Princess Beatrice Says She ‘Hopes’ Her New Baby Has The Same Rare Condition As Her

Princess Beatrice prefers staying out of the spotlight, but there was simply no way she could keep the birth of her little baby girl on September 18, 2021, a secret for very long. Aside from this, there’s one aspect of the royal’s life that she’s been particularly open about: the rare condition that she was diagnosed with as a child. And now that she’s a mom, she seems hopeful – yes, hopeful – that her daughter will grow up with the same condition.

Tenth in line

Beatrice is the granddaughter of the Queen, born into royalty rather than becoming one by virtue of marriage. As the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, she’s actually tenth in line to the throne. And her baby is now eleventh in line. In reality, though, we probably won’t get to see much of the new royal as she settles into the family. Yep, Beatrice and her sister are used to keeping a relatively low profile.

A non-royal life

The royal sisters occupy an interesting position within the royal family: they’re sufficiently famous enough to headlines, but they’re not considered “working royals.” They don’t do public engagements in the same manner as, say, King Charles or Kate Middleton, but rather they have non-royal-related careers of their own. That said, the pair have also gotten the public's attention by speaking out about their health conditions.

Different careers

In addition to being a full-time mom, Beatrice is a businesswoman. She’s worked at the venture capital company Sandbridge and for Sony Pictures Television, but right now she’s the Vice President of Partnerships & Strategy at the software firm Afiniti. The official company website lists her name as “Beatrice York” with no mention of her title.

Social media star

Looking back over Beatrice’s life, it seems she’s tried very hard to be considered “normal” as far as royalty goes. Unlike most members of the British royal family, she actually maintains social media accounts. She uses the casual username of “yorkiebea” to promote her charitable endeavors on Twitter and Instagram.

Beatrice’s philanthropy

And there are a lot of those charitable endeavors. Beatrice was the first Junior Ambassador for her mother’s charity Children In Crisis, which seeks to help children in disadvantaged areas. She’s also lent her support to non-profit organizations Springboard For Children and Great Ormond Street Hospital, plus the animal charity Elephant Family.

Wouldn't trade

Beatrice has had to balance this public-facing aspect of her work with her private life, which of course includes the condition she’s had since childhood. She seems to have always been happy with the whole situation, though. In 2005 when she was just 16, she told Tatler magazine, “I wouldn’t trade my life for anyone else’s. I love being who I am and feel very happy with that.”

Amazing women

In that same interview Beatrice said her childhood was “quite normal, scooting around the supermarket with a shopping trolley and things like that.” She also added that her mother, Sarah Ferguson, was an “amazing sort of businesswoman,” while her grandma the Queen was “the most amazing woman anyone could ever meet.”

The public’s expectations

Beatrice was fifth in line to the throne at that point – it was only once her cousins started having children that she got pushed back to spot number ten. She told Tatler she wasn’t a “stereotypical princess” and so “people often expect one thing when they first meet me, and I give them another.”

A sudden scandal

The young princess attempted to keep her personal life private as she grew up, but sometimes that was difficult. Take her first boyfriend, for example. In 2005 Beatrice met a man called Paolo Liuzzo on vacation and immediately fell for him. He was 24 and she was 17, but that wasn’t remotely the most scandalous aspect of their liaison.

A dark past

It emerged that four years prior to meeting Beatrice, Liuzzo had been charged with manslaughter after a drunken fight. The 24-year-old told British newspaper The Sun in early 2006, '”What happened was a terrible accident, and not a day goes by without me being haunted by it. I’ve been given a second chance with Beatrice, and I’m not going to blow it.” Still, it was all pretty shocking.

Sarah’s statement

At the time Sarah released a statement to the press. It said, “As any parent will know, the most important element in a relationship with your child is trust. We all have our own journeys and have to learn our way but Beatrice is a sensible girl, soon to be 18, with many friends including Paolo. We must trust her judgement.”

The end of a romance

And luckily, that was the end of it. Beatrice and Liuzzo split up not long afterwards, though Liuzzo later told the media that things between him and the princess had been so serious that she’d wanted to introduce him to the Queen. Things settled down for Beatrice, though the newspapers still obviously took an interest in her.

Past difficulties

In 2012, the Evening Standard newspaper reported that Beatrice was “turning into a most unusual young royal.” The article read, “Who would ever have imagined that out of the dysfunctional royal family, the parents who would produce the most poised and promising member of the new generation would be the divorced Duke and Duchess of York?”

Growing into a true princess

The article made plenty of mention of the dysfunction within Beatrice’s side of the royal family. Her parents were divorced and her mother was a pariah among the older royals thanks to her numerous scandals. Yet, said the newspaper, Beatrice was doing very well in the manic world of royalty.

Royal rifts

A person described as “one of the Duke’s oldest friends” told the newspaper, “When you meet Bea these days you’d think she was the product of the most loving and stable of marriages, not from a broken home where her paternal grandfather [the late Prince Philip] refuses to have anything to do with her mother.”

Beatrice’s idol

According to the source, Beatrice’s role model in life was still her mom, no matter how many scandals had swirled around her. They said, “Bea admires the way her mother has beaten off her critics and taken control of her own life and wants to do the same. She and her sister both know that being HRHs no longer means that much and want to make their own way in the world, just like Mummy, as it were.”

Important responsibilities

All the same, a different friend of the family was reported by the paper as saying, “Bea doesn’t want to make the same mistakes as her mother. She is very aware of her family responsibilities. But she doesn’t want to live like a princess. She wants to stand on her own two feet.”

Keeping it real

Beatrice herself got a chance to speak about her life in a 2018 interview with Vogue magazine. She and her sister Eugenie sat down to discuss “keeping it real” and what it was like to be an almost “regular” member of the royal family. It was the first interview either had done for a while.

Public vs private

The 30-year-old Beatrice mused during the interview, “It’s hard to navigate situations like these because there is no precedent, there is no protocol. We are the first: we are young women trying to build careers and have personal lives, and we’re also princesses and doing all of this in the public eye.”

Media wobbles

Eugenie also had plenty to share. Regarding media intrusion, she said, “There was a horrible article that had been written about Beatrice and she got really upset. We were just about to step out and she had a bit of a wobble and cried. I was looking after her. And then about an hour later, I had a wobble and started crying and Bea was there for me.”

An exciting announcement

Something very exciting happened to Beatrice a year after that interview – she got engaged. In September 2019 Buckingham Palace officials announced that she was to marry property developer Mapelli Mozzi. The couple’s official statement read, “We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together.”

A new royal wedding

The pair were married in a quiet, private ceremony come July 2020. Present at the ceremony was one very special guest – Mozzi’s son from a previous marriage, four-year-old Christopher “Wolfie” Woolfe. As soon as the vows were said, Beatrice was officially his stepmother – the first of the Queen’s grandchildren to be one.

An exciting announcement

Beatrice was by all accounts thrilled to be a co-parent. A source told People magazine in July 2020, “Beatrice is a wonderful and very hands-on stepmom.” And in May of the following year, news hit that Wolfie would shortly be getting a sibling. Yes, Beatrice and her husband were expecting a baby.

Beatrice’s bombshell

Now Beatrice is both a royal and a mother, and she discusses both those aspects of her life in interviews. In fact, she did a particularly revealing and fascinating one in August 2021. She talked with Hello! magazine about the condition she has, which is a learning difficulty, and how – contrary to popular perception – she believed her baby would actually be lucky to grow up with it.

The news comes out

The world first caught wind of Beatrice's diagnosis in 2005, when she was 16, her mother talked to the media about her disability. Sarah told the media during a school visit, “[Beatrice] loves history – coming from Queen Victoria and her family, she wanted to learn about history, but she couldn’t because she couldn't read.”

Beatrice wanted the world to know

Beatrice was officially diagnosed with Dyslexia. Sarah said that she believed she herself was “a little bit” dyslexic, and she was “very proud” of Beatrice for all the work she’d done to catch up at school. Beatrice had specifically asked her to spread the news about dyslexia, she said: the princess had reportedly requested, “Please tell everybody, because it's very important.”

Initial struggles

In 2014, it was Beatrice herself who was visiting schools to talk about the condition. Attending an event at a London school that year, she told pupils, “I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was seven and it was a bit of a struggle to begin with. It was a challenge as I began my school career – spelling and reading... [were things] I couldn’t really get my head around.”

Magic brainpower

The princess added, “Dyslexia is not a pigeonhole to say you can’t do anything. It is an opportunity and a possibility to learn differently. You have magical brains, they just process differently. Don’t feel like you should be held back by it.” This concept is one she took with her into motherhood.

Gift not a curse

Beatrice explained to Hello! in 2021 why she believed dyslexia was a gift, not a curse. She said, “Even referring to it as a diagnosis, I feel, does a disservice to the brilliance of some of the most fantastic minds that we have. Just shifting the narrative a little bit towards something that is positive, something that is impactful, can really help everyone.”

Her husband understands

When asked about what “possible challenges” might arise for her daughter if she one day is diagnosed with dyslexia, Beatrice said, “My husband’s also dyslexic, so we’ll see whether we’re having this conversation in a couple of months’ time with a new baby in the house, but I really see it as a gift. And I think life is about the moments, it’s the challenges that make you.”

Advocating for parents

Beatrice continued, “If any child, any bonus son, or future babies that are on their way, are lucky enough to be diagnosed with dyslexia, I feel incredibly grateful to have tools such as the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity to be able to tap into, to give them that extra support.” She believes parents must have somewhere to turn to for help to provide a nurturing environment for their dyslexic children.

Issues with words

Beatrice spoke about the experiences that shaped her dyslexia journey. She recalled her own school days, saying, “I remember one teacher, I’d be looking at the words trying to formulate them in front of me, and I just looked at her with these big eyes to say, ‘What am I supposed to do?’ And her response was, ‘The words are not written on my face.’ And I’m thinking, ‘Well, I don’t know what they’re doing on the page either!’”

Unexpected empowerment

But, the princess went on, there was more to it. She said, “I think it was quite an empowering thing actually, between the... [ages] of seven and 11, really figuring out what you could and couldn’t do. I actually think it’s been the making of some of my best decision-makings.”

A royal patron

Beatrice spoke a lot about the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity, an organization of which she has been a patron since 2013. She told Hello!, “They’ve really been there for me and I’m incredibly grateful for the work that they’ve done to support me in my life. I also feel incredibly inspired to pay it forward.”

The best messages

Beatrice went on, “Now when I look to the future and the great legacy that Helen Arkell has put in front of us to support young people, I feel greatly honored to be a part of that storytelling, working with the charity to make sure we can get the right messages out there to be able to help every young person and every parent as well.”

Refreshing candor

The royal won praise in the media for being so open about her condition. After the Hello! interview came out, the website of American news network CNN published a piece headlined, “Princess Beatrice is refreshingly honest about her learning difficulty. Here’s why it matters,” and pointed out that dyslexia was “still not widely understood.”

A relatable royal

Despite what the CNN piece described as Beatrice’s “privileged background,” it went on to note, “To hear how a princess is handling the same learning difficulties you face is relatable and refreshing. The younger royals have turned their struggles and differences into qualities that humanize them to the public they want to connect with.”

The lucky princess

Beatrice herself summed up the ethos of her work in the Hello! interview. She said, “I was very lucky that when I was first told that I had dyslexia, not one person around me ever made me feel like it was a ‘lesser than’ scenario… I find it very inspiring every day to talk about it. Because if you can just change one little idea in someone’s head, then you’ve done a great thing.” And, of course, Beatrice will also have her sister on hand for support.

Normalizing other conditions

The pair are extremely close, both sharing the same dedication when it comes to normalizing health conditions such as dyslexia. Eugenie took it one step further, though – using her wedding dress to expose a difficult and previously concealed episode in her life. And she knew full well that people all over the world would be watching...

The hidden meaning

Before the wedding, there was much speculation about the designer that Eugenie had chosen to craft her dress. European fashion house Ralph & Russo was touted as a possibility, as was British star Stella McCartney. But as the bride emerged from the wedding car, the truth finally emerged.

Deliberate design

Eugenie had picked British company Peter Pilotto to design her dress for the day, with the result being widely praised. The elegant gown boasted a full, white skirt and a sweeping train; the emerald tiara that Eugenie also sported was stunning as well. But there was one aspect of the dress’ design that would make waves.

Scoliosis diagnosis

More than a decade and a half prior to her marriage, Eugenie had been given a diagnosis of scoliosis – a condition in which the spine is twisted. As a result, the then-12-year-old princess had a procedure to correct the curvature. The eight-hour surgery saw a pair of titanium rods – held in place with screws – implanted into her spine.

The scar

Furthermore, the operation left Eugenie with a long scar down the middle of her back. But instead of hiding the mark with a clever design, she bravely chose to have it on show during her wedding day – as the back of her dress was open. Ahead of the occasion, the princess also told British TV show This Morning, “I had an operation when I was 12 on my back, and you’ll see on Friday [at the wedding]. But it’s a lovely way to honor the people who looked after me.”

Remembering the procedure

On the website of London’s Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH), Eugenie further explained how she had felt before the procedure. She revealed, “I can still vividly remember how nervous I felt in the days and weeks before the operation.” Even so, the princess added, “My abiding memories of the [hospital] where the surgery was carried out are happy ones.”

Paying tribute

And in June 2018 Eugenie opened up on Instagram, commemorating International Scoliosis Awareness Day by revealing X-rays of her spine. In the post, she also paid tribute to the medical professionals who had helped her, writing, “I also want to honor the incredible staff at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital who work tirelessly to save lives and make people better. They made me better.”

Showing off her scar

Then, when the big day arrived, the princess showed off her scar to the world. Other members of the family were naturally in attendance, too, including Eugenie’s father, Prince Andrew, and her mother, Sarah Ferguson. The ceremony came just months after Prince Harry and Megan Markle had exchanged their vows at the same venue: St. George’s Chapel.

Special guests

Meanwhile, Eugenie’s sister, Beatrice, took the role of maid of honor, while two of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, made an adorable page boy and flower girl, respectively. And other special guests would be present to support the princess on the day of her wedding.

Becoming a role model

Staff members of the RNOH – including Dr. Jan Lehovsky – also accepted invitations. Lehovsky had worked to help improve Eugenie’s posture when she was younger, and he would go on to call the royal a “role model” for how she has dealt with her condition.

She can inspire other girls

While speaking to the BBC in October 2018, Lehovsky said, “Most of the patients affected by scoliosis are young girls, and [Eugenie is] a real role model for them. She’s someone who can inspire them, which is so important for the young ladies coming through the surgery.”

Sitting up straight

Ferguson would also confirm that RNOH team members were at the wedding as a way to honor the great job they had done for her daughter all those years ago. The mother of the bride told the Evening Standard before the day, “[Eugenie] is walking up that aisle with a straight back because of [the RNOH medical staff]. She certainly will be an extraordinary example of great work from the RNOH.”

Dedicating her name

The care given to Eugenie by the RNOH has even encouraged her to get further involved with the facility. In her statement on the hospital’s website, the princess revealed that she would be “giving [her] name to [RNOH’s] new state-of-the-art facility, Princess Eugenie House.” What’s more, Eugenie wasn’t the only survivor of scoliosis in St. George’s Chapel during the big occasion.

Other survivors

Young Britain’s Got Talent performer Julia Carlile was also given an invite after the princess learned that she too has suffered from scoliosis. The teenager appeared on the talent show in 2017 with her dance troupe Mersey Girls and has admitted that she was embarrassed about her curved back in the past.

Expensive operation

After Carlile had appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, though, judge Simon Cowell footed the bill for her to head to the U.S. for an operation. The procedure was ultimately a successful one, with Carlile able to start dancing again just three months after her surgery.

No longer ashamed

Another brave woman could also relate to Eugenie’s experience with scoliosis. Camilla Seckin had faced the possibility of being confined to a wheelchair by her thirties; like Eugenie, though, she had corrective surgery at RNOH. “I felt very insecure about my appearance,” Seckin told the BBC. “But I feel confident now, and I’m not ashamed of having the condition.”

A network of survivors

Furthermore, Seckin understands how isolated scoliosis sufferers can feel when going through treatment. The teaching assistant has admitted, though, that “building a network with people who have had the surgery has really helped.” She added to the BBC, “I can still do things despite my condition.”

She serves as a symbol

And Eugenie’s subtle nod to her diagnosis through her dress has brought further attention to scoliosis. The princess can act as an example, too, of how those with the condition can benefit greatly from surgery. Indeed, as the royal has said on the RNOH website, “Children can look at me now and know that the operation works.”