Princess Beatrice has narrated the book, ‘Xtraordinary People’, to empower those with dyslexia, ahead of International Children’s Book Day.
‘Xtraordinary People’ encourages those to embrace the strengths they gain from dyslexia. Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects reading and writing and the book presents it as form of ‘superpower’ that children can use to excel in life.
The children’s book was written by the founder of global charity Made By Dyslexia, Kate Griggs and the foreword was penned by Sir Richard Branson, who is also dyslexic; Beatrice is an ambassador of the charity.
Princess Beatrice has filmed a special video to empower those with dyslexia. (Made by Dyslexia)
In the promotional video, Beatrice said: “What you may not know about me is that I was Made by Dyslexia, which was a bit of a struggle when I was at school.”
Making her first appearance since becoming an aunt to baby August in February, she continued: “But now, thanks to all the practice and a lot of support, I feel so lucky to be Made by Dyslexia and working with some incredible organisations who are there to support you on your journey to find out what your superpower is.”
The Princess read Xtraordinary People on Children’s Book Day. (IMAGE: Made by Dyslexia).
In another video, the Royal can be seen to read a few pages from the book, including how having dyslexia can help children access certain jobs, due to their ‘xtraordinary way of thinking.’
It is thought that Beatrice and husband Edo are currently staying at St James’s Palace, according to Hello!.
“People ‘Made by Dyslexia’ are very good at certain things. Some people call them our ‘superpowers’,” Beatrice read. “We say that is what makes us Xtraordinary. You see, when you’re dyslexic, you think a little different to people who not dyslexic. This Xtraordinary way of thinking males us very good at all sorts of things.”
Image licensed to i-Images Picture Agency. 21/05/2018. London, United Kingdom. Princess Beatrice at the Chelsea Flower show in London. Picture by i-Images / Pool
Princess Beatrice has been candid about her struggles with dyslexia. She was identified as having dyslexia at the age of seven and received specialist help and support from the Helen Arkell Centre, of which The Princess is Patron of, throughout her secondary education.
In May 2020, Princess Beatrice opened about her dyslexia in a video for Made By Dyslexia.
“I feel like we really have a responsibility to change the narrative around what we are delivering to young people in the classroom.”
Speaking about her school experiences, Beatrice commented how she was ‘very lucky’ because she ‘got to go to a school that was very nurturing and very supportive’.
Earlier this year, Princess Beatrice marked World Book Day by writing a blog for The Evening Standard on how she has copied with life in lockdown and how books have helped her to escape screens.
She highlighted how books have given her a unique way to bond with her stepson, Christopher – aka Wolfie – during the pandemic. Beatrice married Edoardo ‘Edo’ Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020 during a private and small ceremony.
The Royal explained in the exclusive piece how she reads to Christopher at bedtime and commented how they had ‘such a special time’ reading through all the entries for Oscars Book Prize 2020.
