide to go ahead with an Anglican baptism and confirmation for the groom before the royal wedding date.
Which would earn them some brownie points, as in the royal family it is seen as a sign of respect to the Queen’s role as the head of the Church of England to become confirmed.
While her sister Princess Eugenie marred Jack Brooksbank in a lavish ceremony at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle last October, it is thought that Beatrice will opt for a more low-key wedding, perhaps tying the knot in her fiancé’s home country of Italy.
Unfortunately for the bride-to-be, Beatrice’s wedding is currently being overshadowed by the scandal surrounding her father, Prince Andrew, and his associations with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
