Pregnant Princess Beatrice's 3-year-old daughter, Sienna, might not be a princess like her mom, but it turns out that the toddler and her new sibling—who will arrive in spring 2025—carry a fascinating secret nobility through their father's Italian lineage. Edoardo "Edo" Mapelli Mozzi, a successful property developer, brings more than just his business acumen to the family – he's actually an Italian count.
While most royal watchers focus on the Brits, it turns out that little Sienna and the newest Mapelli Mozzi child are entitled to special Italian courtesy titles.
Edoardo's father confirmed this noble inheritance before the couple's secret 2020 wedding. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi said, "Edoardo is the only male descendent taking the family into the next generation. He is a count—his wife will be a countess automatically and any of their children will be counts or nobile donna."
Yes, that means Princess Beatrice is actually a countess, too, adding a rather continental flair to her existing royal status.
"We as a family celebrated 1,000 years in 1985 with unbroken documented archives," the count told the Daily Mail, adding, 'We are one of the only families in Italy to have all the records from that period to today."
Edo's father also owns a luxurious Italian property called, of course, Villa Mapelli Mozzi, which Edo is due to inherit one day.
Buckingham Palace announced the couple were expecting their second child on Oct. 1, sending a press release that read, "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."
Along with Sienna, who was born in 2021, the couple co-parent Christopher Woolf "Wolfie" Mapelli Mozzi, Edo's son with his ex Dara Huang.
The palace continued that "His Majesty The King has been informed and both families are delighted with the news."
Along with the Royal Family's announcement, Beatrice's sister, Princess Eugenie, and mother, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, shared some unseen family photos to share their excitement about having a new baby in the family. "Watching you grow as a mother has been one of the greatest privileges of my life," the duchess penned.