Princess Beatrice's Decision to Borrow Queen Elizabeth's Gown for Her Wedding Was Last-Minute

• Earlier this month, royal fans were shocked to learn that Princess Beatrice had married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a small, secret ceremony.
• Beatrice and Edoardo were originally set to wed in a lavish ceremony in May, but had to cancel their wedding plans due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• When Beatrice decided to have a smaller, surprise ceremony, she made a last-minute request to borrow one of the Queen's own gowns to wear for the occasion.

Princess Beatrice's wedding was definitely not what she was expecting it to be. After the coronavirus pandemic forced the royal to cancel her plans for a big, full-scale royal wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, in May, Beatrice opted for a smaller affair in July.

And Beatrice's wedding was full of surprises. Not only was the ceremony itself, which wasn't announced ahead of time, a surprise, but the the royal bride made some other crucial last-minute changes, as well.

After having second thoughts about the dress she had originally chosen for the big day, Beatrice asked her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, if she could borrow a gown for the occasion. The dress Beatrice ended up wearing was from the Queen's own wedding-gown designer, Norman Hartnell.

A source close to Beatrice told People that she "made a request [to borrow one from the Queen], and that was kindly granted—and it looked amazing! It was touching for both of them."

Beatrice also borrowed the Queen's own wedding tiara (which she wore when she walked down the aisle to wed Prince Philip in 1947) for the big day.

"Beatrice talks about her grandmother often, and it’s clear there’s a strong bond there—the dress and the tiara could not have been more perfect," another friend told the magazine.

The dress was gorgeous and wearing it was a perfect way for Beatrice to honor her special bond with the Queen.