'Timing Is Everything': Princess Beatrice's Pregnancy Announcement Was 'Total Dig' At Prince Harry & Meghan Markle
Move over Meghan Markle, there's another pregnant royal coming to steal your spotlight.
The timing of Princess Beatrice's pregnancy announcement was deemed by royal insiders as a jab at Prince Harry and the pregnant Duchess of Sussex, given that Beatrice shared the exciting news on the couple's third wedding anniversary.
On Wednesday, May 19, Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi announced they were expecting their first child together. "The Queen has been informed and both families are delighted with the news," the Buckingham Palace statement read.
Harry and Meghan revealed they were expecting son Archie at the October 12, 2018, wedding of Beatrice's sister, Princess Eugenie, and Jack Brooksbank. A royal insider speculated the soon-to-be mother-of-one's announcement was "a total dig at Harry and Meghan," explaining: "They stole Eugenie’s thunder on her big day, after all, and it appears that has not been forgotten."
Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip’s Century, also speculated that the timing of Beatrice's announcement was in response to how the couple stole Eugenie's spotlight. "In life, timing is everything," Jobson said, adding that he felt Beatrice didn't forget how "Harry and Meghan stole the headlines and world's attention by announcing" their pregnancy news on her sister's wedding day.
While the timing could have "been a coincidence," the author doubted it. "What goes around comes around," he concluded, per Page Six.
According to Dylan Howard and Andy Tillett, Beatrice and Eugenie's mom, Sarah Ferguson, also wasn't fond of Meghan's timing a few years back. According to their book, Royals At War, Howard and Tillett explained: “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."
- Princess Beatrice Welcomes First Child, A Baby Girl, With Husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi: Royal Family Is 'Delighted With The News'
- Princess Beatrice Expecting First Child With Husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
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Harry is the first cousin of Beatrice, 32, and Eugenie, 31, who are the daughters of Prince Andrew — the brother of Prince Charles — and Ferguson.
Another royal insider close to the palace insisted all the cousins get along; however, they admitted the timing was unusual. "Beatrice and Eugenie do really like Harry and Meghan, but Beatrice must have known what the timing would look like, surely?” the source questioned.
However, an additional royal source said the expecting mama delayed her pregnancy news until after Prince Philip's funeral, which took place in London on Saturday, April 17.
Social media was quick to pick up on the possible shade thrown by Beatrice, as they took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the matter. “Well played, Beatrice," one person tweeted.
“I know it’s cool to not care about the royals but Beatrice playing the long game and announcing her pregnancy on Harry & Meghan’s 3rd anniversary as revenge for H&M dropping *their* baby news at Eugenie’s wedding is the kind of messy b**ch I have no choice but to respect," another added.
Meanwhile, a source previously told Bazaar.com that Harry and Meghan told royal family members such as Her Majesty, Philip, Charles, Eugenie and Brooksbank before the couple's 2018 nuptials. However, their wedding day was the first time the family saw Harry and Meghan in person to congratulate them. The source added that it was unclear if Prince William and Kate Middleton knew of their bun in the oven ahead of time.
Harry and Meghan announced they were expecting their second child, a girl, in February. They revealed the sex of their unborn baby one month later during their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
