Princess Beatrice Cancels Her Engagement Party In the Wake of Prince Andrew Scandal

Shortly after it was announced that her father, Prince Andrew, had stepped back from his royal duties, it was reported that Princess Beatrice's wedding may be impacted by his actions, too. Now, it's reported that her engagement party has been canceled in the midst of the scandal.

Some background: Beatrice's dad Prince Andrew faced widespread backlash after his interview with BBC's Newsnight, in which he was grilled about his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In addition to upholding contact with Epstein, even after charges were filed, Prince Andrew is accused of having sex with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts (now Giuffre). The incident, Giuffre claims, took place in 2001, while Epstein was trafficking her for sex.

Prince Andrew continues to deny any sexual contact with Giuffre and says he does not recall meeting her, but did say in the BBC interview that he felt he had "let the side down" over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. He did not, however, show any real sympathy for Epstein's victims.

As for Princess Beatrice's engagement party, according to Daily Mail, she and her fiancé, property tycoon Edo Mapelli Mozzi, were originally planning to hold the bash in a swanky London restaurant, the Chiltern Firehouse, on December 18, but have had "to change the date of her engagement party...because of fears there will be too many photographers outside—looking for him [Prince Andrew]."

It's believed that the couple worried their initial choice of venue was "far too high-profile given the sensitive time her family is going through," but are planning to reschedule to another more low-key setting, at a later date. That date will likely not be revealed to the public, in light of fears over photographers waiting for Andrew.

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