Princess Beatrice welcomes ‘tiny’ baby daughter prematurely – see statement and first photo

Princess Beatrice has welcomed her second child with Edoardo Mapelli Mapelli, Buckingham Palace announced.

The baby girl arrived on 22 January at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, with the palace confirming that mother and baby are doing well.

The statement read: “Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, born on Wednesday, 22^nd January, at 12:57pm, at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London. 

“The baby was born weighing 4 pounds and 5 ounces. Their Majesties The King and Queen and other members of The Royal Family have all been informed and are delighted with the news.”

The princess and her husband released a photograph of their daughter taken by Mr Mapelli Mozzi, showing Athena with dark hair, wearing a white long-sleeved garment, and wrapped in a pink blanket with her face hidden by her arm.

Beatrice was due to give birth in early spring, and in December received medical advice and was told not to travel long distances.

Property developer Edoardo, 41, also shared a loving tribute to his wife, posting on Instagram: “Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi. We welcomed Baby Athena into our lives last week. She is tiny and absolutely perfect. 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.”

© Getty

The tot is the younger sibling of Beatrice and Edoardo’s three-year-old daughter, Sienna, and Edoardo’s eight-year-old son, Christopher Woolf, from his previous relationship with Dara Huang.

© PA

According to The Bump, Athena is a feminine name of Greek origin that is sure to help baby look to the sky during their life. It comes from the Greek goddess Athena, who personifies wisdom, warfare, and craftwork.

The tot does not have an official royal title as Edoardo did not receive one from the late Queen Elizabeth II when he married Beatrice in 2020.

Beatrice and Edoardo are unlikely to share any further public images of their newborn daughter’s face, maintaining the privacy precedent they have set with daughter Sienna.

The couple and their family members have only chosen to share pictures of Sienna taken with her back to her camera, including her sweet flower girl moment at a friend’s wedding last summer, and enjoying a woodland walk with her father and half-brother Wolfie which was released to announce Beatrice’s pregnancy last October.

© Instagram / @sarahferguson15

Princess Beatrice’s sister Princess Eugenie, who travelled to Saudi Arabia this week, celebrated the new arrival by posting “Welcome Baby Girl” and sharing Mr Mapelli Mozzi’s photograph of baby Athena wrapped in a pink blanket on her Instagram Stories.

Beatrice, who has a full-time job at tech company Afiniti, has made a number of public appearances throughout her pregnancy, including the Princess of Wales’s Christmas carol service and the Christmas Day church outing with the royals.

The Princess and Edoardo split their time between the royal’s St James’s Palace apartment in London and a £3 million countryside abode in the Cotswolds, which they purchased in 2021.