Princess Beatrice's personal struggles - From tears over baby's 'scary' birth to Sarah Ferguson's cancer battles
Beatrice has been through quite a lotPrincess Beatrice has faced a lot of struggles over the years, including the premature birth of her baby and her mum Sarah Ferguson’s cancer battle.
The royal, who turns 37 on August 8, has been married to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi since 2020. The couple welcomed their first child, Sienna, in 2021.
At the beginning of this year, Princess Beatrice gave birth to their second daughter, Athena, but experienced a few struggles with her birth.
Not only that, but there has also been a lot of emphasis on Beatrice’s father, Prince Andrew’s scandals, in recent years. And Beatrice’s feelings on that were reported on.
Here, Royal Insider takes a look at the struggles Princess Beatrice has faced over recent years.
Princess Beatrice struggled with dyslexia
Back in 2023, Princess Beatrice opened up about her struggles with dyslexia throughout her childhood. But she was adamant it was her family’s attitudes that helped her get through it.
Speaking on a podcast with Kate Griggs, founder of Made By Dyslexia, Beatrice said: “My family and I are incredibly close. So I would say that all throughout our lives we have been able to go through everything with humour and with joy. My mum really instilled that in us.”
As for why she uses her platform to create awareness for dyslexia, Beatrice admitted she has not been given “more joy” than being able to tell her story “so honestly and openly”.
‘Humbling’ birth of Princess Beatrice’s baby
In January, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo welcomed their beautiful baby girl Athena. But things weren’t straightforward, as Athena was born several weeks early.
In a very honest piece for British Vogue in March, Beatrice admitted Athena’s birth was “humbling”. After some tests, the couple discovered her pregnancy would need “close monitoring”, which left Beatrice with a lot of fears.
Beatrice admitted that “nothing quite prepares you for the moment you realise your baby is going to arrive early”. And she explained she felt “so little control” with an “overwhelming fear of the unknown”.
She penned: “Like countless other expectant mums, I lay awake in the weeks leading up to the birth, trying to monitor each movement of the baby in my tummy.”
After Athena’s premature birth, Beatrice admitted it took her “more than a few weeks for the tears of relief to dry”. It was only then that her life with her “healthy baby” began to feel real.
Sarah Ferguson’s cancer battles
In the last few years, the royal family has been rocked by quite a few cancer diagnoses, including King Charles and Kate, Princess of Wales’ health scares.
But Princess Beatrice’s mum, Sarah Ferguson, has had her own cancer scares.
In 2023, the Duchess of York was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a single mastectomy, with doctors stating that her prognosis was “good”. However, whilst undergoing reconstructive surgery, it was discovered that one of Sarah’s moles was cancerous and she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma – a form of skin cancer.
In an interview with The Times in January of this year, Sarah admitted the health scares made her reflect “on my own mortality”.
She’s really kind of come through the other side, and it’s just so wonderful.
But throughout the whole time, her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie remained by her side. And Princess Beatrice has even noted Sarah Ferguson as her “inspiration”.
Speaking to OK! Magazine, Beatrice said last year: “My mum is always inspiring me. She is one of the people that, whenever life throws something really hard at you, she turns back to being one of the most joyful individuals.
“I think what she’s been through, it really made a lot of people get checked. She’s really kind of come through the other side, and it’s just so wonderful.”
Feelings on her dad Prince Andrew’s scandals
Throughout her life, Princess Beatrice has had to deal with the ongoing Prince Andrew scandals. And that can’t have been easy for her to deal with in the public eye.
The Duke of York stepped away from his royal duties back in 2019. It came after he was accused of sexual assault, which he has always denied. But now he seemingly lives a quiet life at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
In February, royal photographer and expert Arthur Edwards revealed how Andrew’s daughters may feel about his lifestyle now.
He said: “I think they would love their father still, as he has been very kind and good to them. There would be no reason why they wouldn’t. They would probably be like Sarah Ferguson, his ex-wife, probably desperate for him to have a change in his life. But that’s not going to happen.”
Arthur added: “I’m sure they still love their father. And he will be there for pictures with the grandchildren and for the baptism and christening. He is their father, I think they still love him.”
But right as Princess Beatrice was welcoming her second baby, another Prince Andrew scandal came to light. And she was reportedly “devastated”.
It had emerged that he reportedly remained in contact with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for longer than he originally claimed.
A source said at the time: “Beatrice is privately absolutely devastated. The situation has brought her and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, her husband, closer than ever before.”
Read more: Princess Beatrice statement as she takes on new royal patron role
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