It will take months for the majority of Europeans and Americans to get the coronavirus vaccine. But one of my biggest fears – and one of the biggest fears of public health experts – is that dumb people will just say “hey, there’s a vaccine, we can go back to normal” before there are mass vaccinations. People still need to be vigilant and adhere to current public health rules in the coming months. That includes Princess Beatrice of York, who was seen out at a fancy London restaurant, seated inside with five other people, drinking and laughing as they flouted current regulations:
Princess Beatrice has been accused of breaking coronavirus lockdown rules by dining out with members of different households in a London restaurant. The 32-year-old royal was seen with her property developer husband Edoardo Mozzi, 37, and four other people in luxury Mayfair restaurant Isabel on Wednesday night.
Under the capital’s strict Tier 2 lockdown rules, only members of the same household can gather indoors – including in restaurants. The three-hour dinner has been brushed off as an ‘introductory work meeting’ by royal sources – which would make it permissible under current rules.
But other diners said the event looked ‘very social’ and alcohol was seen on the Princess’s table.
At one point in the evening, Beatrice – the ninth in line to the throne – took a picture with her fashion-designer friend Peter Dundas in which the mask-wearing pair breached social distancing rules. He shared the picture online saying it was good to ‘catch up’ with the Princess.
A fellow restaurant goer – who asked not to be named – told The Sun: ‘I couldn’t believe my eyes. If the Royal Family can’t get coronavirus rules right, what hope for the rest of us?’ They added: ‘There is a very serious side to this and Beatrice deserves a ticking off.’
Beatrice is not a working member of the royal family and instead works for American software company Afiniti as ‘vice president of partnerships and strategy’.
A manager at Isabel said he wasn’t working on the night the royal came in, but stressed that the restaurant follows all the guidance put forward by the Government. He said if a group is understood to not be living under the same roof they would not be granted a table.
There are layers to the shadiness here. One, the surface-level of “Beatrice and Edo broke pandemic rules.” Two, how did the restaurant allow this to happen? Three, why did Beatrice use the excuse of “introductory work meeting” – who was working? Why? And yes, the entire Windsor clan has completely mishandled their personal responses to the pandemic throughout the year, playing those stupid f–king games with masks, jetting off for tours in the middle of a lockdown, causing international incidents, and going out for superspreader dinners out. How did they all get this so f–king wrong?
Beatrice’s spokesperson also issued this statement this morning: ‘This was a midweek Wednesday evening, work related, business development dinner, it was held in compliance with all government guidelines, the dinner was held in the early evening and all parties left in good time before the government curfew. Strict masks were worn in line with the government advice.’ Imagine thinking a boozy, three-hour dinner with friends would be A-OK under a “work exemption.”
Photos courtesy of Peter Dundas’ IG, Buckingham Palace and Backgrid.
I thought the man in the first photo was Edo! I was like ‘what did he do to his hair?’
And, yeah, I’m calling BS on the work dinner. Is that even an exemption? Even if it is, do it over zoom FFS. (And I dont think it was it was in first place.) So they left ‘in good time’. Give them a cookie.
Weird English loophole. Lots of people taking advantage. *eyeroll*
My first thought too 😂. I was like that hair’s a weird flex, Edo. Was strangely relieved that it wasn’t him.
I agree with whoever said just be rich in private. Have private dinner at home, catered.
All those highlights only highlight their vanity. Idiots. Edo or not, they look stupid. Yeah, be rich in private.
As London is being moved into Tier 3 (restaurants shut) due to a massive surge in cases in the South East…
Just stay at home, it’s not hard.
London is finally going to tier 3 because cases are still rising. People should really try to limit going out because we are still in a pandemic plus it’s winter and winter is always brutal on the nhs without covid-19 add that and it’s just a huge mess.
Who is taking three hour work meetings inside restaurants during a pandemic??? Why is indoor dining still even available? This is nuts.
Last night I picked up take out and I was stunned to see the restaurant was packed, totally flaunting the rules in my state. Do people just not get it?
We had a restaurant in my town actually offer 10% discount FOR INDOOR DINING (no discount for take out) as a huge middle finger to the state efforts. Such BS
If it was work purposes then they could have easily done this over zoom. And as for the restaurant allowing it, I guess they just decided to let it slide (they shouldn’t have at ALL) because Bea is a Princess.
And a BLOOD princess at that. – gag
As to Beatrice, I have always thought she is very much her parents’ daughter: once a grifter, always a grifter.
That photo of them is odd, he looks away and she mugs.
Have the meeting at you house. FFS you have all the domestic help you need not to have to do any work to get ready for the dinner.
Decades from now, I’m sure this will be another stain on the royal family’s history. It’s amazing to me how rich people just can’t be rich in private. Why can’t they invite these people to their homes? Why can’t they just pretend to act in solidarity with their fellow Englishman?
Why is it so hard to step out of a car/plane/train to smile and wave, then put on your mask?
I just don’t get how they could have f–ked up being regal during a pandemic. It’s so easy and yet the whole Windsor clan has failed.
Because this “work” meeting couldn’t have been done with zoom? And who takes their spouse to a “work” meeting?
The shitty thing is, regular people are all doing this, groups of friends meeting up for Christmas or for the first time in months. The whole, be in one household, is just done on good faith.
These famous folks are the only ones who will be (rightly) exposed for it. Lets not kid ourselves though, every table at that restaurant, and all restaurants will be full of people from multiple mixed households (which the restaurants all know too, there is absolutely no way of proving how many households are at a table, unless you actually know the whole table personally!).
I’ve taken the decision to not do any mixing this Christmas prior to meeting my family, but so many people are not doing the same thing, I’ve had loads invites I’ve had to turn down. Everyone is doing this. Its shite and I know that businesses had to open, but I feel like give people some leeway and everyone will break the rules.
I’m not in London, but I think our numbers are similar.
I just watched Cardi Bs Insta stories of Offsets birthday. They were at a club, no masks, no distancing.
I have a colleague traveling, going to bars and restaurants constantly all with big groups. I truly don’t get it.
I’m sorry but the whole excuse “other people are doing it too!” Is just so stupid, ridiculous and downright irresponsible.
Yes other people are doing it but does that mean we can’t call them out and their behaviour? Or should we just shrug and go “oh who cares?”
Other people are dying too. Hundreds of thousands of them. It’s like that thing parents used to say, about if so-and-so jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?
I’m so deathly tired of all the stupidity, all of the selfishness. It’s not about what the loopholes permit you to do, it’s about what you SHOULD do. Stupid kills. Selfish kills.
I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. The Royals are not smart people. They have low IQs. Most of their ancestors are all cousins. In school, they passed merely because they were royal (you can’t fail the prince or princess!) Idiots will do dumb shit like this, and enablers will allow it to continue happening. Like that restaurant. As of they would kick them out. They love the publicity!
This! It’s like ‘you do know that these people think that they are better than you?’ Literally, this is what being royal is. That, by accidents of birth and bloodshed and conquest they are actually, fundamentally more worthy – and they believe this! If you understand this, really get it, then I don’t see how anyone can possibly support them. Because as they’ve proven time and time again, they sure as hell aren’t role models to anyone.
Yup. Dumb as dirt. Ever hear the story about Prince Charles’ protection officer who would go to classes with him at Cambridge? The school let him enroll in the university, given that he’d be going to all the classes with him, and he ended up getting better grades and a higher degree than Charles.
Even this generation – The Yorks, the Phillipses, and William and Harry – had “outside” parents to freshen the gene pool and none of them are shining stars. That inbreeding runs deep.
that is an excellent story!
William had to switch from art history to geography at St Andrew’s because he was on the verge of failing and geography was apparently easier. People like to rag on Harry for not attending university but William scraped by solely on who he was. Rich kids get a lot of breaks in life, especially royal ones in the UK.
The ‘side relations’ seem to do better. The Kent’s, Gloucesters, Armstrong Jones’s. I think partly because they get an actual education rather than just a show one and need to prepare to actually work. I don’t think the main family places an emphasis on it. Certainly the queen’s parents didn’t much to the dismay of Queen Mary, probably the most well educated royal (especially for her time) since Prince Albert and through today. Edward VII and queen Alexandra certainly didn’t value it and despite Queen Mary’s efforts that seems to have been the prevailing attitude.
I’ve given major passes to the York girls for ages because they grew up as spares children. And their parents were and are just horrible. But the girls shouldn’t have been treated so terribly growing up as they were.
But now they’re all adults and making the worst choices with the worst entitled excuses. End the whole monarchy. There’s nothing good coming out of this institution since Harry took his family and bailed.
Lol this is a polite way to say inbreeding– “Most of their ancestors are all cousins.”
QEII and Philip are third cousins through Q Victoria and second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark. Even Diana was distantly related to Charles and Sarah Ferguson to Pedo Prince. It will take a couple more generations of marrying outside the royal family and english aristocracy to correct the inbred thing.
I love* how the royals can just break whatever pandemic rules they want and say “its okay, it was for work purposes.” even if it WAS for a legitimate business reason, use some common sense here people! You don’t need to have a three hour dinner indoors during a pandemic to discuss business. The virus doesn’t care why you have your mask off and aren’t social distancing.
*and by love I mean I hate it.
Well I’m sure they’ve all been vaccinated already.
Who has a work meeting with their husband in attendance? Plus in these times, it would be more convenient for the office to order food rather than go to a restaurant for a meeting.
Also, why is it safe because it’s an “early evening,” on Wednesday? The virus doesn’t care.
Where is the saltiness from the palace over this? Where are the “unnamed sources” lamenting how disappointed the queen is, and how poorly this reflects on the royal family? Where is the condemnation from commentators? Yeah… Nowhere to be seen. And yet a non-royal uses a crown emoji and BAM, the knives come out.
You are qwhite right.
there’s one thing I don’t get about all these rich people (except George Clooney, he’s good) – why on Earth aren’t they in a bunker or on an isolated villa somewhere? I’d either isolate on my private island or move to Australia at this point, it’s kind of a no-brainer, why the f risk your health? that’s the one thing you can’t (always) buy. I just don’t get it.
Same, I literally do not get it. I feel panicky for the moments I step into a restaurant to pick up my take-out. I can’t imagine willingly sitting down inside at a restaurant for three hours.
Her title at that firm means her job literally IS networking and relationship management, so while it’s ridiculous that in person meetings for work are allowed, they ARE allowed, and a boozy 3h long dinner is exactly what people with her title do for work.
Doesn’t mean she needs to do that in the middle of a pandemic
I agree. And she could have done it at home. And the presence of her husband is essential at a work meeting?
I’m afraid we’re going to see way more of this as the rich and famous get their hands on the vaccine. I wouldn’t be surprised if the royal family was already vaccinated. They will all jump the line and lie to themselves that they must do it because they’re simply THAT important. I’m sure the Kardashians are chasing down a Pfizer vp somewhere right now. Just like Beatrice used the idiotic “work” excuse (England seems to think that the virus only attacks on your leisure time), movie stars will jump the vaccine line because being on set for their 75th marvel sequel makes them essential.
Of course, this will make everything exponentially worse because instagram will be crawling with celebs who can’t admit they’re safe but will be posting photos like this that show them living it up which will signal to the masses that ‘sure it’s okay, who needs a mask!?!’ We’ve already seen that a lot of these celebs just can’t help themselves, they have to post. It’s going to be a disaster.
If this was a ‘business development dinner’, why not just have it at home or at one of the other rooms at Kensington Palace.
Right? Her daddy can get Buckingham Palace for his interview and pedo party, you’d think they had a private dining room she could use.
I am just here to say I LOVE her expression in this photo. Makes me smile every time.
Me too! It’s probably my favourite picture of her. Crop him out (he looks like a serial killer) and it would be perfect.
So tired of the special snowflake exceptions. People need to step down off of their pedestals and grow up.
One of my biggest fears is that as vaccines are distributed, places of business won’t require masks anymore and will stop limiting capacity. It will take the entirety of 2021 and beyond for enough people to get vaccinated where that would be safe, but I’m worried I’ll still end up stuck inside bc people are idiots and “but the economy!” crap.
I do occasionally eat at restaurants but within the guidelines of my state. Right now that’s under 50% capacity, no seating closer than six feet and mask regulations have been tightened so they’re worn except when you’re actually eating or drinking (so chit chatting waiting for your meal etc) and every time a server approaches. I only ever go with my husband and during off times. So often we’re the only people there or mostly so. Outside is preferable and Mostly we get takeout. I can’t imagine lingering for three hours in a group of people not living in your household plus with the looser restrictions on masks. I live in a college town and for the last few months, the city closes down Main St (which has a ton of restaurants) so the restaurants can expand outdoor seating into the street. There’s a lot of side parking so it works well. I don’t know how long they’ll do it but the weather has been nice all fall. Maybe bring out the heaters come winter. 🙂
Where I live, restaurants have been shut down for over two months, and even outdoor dining is not allowed.
The most interesting part of this article to me is that Beatrice has a spokesperson. Like does she have a PR firm and have them on retainer. Seems like most of the royal family prioritize being seen over taking following all the Covid prevention guidelines since they think they’re above it all.
Here we go again. Another rich, entitled royal showing their true colors, & lying to boot! I’m shocked! I’ve brought this up before, but I just don’t understand why Britons still tolerate the monarchy. They are a total drain on precious money that could go to other productive uses. Royals remind me of ticks, because essentially that’s what they are. I know I’m being way too simplistic, BUT, if the British monarchy was abolished, Britain could make some really good income by opening up totally all the palaces & residences where the Royals lived. Who wouldn’t want to tour the former Queens bedroom & bathroom, etc? A TON of $ cud be made & no more ticks sucking off precious taxpayer money. A win-win!
I have friends just now getting covid (in LA) and it’s not hard to figure out why, they are the ones who travelled over thanksgiving or recently starting going out more as they have COVID lockdown fatigue. I don’t say anything as it won’t do any good but they are nuts. Our ICUs are near full, Even if they are not concerned with other people, don’t know why they assume they are going to be the lucky ones with mild symptoms.
Well. that entitled apple didn’t fall far from the spoiled tree of privilege, did she?
She takes after both of her parents.
So they broke public health rules in middle of a surge in a pandemic that has sickened and killed millions. No one ever died from watching a Netflix show , drinking an oat latte or listening to a Spotify podcast. Just sayin’