The Royal Story The Royal Story
Princess Beatrice is putting on a brave face amid the scandal surrounding her parents by dedicating herself to a project deeply meaningful to her.
The 37-year-old kept a low profile as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson were stripped of their royal titles and home, but she has now been seen supporting a new initiative. Her father Andrew’s ties to Epstein proved too damaging for King Charles, who ultimately pushed him out of public royal life. Beatrice and her sister Princess Eugenie, however, have kept their royal roles and continued their charitable work.
This week, Beatrice revealed that raising awareness for vital premature birth research has become “incredibly close and personal” after her own daughter’s early arrival. As the eldest daughter of Andrew, she is leading a campaign for the premature birth research charity Borne. Ahead of World Prematurity Day on 17 November, Beatrice said: “The work that Borne is undertaking is something that is incredibly close and personal to me following the birth of my daughter.”
“Every year in the UK, 60,000 babies are born too early, with very little information or research explaining why. That’s why I’m so eager to support Borne and its groundbreaking research programme, which I hope will help thousands of parents and children in the years to come.”
Her daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose, was born several weeks ahead of schedule on January 22. Beatrice had been due to give birth in early spring and was advised by doctors in December to avoid long-distance travel. She still joined the Royal Family for the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham, having changed her holiday plans to remain in the UK after doctors warned that an early delivery was possible.
Globally, 15 million babies are born prematurely each year, and complications from early birth remain the leading cause of newborn deaths and long-term disabilities. Yet only 2% of medical research funding goes toward pregnancy and childbirth, according to Borne.
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The charity’s slogan, “every week counts,” highlighting how vital it is to carry a pregnancy to full term, was displayed at an event attended by supporters, researchers and families. Beatrice hosted the gathering on Tuesday at London’s iconic Battersea Power Station. Borne will also release a podcast episode this Monday featuring Beatrice, weather presenter Laura Tobin and Borne founder Professor Mark Johnson, discussing the charity’s mission.
Beatrice, who is a patron of Borne, recently visited the charity’s research laboratories at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital with Tobin. David Badcock, Borne’s chief executive, said: “Her support helps raise awareness of the urgent need for more research into prematurity, an area that has for far too long been underfunded and overlooked.”
Meanwhile, Beatrice’s father Andrew faces renewed embarrassment as thousands of Epstein-related emails have been released by U.S. lawmakers. The 20,000 pages of correspondence were made public last night after the late financier’s estate handed them over to the House Oversight Committee, which includes both Democrat and Republican members of Congress.
Among the documents is an email Epstein sent to Ghislaine Maxwell in April 2011, describing Trump as “the dog that hasn’t barked” and claiming he spent “hours at my house.” Andrew also appears in the emails, telling Epstein he had “nothing” to do with the allegations against him and urging him to “say so.” Andrew has always strongly denied all accusations.
