Princess Beatrice's daughter Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi is "doing really well" after arriving ahead of her scheduled due date. King Charles' 36-year-old niece opened up about her daughter's premature birth in a personal essay for Vogue, revealing that following "routine scans," she and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi became aware that their "precious cargo needed close monitoring" and understood that they "needed to prepare for an early arrival."
"What I learnt in this process has been humbling: understanding so much more about our remarkable human bodies, but also, more than anything, what we don’t know," Princess Beatrice penned. "In many ways, for the longest time, women’s health has been left off the agenda. 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 premature birth. Thankfully, with ever evolving technology in the hands of knowledgeable doctors, midwives and nurses, more progress is being made every day towards understanding the unique complications that can accompany a premature pregnancy."
Beatrice, who described herself as a "technology optimist," admitted that she's found herself "in the position of being a passionate new mother who wants to work to find answers for women globally" and wants to do all she can to "reassure those families whose babies might arrive early that they are not alone." She wrote, "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?'"
Beatrice added, "I was very fortunate to be monitored closely by a medical team and I’m extremely aware of how lucky I am. This is a driving force in me to do as much as possible to help where I can. Athena arrived healthy, a few weeks before her due date. She 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. Her feet were so small – almost the same size as the paws on one of my older daughter’s soft bunnies."
The Princess went on to share that her daughter Athena "is now doing really well," and she has a "few more answers as to what happened, but still no precise explanation." Beatrice wrote, "Looking back over those months of sheer worry, I am filled with a sense of determination that more can be done to help others find answers to those questions around the complications that can lead to preterm birth – questions that defined my days (and nights) during pregnancy."
The royal pointed out that "preterm birth affects so many families, leaving them faced with the very same challenges" that she found herself confronting. Beatrice also shared that during this time she's "found comfort in being as open as possible with family, friends and even other mums at the school gates, and in trying to learn as much as" she could.
The Princess concluded her essay, writing, "Maybe it’s to do with getting a little older, and hopefully a little wiser—or maybe it’s something to do with my mother’s breast and skin cancer diagnosis last year—but for me, nothing feels more vital than facilitating the necessary research into the health challenges that women face daily. My 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."
Edo praised his wife's essay, writing on his Instagram, "So much pride for my beautiful wife, who has bravely shared our story of Athena’s early arrival. Also for her support and patronage for the incredible organisation @bornecharity, which provided us with invaluable help during that challenging time. 💕."
It was announced earlier this month that Beatrice had become patron of the prematurity research charity Borne. Her and Edo's daughter Athena, who was due in the early spring, was born on Jan. 22 at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. She is the couple's second child together. The pair additionally share daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi. Edo also has a son, Christopher Woolf, from a previous relationship.
The day Athena's birth was announced by Buckingham Palace, Edo took to Instagram to celebrate the arrival of his third child. "We welcomed Baby Athena into our lives last week. She is tiny and absolutely perfect," he penned.
We are all (including Wolfie and Sienna) already completely besotted with her. Our hearts are overflowing with love for you, baby Athena. 💕 A massive thank you from my wife and I goes out to all the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their exceptional care and support during this incredibly special time. 🙏🏼🩷👼."