Princes Beatrice opens up about giving birth to daughter early after ‘months of sheer worry’

Princess Beatrice has opened up about the premature birth of her daughter Athena, describing the fear she felt during what was “months of sheer worry”.

The royal gave birth to her second child with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on January 22, weeks before her official due date.

Beatrice, 36, recalled the experience in an article she has written for British Vogue.

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“Nothing quite prepares you for the moment when you realise your baby is going to arrive early,” she began, adding that she was plagued by thoughts of what could go wrong.

“My second daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose, was born on 22 January,” the royal shared.

“I learnt so much from this pregnancy journey – the latter stages of which I spent with all of these questions spinning through my mind.”

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She said it was after “routine scans” that they were told their daughter would require “close monitoring” and they “needed to prepare for an early arrival”.

The royal admitted the process was “humbling” and while the human body is remarkable, there’s still a lot that we don’t know. 

She went on to describe “months of sheer worry” they both endured following the news.

“I lay awake in the weeks leading up to birth, trying to monitor each movement of the baby in my tummy and asking myself a thousand times, ‘What if this happens, or what if that happens?'”

Thankfully, Athena made her arrival into the world a few weeks early, but healthy.

Beatrice said she felt “very fortunate” her daughter received such excellent care, adding that she’s “extremely aware of how lucky I am”, describing her daughter as “so tiny” when she was born.

But she admitted it took a while for the reality to sink in that their daughter was here and healthy. 

Athena is “now doing really well” Beatrice shared, adding that they never discovered the exact cause of her early birth.

Beatrice stated that her recent pregnancy experience and her mother’s battle with breast and skin cancer in 2024 has inspired her to advocate for improved medical services for women.

She said she plans to help in “facilitating the necessary research into the health challenges that women face daily”.

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Beatrice said she turned to the team at the hospital where Athena was born, the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital where Professor Mark Johnson leads operations. He also founded an organisation called Borne which works to end premature birth.

The royal said she is now a patron of Borne, describing it as “a very personal appointment”.

“They say a problem shared is a problem halved, and as with my work around dyslexia, I hope to do as much as possible to support others like me,” she said.

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Beatrice has collaborated with one of her “oldest friends” Alice Naylor-Leyland “to create a new baby shower collection for her brand Mrs Alice”, the proceeds of which will go to Borne.

Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi hare parents to two children – Sienna, three, and Athena, two months.

Beatrice is also stepmum to Mapelli Mozzi’s son from a previous relationship – Christopher Woolf, eight.

Mapelli Mozzi proudly shared his wife’s article on Instagram.

“So much pride for my beautiful wife, who has bravely shared our story of Athena’s early arrival,” he wrote.

“Also for her support and patronage for the incredible organisation @bornecharity, which provided us with invaluable help during that challenging time.”

Dr The royal is the eldest child of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson who divorced in 1996. Sister Princess Eugenie, 35, who has welcomed two sons with husband Jack Brooksbank – August, three, and Ernest, one.

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