I have yet to make any sense of the timeline around Edoardo Mapelli Mazzi’s split with his fiancee and baby-mama Dara Huang. From what I can tell, there was no overlap between “the end of his engagement with Dara” and “the start of his thing with Princess Beatrice.” But the British tabloids keep insinuating that Dara and Edo’s split was sudden and on HIS terms, as in he dumped her and she was surprised. I keep saying that I would appreciate a deeper dive on this, and I hope we get one soon because I’d like to know if there’s something scandalous there. To the British tabs: just pretend this story involves a biracial duchess and investigate that sh-t.

So, in the lack of any substantial drama, the press continues to whitewash *something*. That’s the feel of it, with all of these leaks about how Beatrice is already a “fantastic step-mummy” to Edo’s son Christopher, and how she’s already super-involved with the boy, and now this: Beatrice is a saint on earth because she’s not actively shunning her future step-child’s mother.

In a remarkable show of modern manners, Princess Beatrice is inviting her fiance’s former lover to her wedding – and wants her little boy to be the best man. Beatrice’s husband-to-be, Italian property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, was previously engaged to Dara Huang and the pair have a two-year-old son, Wolfie. After the couple split, Edo, 36, began dating Beatrice, 31, and the Princess became a ‘stepmother’ to the boy, as I revealed in August.

Now American architect Dara, 37, finds herself preparing to escort her son to next year’s Royal Wedding. Against the odds, the parties remain on civil terms. And, in a further sign of the affection Bea has for the youngster, she is happy to share the centre stage on her big day, with Wolfie acting as an adorable best man.

A close friend tells me: ‘Dara feels lucky that she and Edo are so amicable that splitting time with Wolfie hasn’t been an issue and he remains happy. They take turns over who stays in the family house, keeping Wolfie in a consistent environment. Beatrice has been kind to allow them to do so. Dara and Edo are finding co-parenting to be a great way for one of them to be with Wolfie at all times as they both have busy schedules. Dana loves her son to bits and, like any mother, she is very protective. But in a very modern and grown-up way, she is totally happy that Beatrice will be developing a relationship with her son and is happy that he will attend the wedding as Edo’s best man.’

[From The Daily Mail]

“Against the odds, the parties remain on civil terms” – I really don’t understand what all of those “odds” are, can someone please explain? If we’re going by the incomplete (!!) tabloid reporting, there was nothing shady in Dara and Edo’s split, and there was nothing shady in Edo’s relationship with Beatrice, which started months later. Why is “against all odds” that three adults would figure out a way to get along for the sake of a child? And no, Beatrice isn’t already a stepmother to Christopher. She’s Christopher’s dad’s girlfriend and now fiancee. What else? “They take turns over who stays in the family house, keeping Wolfie in a consistent environment. Beatrice has been kind to allow them to do so.” *cough cough* Why are these stories so weird? Can someone explain it to me? Is there some big secret – a la Prince William and Rose Hanbury – that everyone knows and no one is saying out loud?

Photos courtesy of WENN.