Francesca Packer-Barham will be married on home soil in a matter of days, according to a new report.
The billionaire heiress won’t wed fiancé Robert Bates under a full moon in Spain, as was earlier planned, and instead will say ‘I do’ in front of select family members at the secluded Packer estate in the Upper Hunter Valley in NSW, The Daily Telegraph alleged on Sunday.
The 31-year-old and her betrothed are set to marry this Wednesday, the publication alleges.
The socialite ‘has caught many in her wider social orbit off guard’ with the news that the multi-day celebration that Packer planned to take place in Majorca in July is not the main event.
The wedding was initially believed to be taking place under a full moon, the Daily Telegraph reported earlier this year.
Packer planned the three-day event to align with the lunar cycle, with the festivities ending on the night of July 29, when the full moon emerges.
Francesca Packer-Barham (pictured) will be married on home soil in a matter of days, according to a new report
The billionaire heiress won’t wed fiancé Robert Bates (pictured) under a full moon in Spain, as was earlier planned, and instead will say ‘I do’ in front of select family members at the secluded Packer estate in the Upper Hunter Valley in NSW, The Daily Telegraph alleged on Sunday
The plans are inspired by Packer’s ‘interest in spirituality and crystals’, the publication alleged.
While the Spanish celebration will go ahead, it turns out that Packer will already be married when she greets her guests.
A major motivation for the change is the health of Francesca’s grandmother, Roslyn Packer, The Daily Telegraph alleges.
It is believed that only family members, including Packer’s mother Gretel, will attend the small wedding, which will be held at the opulent 30,000-hectare Hunter Valley estate owned by the Packer family.
Packer will reportedly next celebrate at a hens’ party in Majorca on June 16, with the ‘unconventional’ event combining both the hens and bucks nights.
It will be an ‘intimate’ occasion despite Packer’s fame, due to the Iran war, making travel difficult for some of the socialite’s A-list friends.
‘Things feel very volatile at the moment. People don’t want to get stuck at airports or stranded overseas if the situation escalates,’ a source tells The Daily Telegraph.
The granddaughter of late media mogul Kerry Packer – as well as daughter of Gretel and English financier Nick Barham, and niece of James Packer – has been dating the controversial wellness CEO, 46, since 2022.
It is believed that only family members, including Packer’s mother Gretel, will attend the small wedding, which will be held at the opulent 30,000-hectare Hunter Valley estate owned by the Packer family. The region is pictured
While the Spanish celebration will go ahead, it turns out that Packer will already be married when she greets her guests
While the pair have yet to publicly confirm an engagement, Packer has hinted at it through a second Instagram account seemingly dedicated to a forthcoming marriage.
She is following a page titled ‘Francesca & Robert’, complete with a ring emoji.
‘We can’t wait to celebrate with you!’ the bio reads.
But while some may have private concerns about the engagement between Bates and Packer given his history of controversy, one family friend gave the couple the benefit of the doubt.
‘[Francesca] is really kind and giving and I know that if she’s engaged to this man, then she sees the good in him,’ the well-placed source told Daily Mail.
‘I wish her all the happiness. She’s a very smart, intelligent woman. I think that if she’s made that decision, she deserves love and everyone should let her get on with it.
‘At the end of the day, whose right is it to comment on who she chooses to spend the rest of her life with?
‘Just because she’s a billionaire doesn’t mean she owes anyone anything. She deserves happiness just like the rest of us.’
Packer and Bates were first spotted together when he attended her 28th birthday party in November 2022.
Read the full article here
