Princess Beatrice’s move to keep her disgraced parents Andrew and Fergie out of spotlight

In a move to prevent any unwanted attention, Princess Beatrice is reportedly hosting a private christening for her daughter, Athena, on December 12. Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, welcomed their second daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose, on January 22, 2025.

It has been claimed that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson will attend the christening, which is set to be held at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace. It will be the first time Andrew and Sarah break cover outside of Windsor since they were stripped of their titles following renewed links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The couple are likely to be pictured being driven into the Palace grounds in Central London; however, as the christening is a private event, there will not be cameras set up around the entrances, such as was the case during the christenings of Prince George and Prince Louis, who were both baptised in the same location. Athena is the daughter of Princess Beatrice, but unlike George or Louis, she is more distantly positioned in the line of succession and belongs to a branch of the family that now has reduced royal status.

It is thought Athena would have been christened earlier this year, had it not been for the painful scandal engulfing her grandparents. Her sister Sienna, now four, was baptised in 2022 within six months of her birth. Beatrice’s sister Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank will also attend, as will European royals, including Princess Nina of Greece and Denmark, 38, who will reportedly serve as a godmother. It is understood the King was invited but is not expected to attend, although he has no official engagements listed that day.

It will be Andrew and Sarah’s first significant public appearance since they attended the funeral of the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral in September, when they still had their royal titles.

A source told the Mail on Sunday: “Beatrice is determined to keep the focus entirely on her daughter, but there is no escaping the moment’s significance as this will be the former Duke and Duchess of York’s first appearance at a Royal Family event and possibly the last time he steps foot in St James’s Chapel.”