Princess Beatrice’s Husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Reveals He Skipped Royal Christmas Lunch

The royal family gathered for their annual Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace yesterday, and everyone showed up. Well, almost everyone. While Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were in attendance (and were pictured driving together), Beatrice’s husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, revealed he skipped the event.

So…what was he doing instead? Apparently, Edo was in Los Angeles on a work trip, which he confirmed on Instagram.

According to Hello, this is one of the first times Beatrice has shown up to a royal event without her husband by her side.

So, who was in attendance at this annual lunch? Aside from Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and their nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, were there. Not to mention Jack Brooksbank (Princess Eugenie’s husband), Prince Edward, Lady Sarah Chatto, and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh. Meanwhile, disgraced royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor wasn’t at the event, and was seen “riding his horse in the pouring rain” instead.

As for the family’s plans for Christmas itself, the Daily Mail reports that Beatrice and Eugenie are in a “tug-of-love” situation thanks to being invited to both the royal Christmas in Sandringham, and the homes of their parents— who they are “equally devoted to.”

Apparently, Beatrice in particular feels like she “has to be in three places at once” and a source notes that “Unless she makes a decision to pick one side and one side only, she will spend a lot of time in the car.”