Princess Beatrice wedding: These are the two charities the couple want you to donate to

Royal couple set to tie the knot on Friday 29 May 2020

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi have released the names of two charities they would like wedding well-wishers to 'find out more about' in lieu of gifts.

On Friday, the couple released an official statement in which they revealed the date and location of their wedding.

“The wedding of HRH Princess Beatrice of York and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi will take place on Friday 29 May 2020,” the statement read.

“Her Majesty The Queen has kindly given permission for the ceremony to take place at The Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace.”

In the announcement, the couple also made it clear that they do not expect to receive gifts from anyone wanting to mark their nuptials.

In lieu of presents, Beatrice and Edoardo asked well-wishers to promote the work of two charities close to their hearts: Big Change and Cricket Builds Hope.

Big Change was founded by Beatrice and six of her friends in 2010 and is described as a “social impact accelerator” which invests in ideas that help young people thrive in life.

The charity’s official mission statement explains that Big Change aims to “create a new common sense”, “show a new way is possible” and “make education everyone’s business”.

This week, the charity announced a series of new partnerships and education projects including the Big Leadership Adventure, which is a two-year programme that strives to give all children with the same education opportunities.

In September 2012, the Princess and the charity's fellow founders climbed Mont Blanc for Big Change's first fundraising project, The Big Climb.

The second charity named by the couple is Cricket Builds Hope – an organisation that was co-founded by Mozzi in 2011.

The charity uses cricket and the spirit of the game “as a tool for positive social change” in Rwanda with the hope of promoting reconciliation and tackling deep-seated social issues such as gender inequality.

Cricket Builds Hope regularly hosts matches at the Gahanga Cricket Stadium and is currently running a programme with Resonate – a leading charity promoting female empowerment amongst disadvantaged groups in Rwanda – to teach women and girls about leadership.

The announcement follows in the footsteps of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who released a list of charities for well-wishers to donate to instead of giving gifts.

The full list of charities included CHIVA (Children's HIV Association), Crisis, Myna Mahila Foundation, Scotty's Little Soldiers, Street Games, Surfers Against Sewage, and The Wilderness Foundation UK.

Similarly, when Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot in 2011 they set up the “Royal Wedding Charitable Fund”, which raised £1m for 26 charities.

The royal couple chose “little-known charities without existing royal patronage,” Clarence House announced in a statement at the time.