The Real Reason Princess Beatrice's Baby Will Have A Royal Title

The royals have been making headlines across the globe for countless years now, but the last few years have proven to be quite a doozy for Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family. Last year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their royal duties, and in March, the pair sat down with legendary talk show host Oprah Winfrey in a bombshell tell-all interview that gave never-before-heard insights about the royal family, including discussions about baby Archie's skin tone before he was even born, as well as Markle seeking inpatient treatment for suicidal thoughts, only for her to be brushed aside and told "it wouldn't be good for the institution" (via The New York Times).

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, and the rest of the royal family were still caught up in the aftermath of the explosive interview when tragedy struck the family about a month later: Queen Elizabeth's husband of 74 years, Prince Philip, died on April 9 (via BBC News).

Given all the negativity and gossip surrounding the royal family lately, Princess Beatrice — granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson (via Town & Country) — recently shared some much-needed good news with the world, less than one year after she married British businessman, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

The royal family took to their official Twitter account to share the joyous news with the world earlier this week, writing, "Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are very pleased to announce that they are expecting a baby in autumn of this year. The Queen has been informed and both families are delighted with the news."

This isn't the first royal baby to come along in the last few years. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed baby Archie in May 2019 (via Time), and are currently expecting their second child — a girl — this summer (via Elle). Princess Beatrice's younger sister, Princess Eugenie, also welcomed a little bundle of joy — a boy named August — into the royal family in February this year (via Harper's Bazaar).

Eugenie took to Instagram to congratulate her big sis on the wonderful news, writing, "It's World Bee Day!! [bees] A day to celebrate nature's most badass little friend with their black and yellow stripes.. ⁣But our furry little friends have to share today with my big sis Bea [bee] who's got a little one on the way. Beabea and Edo huge congratulations on your news – can't wait to meet the little one [party smiley faces]" (via Town & Country).

Princess Beatrice's baby won't be inheriting its royal title from her side of the family, though. Per Cosmopolitan UK, Beatrice's husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, is actually an Italian count, which means that if they have a son, the boy will inherit the title of "count," and if they have a daughter, the girl will inherit the title of "nobile donna," which translates to "noble woman."

"Edoardo is the only male descendant taking the family into the next generation. He is a count, his wife will be a countess automatically and any of their children will be counts or nobile donna," Edo's father, Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, explained to the Daily Mail. This makes Princess Beatrice not only a British princess, but an Italian countess as well.

Cosmopolitan UK also reports that "royal titles pass down through the male line," which explains why Princess Beatrice's baby, regardless of its sex, will have a royal title, while Princess Eugenie's son August won't, since husband Jack Brooksbank doesn't have one, either.

While it was previously thought that Harry and Meghan chose not to give Archie a title so he could live a more private life, the couple alleged it was the palace's decision to forgo Archie's title. "They didn't want him to be a prince or a princess, which would be different from protocol. "It was really hard....This went on for the last few months of our pregnancy where I'm going, 'Hold on a second. How does that work? ... If he's not gonna be a prince, he needs to be safe.'" Markle told Oprah in March (via Marie Claire).

"All around this same time, we had in tandem the conversation of he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born," Meghan added. "That was relayed to me from Harry, those were conversations that family had with him. And I think it was really hard to be able to see those as compartmentalized conversations."

The royals, however, had a different explanation for Archie's lack of a title. "The palace says it's nothing to do with race. Under royal protocol established by King George V, only those in the direct line of succession to the throne get the titles [of] prince or princess," a royal insider alleged to Us Weekly. "Archie would've been given a title when Prince Charles became king."