Photo by @edomapellimozzi/Instagram and Chris Jackson-WPA Pool/Getty Images
Buckingham Palace has a case of baby fever!
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It looks as though Buckingham Palace has a rightful case of baby fever, with King Charles, Queen Camilla and more reacting to news that Princess Beatrice has given birth.
The birth of the baby girl was announced by the palace on Wednesday, Jan. 22, marking the arrival of Beatrice’s second daughter with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Named Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi (a bit of a mouthful, but she’s a princess so it’s warranted), the newborn baby is now eleventh in line to the British throne, since her mother is the niece of King Charles. For those unversed in the line of succession (no, not that one), Beatrice is the daughter of Prince Andrew, Charles’ younger brother, and Sarah Ferguson.
That situates Athena some way off the British throne (though still closer than us regular folk), with her older sister, three-year-old Sienna, currently tenth in the line of succession. Athena joins the Mapelli Mozzi brood alongside Sienna and her eight-year-old brother, Wolfie. In any case, I’m sure her parents are unbothered by such trivial matters, so here’s the nitty gritties for all you clucky readers out there. Athena was born at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, weighing in at 4 pounds and 5 ounces.
While she was born several weeks prematurely, Athena is said to be doing well, according to a statement released by Charles and Camilla. “The King and Queen, and other members of The Royal Family have all been informed and are delighted with the news,” the statement read, alongside an image of a blankey-wrapped Athena covering her face.
“Her Royal Highness and her daughter are healthy and doing well, and the family are enjoying spending time together with Athena’s older siblings.” The statement also saw Beatrice and Edoardo thank hospital staff for their “wonderful care.” In his own gushing post, Edoardo wrote on Instagram that Athena “is tiny and absolutely perfect,” adding that the family’s “hearts are overflowing with love” and that the whole brood is “already completely besotted with her.” That’s enough to have me asking my partner whether he’s started building a crib for our nonexistent baby.
Meanwhile, Ferguson wrote that she is “incredibly blessed to be a Granny once again,” saying that the arrival of Beatrice now means she has a “little 5-a-side team” all to herself. Athena joins a new vanguard of young royals (no, not those ones) who’ve joined the British monarchy in recent years. In June of 2021, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their second child, Lilibet, whose name — much like Athena’s middle name — is a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth. Also in 2021, Zara Tindall — the daughter of Princess Anne — welcomed her child, Lucas.
Other young royals, include Prince William and Kate Middleton’s youngest child, Prince Louis, who is fourth in line for the throne at just six years old. At that age, I was trying to avoid stepping on the LEGO I used to build grand castles, but little Louis is actually living in them. Who am I kidding, he’s also probably stepped on a few of those bricks, too, since not even royalty is immune to those spiky gremlins. In any case, congratulations to Beatrice and Edoardo, and if you ever need a babysitter, give me a shout!
Published: Jan 29, 2025 06:45 pm