Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are âoverflowing with loveâ for their newborn daughter, who arrived several weeks early from her anticipated due date.
On Jan. 29, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Andrew and Sarah Fergusonâs elder daughter welcomed her second child, daughter Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, last week on Jan. 22. The baby was born prematurely, as the palace initially announced a due date in early spring. However, itâs understood that her early arrival was not unexpected.
The update came with the first photo of baby Athena, credited to Edo, and he honored his new daughter with love in a tribute on Instagram.
âAthena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi,â the property developer wrote on social media, posting the same photo that the palace shared. The shot showed the newborn raising a hand to her face while dressed in a white outfit, snuggled up in a pink blanket as someone held her.
âWe 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,â Edo continued, referring to his older children, daughter Sienna, 3, and son Christopher Woolf, 8. âOur hearts are overflowing with love for you, baby Athena.â
âA 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,â he wrote, adding prayer, heart and angel emojis.
Princess Beatrice, 36, and Edo, 41, become a family of five with the birth of baby Athena. Her first middle name honors Beatriceâs late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and creates a special connection to her big sister Sienna, whose middle name is also Elizabeth. Beatrice and Edo wed in July 2020, and his son Christopher Woolf (from a previous relationship) adorably served as a page boy at their wedding. The couple went on to welcome their first child, Sienna, in September 2021, and baby Athena makes the family a party of five.
Buckingham Palace announced that Beatrice was pregnant in October 2024, relaying that the couple was expecting their second child together in âearly spring.â Though the princessâ exact due date wasnât disclosed, Beatrice and her family shifted their Christmas plans at the last minute in light of her pregnancy.
A source tells PEOPLE that Beatrice was told by doctors to rest over Christmas. After she was advised to avoid long-distance travel, she instead spent the holidays in the U.K., pivoting from plans to celebrate in Italy with her in-laws.
Princess Beatrice and Edo joined King Charles, Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family for a traditional pre-Christmas feast at Buckingham Palace and then stepped out for the church service on the Sandringham estate on Christmas Day.
The King and Queenâs office was first to announce the news about Athenaâs arrival with a statement on social media, and Princess Beatriceâs younger sister, Princess Eugenie, sent salutations on Instagram.
Princess Eugenie, 34, reposted the first photo of baby Athena from the palace to her Instagram Stories and added a festive sticker. âWelcome baby girl!â the message read in sparkly pink text, with a bow.
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Little Athena makes Prince Andrew and Ferguson, the Duchess of York, grandparents once more, and the child is expected to enter as 11th in the official line of succession to the British throne.
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