Princess Beatrice opens up in regards to the untimely start of her child lady – and explains how having a baby born early will be an ‘extremely lonely’ expertise

Princess Beatrice has said experiencing premature birth ‘can be incredibly lonely’ – as she joins calls for increased research and support into prematurity.

Beatrice, 37, the elder daughter of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the disgraced former Duke of York, is fronting a campaign for the premature birth research charity Borne, whose podcast she appeared on ahead of World Prematurity Day today.

The princess’s daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose, was born several weeks premature on January 22.

‘I think so often, especially as mums, we spend our lives feeling we have to be perfect,’ Beatrice told the special edition of the Borne Podcast. ‘When you are faced with that moment of learning your baby’s going to come a bit early, it can be incredibly lonely.

‘And even now, talking to some of the mums who know about my work with Borne, they feel this sense of life-changing relief that can come with knowing that there is an organisation that is supporting the research… and asking some of these important questions.’

Beatrice was due to give birth to her second daughter in early spring, but in December received medical advice not to travel long distances, with doctors said to have warned that a premature arrival was a possibility. 

Last week, Beatrice, patron of Borne, visited the charity’s research laboratories at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London as part of the Every Week Counts campaign

The princess’s daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose, was born several weeks premature on January 22

She then joined the Royal Family in Sandringham on Christmas Day, after changing her plans from spending the festive period overseas. 

Last week, Beatrice, patron of Borne, visited the charity’s research laboratories at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London as part of the Every Week Counts campaign. 

She told the podcast she hopes the campaign will bring ‘people that have had their own stories to come and share them’. 

‘My favourite thing about being a mum is the fact that it’s like a secret, you know, it almost feels like a secret club of sharing stories,’ she shared.

‘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 Mum can feel alone.’

Each year, 60,000 babies are born prematurely in the UK – one in every 13 births. On a global scale 15 million babies are born early. 

According to Borne, the complications that arise from prematurity remain the leading cause of neonatal death and lifelong disability. 

However, the charity says that just two per cent of medical research funding goes towards pregnancy and childbirth. 

‘I was really quite shocked to learn that we really do not have as much data with women’s health, with pregnant women’s health,’ Beatrice added. ‘So I was really passionate about high quality data being able to enrich the medical field.

‘I think the key thing is that all the scientists that we’ve approached to be part of the Borne collaborative have said: look, alone, we are making no progress, but with Borne helping us to work together, we will make a difference.

‘We will change what is going on in the hospitals every day all around the world.’

Beatrice has two children with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The pair were married in a private ceremony in July 2020 amid the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Their daughters Sienna, aged 4, and Athena, nine months, are 10th and 11th in line to the throne respectively. 

Beatrice is also a stepmother to Christopher Woolf, known as Wolfie, from her husband’s previous relationship with architect Dara Huang.