Writing a powerful piece for British Vogue, Princess Beatrice has shared her deeply personal journey of welcoming her second daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose, who was born prematurely on 22nd January. Her experience highlighted the importance of ongoing medical research, open conversations, and support for families navigating preterm birth.
Reflecting on the unexpected early arrival, Beatrice candidly shared the overwhelming fears that accompanied the news and how ‘nothing quite prepares you for the moment when you realise your baby is going to arrive early’. She described the myriad questions that flooded her mind: “Will she arrive healthy? Will there be complications? How will you juggle the rest of family life while trying to keep a tiny human safe and well?”
The first photo of Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi. (Buckingham Palace)
Throughout her pregnancy, routine scans indicated the need for close monitoring, preparing the family for a possible early delivery. The Princess expressed deep gratitude for the medical team at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, led by Professor Mark Johnson, co-founder of the premature birth research charity, Borne.
She stated that the process had been ‘humbling’ in ‘understanding so much more about our remarkable human bodies, but also, more than anything, what we don’t know’.
The birth of Athena, though premature, culminated in relief as she arrived healthy. Princess Beatrice poignantly recalled the moment, noting that Athena was ‘so tiny it took more than a few weeks for the tears of relief to dry and for life with our healthy baby to feel real’.
Princess Beatrice and Athena. (Nico Wills/British Vogue)
This personal journey has ignited a fervent commitment in Princess Beatrice to advocate for women’s health, particularly in the realm of preterm birth research. She emphasised that, historically, women’s health has often been sidelined, stating, ‘in many ways, for the longest time, women’s health has been left off the agenda’, adding that ‘you can try and plan as much as possible with pregnancy, but sometimes your body – or your baby – has other ideas, which in some cases can lead to a preterm birth’.
Beatrice talks about how technology is ever evolving, benefitting doctors, midwives and nurses, with ‘more progress is being made every day towards understanding the unique complications that can accompany a preterm pregnancy’. Describing herself as ‘a technology optimist’ paired with her experience in giving birth early to her daughter, she has found herself in a position ‘of being a passionate new mother who wants to work to find answers for women globally’, Beatrice has publicly stated that she wants to do all she ‘can to reassure those families whose babies might arrive early that they are not alone’.
Edo with Athena. (Nico Wills)
‘It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’ve come from, so many elements of pregnancy are universal. I’ve had a life that is out of the ordinary, but my joys and fears in pregnancy and motherhood are the same as those experienced by millions of other women around the world. Like countless other expectant mums, 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?”‘
Her experience has fuelled a determination to support research and initiatives that address the complications leading to preterm births, aiming to provide answers and support to families worldwide.
In a collaborative effort to raise awareness and funds for this cause, Princess Beatrice has partnered with her longtime friend, Alice Naylor-Leyland, to design a baby shower collection for the brand Mrs Alice. Proceeds from this collection will benefit Borne, whom Beatrice has recently become Patron of.
Concluding her opinion piece, The Princess also touched upon her mother’s recent health challenges and how more research needs to be done into the health challenges faced by women. She noted how her ‘hope is that with more investment into medical research, and the dedication of healthcare professionals like Professor Johnson, my two daughters will not have to face these challenges when they grow up. And even if they do, they’ll be doing it with the absolute best knowledge at their disposal’.
