Princess Beatrice has said the premature birth of her daughter was “humbling”.
The late Queen’s granddaughter’s second child, Athena Elizabeth Rose, was born several weeks premature on January 22.
Beatrice said she endured “months of sheer worry” during her pregnancy, adding that women’s health had “been left off the agenda” in the past.
In a personal essay for British Vogue, the princess said her baby was “so tiny it took more than a few weeks for the tears of relief to dry”, adding that Athena, who is 11th in line to the throne, was “doing really well”.
Writing in the fashion magazine, the royal said: “Nothing quite prepares you for the moment when you realise your baby is going to arrive early. There’s so little control.
“The uncertainty leaves you with an overwhelming fear of the unknown.”
The royal, who earlier this month was appointed as the new patron of prematurity charity Borne, added: “Following routine scans we became aware our precious cargo needed close monitoring, and understood we needed to prepare for an early arrival.
“What I learnt in this process has been humbling”.
🍼🎉 Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, born on Wednesday, 22nd January, at 12:57pm.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 29, 2025
The baby was born weighing 4 pounds and 5 ounces.
The King and… pic.twitter.com/uPYk4bXBRG
Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne, is married to property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
The princess, 36, had been due to give birth in early spring, and in December received medical advice not to travel long distances.
She joined the royal family at church in Sandringham on Christmas Day after changing her travel plans from spending the festive period overseas, with doctors said to have warned that a premature arrival was a possibility.
Beatrice’s older daughter Sienna also has Elizabeth as a middle name in honour of the princess’s grandmother the late Queen, who died in 2022.
Beatrice married millionaire property tycoon Mr Mapelli Mozzi in a secret lockdown wedding in 2020 attended by her grandparents the Queen and Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, after her planned ceremony was postponed because of the pandemic.
Known as Edo, Mr Mapelli Mozzi is the son of former Olympic skier Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi and Nikki Williams-Ellis.
The princess, who is the elder daughter of the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York, is a co-founder of The Big Change Charitable Trust.
She has a number of royal patronages including the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity.
Athena is not the first royal baby to be born prematurely.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s daughter Lady Louise Windsor was born four weeks early, weighing 4lb 9oz, in 2003, with Sophie rushed by ambulance for an emergency caesarean.
