Beatrice’s family ‘rift’ with Meghan as they celebrate birthdays days apart
Princess Beatrice certainly raised a few eyebrows when she announced earlier this year that she and husband Eduoardo Mapelli Mozzi are expecting their first child together – not least because of the timing of it.
Today, on her 33rd birthday, Princess Beatrice will no doubt be reflecting on the special news that she will soon become a mother for the first time, and the happy day she got to tell the world about it.
On Wednesday, May 19, in keeping with royal protocol the announcement of Beatrice's pregnancy was shared by Buckingham Palace – but the news came on the same day as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrated their third wedding anniversary.
Fans said Meghan and Harry had 'their thunder stolen' by Beatrice's announcement, while royal commentator Duncan Larcombe said the timing "was not a simple oversight".
The Duchess of Sussex also celebrated a birthday this week as she turned 40 on Wednesday, with reports suggesting she spent the day celebrating with her immediate family, husband Prince Harry and children Archie and Lilibet.
Princess Beatrice has form when it comes to surprise announcements, after surprising the world with the revelation she had married Mapelli in a secret royal wedding in July 2020.
It had previously been reported that the pair had cancelled their wedding plans over the country's coronavirus lockdown.
But the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Andrew were all present to watch the couple exchange vows at a scaled-down wedding with around 20 guests on the morning of Friday, July 17.
Government guidance at the time meant only 30 people could attend the intimate ceremony.
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Many thought the pregnancy announcement was just the latest evidence of a rift between the York sisters and the Duchess of Sussex.
It came just months after Prince Harry's younger cousin Eugenie welcomed her first child, a baby boy on February 9 at The Portland Hospital in London.
Five days after Eugenie gave birth, on Valentine's Day, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they are expecting their second child – with some accusing the Sussexes of upstaging Eugenie with their announcement.
Eugenie's relationship with Meghan stretches back even further than The Duchess of Sussex's welcome into the Royal Family, after former Suits actress Meghan revealed to Oprah Winfrey during her bombshell interview that she had met the Princess of York before she had even started dating Prince Harry.
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"Eugenie and I had known each other before I had known Harry, so that was comfortable," Meghan said. "We're friends with them as a couple."
Prince Harry and Eugenie have been known to be the "closest of friends" in the past.
She was also one of the first to find out about Harry's romance with Meghan.
Finding Freedom claimed: "Eugenie who'd long wanted to see her cousin settle down and be happy, told friends she loved Meghan and thought she was 'just the tonic' for Harry."
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But their relationship is reported to have soured when Princess Eugenie was allegedly left upset after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced her pregnancy at her wedding to Jack Brooksbank in October 2018.
Investigative journalists Dylan Howard and Andy Tillett claim Meghan “put her foot in it” in the book Royals at War – even leaving her husband “embarrassed”.
They write: "This was a huge social gaffe, even if you were not a royal – stealing the limelight from Eugenie, who was furious, as was her mother, Sarah."
Meghan herself was also reported to have been left upset at the ceremony after Eugenie wore an emerald tiara – after the Duchess of Sussex was denied the opportunity to wear it on her own special day.
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According to the Daily Mail, Meghan's preferred diadem was the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara.
The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara is said to be the most expensive royal wedding tiara in the collection, estimated at £10m.
Prince Harry was reportedly "put firmly in his place" by the Queen after he allegedly used offensive language about her closest aide during a row about the tiara.
Finding Freedom accuses the Queen's adviser of "deliberately dragging her feet" when the Duchess of Sussex asked to have access to the tiara ahead of their Royal Wedding in May 2018.
But a Mail on Sunday source gave a very different version of events.
The source said: "The book's version of what happened would not be everyone else's recollection of events and certainly not those who were close to it.
"Angela essentially said, 'I'm very sorry, that's not how it works.' There's protocol in place over these jewels.
"They're kept under very tight lock and key. You can't turn up and demand to have the tiara just because your hairdresser happens to be in town."
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