There are moments in a person's life that need to be celebrated. For Princess Beatrice, one of those times happened this week when she and fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi gathered all their loved ones together to commemorate their engagement. Well,
almost all of their loved ones.While there were reports that Beatrice was going to
postpone the big engagement party she had in the works in favour of a smaller, more intimate affair, the Princess of York opted to continue as planned. Because why should her father, Prince Andrew, and
the allegations against him, put a damper on her having a good time?It was a star-studded gathering of Beatrice and Edo's family and friends, held at the venue she had always planned on, London's trendy celebrity hot spot Chiltern Firehouse. But considering the place is teeming with paparazzi on any given night, it was probably a good thing Andrew decided to skip the bash, knowing full well the sight of him celebrating or looking even remotely happy would be a bad idea. "This is a devastating blow for the Duke and a sign of just how bad things have got," a source close to Andrew told
The Sun. "The plan was always for him to attend Beatrice's engagement party alongside Fergie. But things have just turned far more toxic. He agreed that he didn't want to overshadow the event, especially seeing lots of celebrities and high profile people will be there and it could have put them in a difficult position. People close to him where also in fear of embarrassment or abuse which would have just been mortifying."Andrew did go to the Queen's staff party at Buckingham Palace on Monday, as well as his mum's Christmas lunch on Wednesday, which was attended by other members of the Royal Family, including Beatrice. But whereas she went on to celebrate her engagement party that evening, Andrew simply went home. While Beatrice's father was MIA, her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, and sister, Eugenie, were present and accounted for — along with
a slew of their famous friends.The Middleton siblings, Pippa and James, were there with their respective partners, James Matthews and Alizee Thevenet. Beatrice's
"dearest friend," Ellie Goulding, attended with her husband, Caspar Jopling, as did Robbie Williams and Ayda Field, James Blunt and wife Sofia Wesley, along with Guy Pelly, British
Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful and Lady Gabriella Windsor. But the most surprising celebrity sighting of the night was Robert De Niro. And make no mistake, Bobby was there to fete the couple since Firehouse was closed to any other customers for the private function.It was
in September that Beatrice and Edo
announced their engagement, saying how "excited" they were "to be embarking on this life adventure together." Buckingham Palace will announce further details of the wedding over the coming weeks but the wedding is scheduled to take place sometime in 2020. If their nuptials are going to be anything like their engagement party, it will be the royal wedding of the decade.[video_embed id='-1']Nine royal wedding gowns we’ll never forget[/video_embed]
