Sarah Ferguson Reacts to Princess Beatrice’s Baby News, Using Secret Nickname for Her Grandchildren

Sarah Ferguson is reveling in becoming a grandmother again.

On Jan. 29, the Duchess of York, who is popularly known as Fergie, was among the first to celebrate the news that her daughter Princess Beatrice has welcomed a baby girl.

Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi welcomed a daughter on Jan. 22. The baby girl, whom they named Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, makes Fergie a grandmother once more. 

“Overflowing with love and joy to be able to welcome Athena Elizabeth Rose into the world. She is already so adored and I’m incredibly blessed to be a Granny once again,” the Duchess of York wrote in a heartfelt Instagram tribute, reposting the photo of baby Athena that the palace shared.

“So proud of Edo, Beatrice and the rest of my little 5-a-side team!” she said.

Ferguson’s son-in-law, Edo, commented on her post, saying: “The best Gigi” with a double pink heart emoji.

The Duchess of York, 65, snuck a little-known nickname for her grandchildren into her tribute to baby Athena (who was born prematurely) by calling them her “5-a-side” squad. Fergie previously used the affectionate phrase to celebrate the October 2024 announcement that Princess Beatrice was pregnant, and used that wording in a social media post then.

“A very proud GiGi/Mum today. Such an incredible blessing and an embrace to my heart,” Fergie wrote on Instagram in the fall after the palace announced that Beatrice was expecting.

“Wolfie, August, Ernie and Sienna will be over the moon to have the fifth member of the five aside!” she said, using the family nicknames for her four other grandkids. 

Fergie and her ex-husband Prince Andrew are parents to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and became grandparents when their daughters’ families expanded. In addition to new baby Athena, the Duke and Duchess of York are grandparents to Edo’s 8-year-old son Christopher Woolf (from a previous relationship), Edo and Bea’s daughter Sienna, 3, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s sons August, 3, and Ernest, 1.

Previously speaking to PEOPLE about her historical novel, A Most Intriguing Lady, the Duchess of York explained how her sense of play completely clicked with her grandkids. 

“They just follow me around like Peter Pan. I’m ‘Super Gran Pan.’ Whenever they see me, they laugh. They think I’m very funny. August is teaching me about trains. My girls had Barbie dolls,” Fergie told PEOPLE in 2023. “Everyone says, ‘Oh, has it changed your life?’ And I go, ‘No, because I live [in the mindset of ] 3- to 6-year-olds.’ So I’ve now got another audience that likes me.”

On Jan. 29, Buckingham Palace shared the happy news that Princess Beatrice’s baby was born the week prior.

“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, 22nd January, at 12:57pm. The baby was born weighing 4 pounds and 5 ounces,” said the palace statement shared to X.

“The King and Queen, and other members of The Royal Family have all been informed and are delighted with the news,” it continued in reference to King Charles, Queen Camilla and the extended royal family. 

“Princess Beatrice and Mr Mapelli Mozzi would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care,” the statement said. “Her Royal Highness and her daughter are healthy and doing well, and the family are enjoying spending time together with Athena’s older siblings, Wolfie and Sienna.”

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When the palace announced Princess Beatrice’s pregnancy in October, her due date was described as being in the “early spring” of 2025.

A source tells PEOPLE that Beatrice was told by doctors to rest over Christmas and she pivoted her plans, spending the holidays in the U.K. instead of in Italy with Edo’s family. 

While the baby was born early, it’s understood that the premature arrival was not unexpected. The palace statement said both Beatrice and her baby are “doing well.”