Princess Beatrice was not among the guests at Alice Naylor-Leyland's 40th birthday celebrations at Villa Cetinale in Tuscany this week, choosing instead what Hello! Magazine described as "quiet celebrations with husband Edoardo Mapelli-Mozzi" (Hello! Magazine).

The Tuscan party drew a glittering crowd all the same. Lady Mary Charteris and model Poppy Delevingne were both in attendance, with Charteris posting on Instagram: "We went full mambo Italiano celebrating @mrsalice on her birthday." Villa Cetinale, a 17th-century villa near Siena, is a fixture on the summer society circuit.

Beatrice and Naylor-Leyland are more than social acquaintances. The two previously collaborated on a special collection for the Mrs Alice homewear brand, themed around motherhood and friendship, with proceeds supporting Borne — a charity researching premature birth. Beatrice became a patron of Borne following the premature birth of her daughter Athena.

Rather than Tuscany, Beatrice and Mapelli-Mozzi appear to have spent time in Athens. A photo of the couple together in the Greek capital was shared on social media by art curator Aliki Lampropoulos and later obtained by the Daily Mail. Lampropoulos added a bee emoji to her caption, which Hello! noted may have been a playful reference to Beatrice's nickname, Bea.

The couple's absence from the birthday festivities comes against persistent gossip about their marriage. In March, Hello! Magazine reported that friends of the couple dismissed rumours of marital strife as "not true at all." A friend told the magazine at the time that the only distance between Beatrice and Edoardo was physical — a result of work commitments — and that they were balancing professional obligations with childcare.

No household statement has been issued about the couple's travel or their decision to skip the Tuscany party. The accounts of their whereabouts rest on social-media posts and reporting by Hello! and the Daily Mail.

For Naylor-Leyland, the milestone birthday was clearly a celebration to remember, with friends from across the society and fashion worlds gathering in one of Italy's most storied settings. For Beatrice, a quieter Greek getaway appears to have been the choice — one that, at least according to those close to the couple, fits a pattern of juggling work, family and a public profile that never quite switches off.