Princess Beatrice Says Preterm Birth 'Can Be Incredibly Lonely' as She Opens Up About Welcoming Daughter Athena Weeks Before Due Date
- - Princess Beatrice Says Preterm Birth 'Can Be Incredibly Lonely' as She Opens Up About Welcoming Daughter Athena Weeks Before Due Date
Becca LongmireNovember 17, 2025 at 7:39 PM
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Dave Benett/Getty; Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi/Buckingham Palace
Princess Beatrice; baby Athena Elizabeth -
Princess Beatrice got candid about the isolation of having a preterm baby
The daughter of Prince Andrew and Fergie, the Duchess of York, gave birth to her daughter Athena weeks before her due date
Beatrice shares daughters Sienna, 4, and Athena, 9 months, with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
Princess Beatrice is opening up about experiencing a premature birth after welcoming her baby daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose, a few weeks before her due date this past January.
While speaking on the latest episode of The Borne Podcast, which was released on Monday, Nov. 17 to mark World Prematurity Day 2025, Beatrice, 37, admitted it can be "lonely" for moms after they learn that their baby could possibly be born preterm.
Beatrice, who also shares daughter Sienna Elizabeth, 4, with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 41, told Professor Mark Johnson on the podcast, "I think so often, especially as [moms], we spend our lives, you know, feeling we have to be perfect to do this. And sometimes, when you are faced with that moment of learning that your baby's going to come a bit early, it can be incredibly lonely."
Dave Benett/Getty
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
The King's niece — who welcomed Athena on Jan. 22 of this year — continued, "And even now, talking to some of the [moms] who know about my work with [medical research charity] Borne, they feel this sense of, like, [sort of] life changing relief that can come with knowing that there is an organization there that is supporting the research and supporting the questions, and asking some of these important questions."
Beatrice is the newest patron of the charity Borne, which "is on a mission to end premature birth – everywhere and forever," per the website.
"We fund research to advance our knowledge of pregnancy and childbirth, and improve the lives of mothers and babies," the site adds.
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi/Buckingham Palace
Princess Beatrice Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's daughter Athena Elizabeth
Beatrice — who is also a stepmother to Mozzi's son from a previous relationship, Christopher Woolf, 9 — said she hopes the charity will "bring as many people that have had their own stories, to come and share them."
"Then maybe we can learn from each other," she added.
The Royal Family/X
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi with his and Princess Beatrice's daughter Sienna and his son, Christopher
Beatrice continued, "My favorite thing about being a [mom] is the fact that it's like a secret, you know, it almost feels like a secret club of sharing stories."
"And I love the fact that Borne is there to support them [mothers] when they're going through something incredibly traumatic, and how can we make sure that phenomenal data, great tools, great doctors, have everything at their disposal so that no [mom] can feel alone," the mom-of-two shared.
Beatrice's latest comments come after she spoke candidly about giving birth to her daughter Athena several weeks early in a first-hand account published by British Vogue back in March.
She insisted she went through "sheer worry," but said she “learned so much” from the experience.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
The royal shared that her baby daughter “needed close monitoring” throughout her pregnancy and that she and her husband “understood we needed to prepare for an early arrival.”
“What I learned 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 wrote.
“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?’ " Princess Beatrice said.
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“I was very fortunate to be monitored closely by a medical team and I’m extremely aware of how lucky I am,” she continued, noting that her daughter Athena “arrived healthy, a few weeks before her due date.”
Beatrice admitted, "It took more than a few weeks for the tears of relief to dry and for life with our healthy baby to feel real."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
