Princess Beatrice of York

Princess Beatrice of York (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988) is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is fifth, and the first female, in the line of succession to the thrones of the 16 Commonwealth Realms.

Whilst studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, Princess Beatrice was not expected to undertake regular Royal duties, although she did make appearances at some Royal events; for instance, she and her sister, Princess Eugenie, represented their father at a service of thanksgiving for her late aunt Diana, Princess of Wales, in 2007.

Early life

Beatrice was born on 8 August 1988 at 8.18 pm at the Portland Hospital, the first child of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York, and fifth grandchild of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh. She was baptised in the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace on 20 December 1988, her godparents being: Viscount Linley (her father's cousin); the Duchess of Roxburghe (now Lady Jane Dawnay); The Hon Mrs John Greenall; and Mrs Henry Cotterell.^[2] She was named after The Princess Beatrice (youngest daughter of Queen Victoria), after Queen Mary (the The Queen's grandmother) and after the Duchess' mother's second name.^[3] As a male-line grandchild of the Sovereign, Beatrice was styled Her Royal Highness with the title Princess Beatrice of York.

Beatrice and her sister are the only granddaughters of The Queen to hold the title of Princess and the style Her Royal Highness by Letters Patent issued by King George V. However, their cousin Lady Louise Windsor, although she could be formally titled Princess, is styled as the daughter of an Earl, at the request of her parents. Other cousins, Peter and Zara Phillips, are the children of Princess Anne; the title of Prince/Princess is not carried through the female line.

Education

Beatrice began her early education at the independent Upton House School in Windsor, in 1991. From there, she and her sister both attended the independent Coworth Park School from 1995. Beatrice continued her education at the independent St. George's School in Ascot, where she was a pupil from 2000 to 2007. Having been diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, she delayed sitting her GCSE exams for one year. She remained at St. George's to take her A-Levels, gaining a grade A in drama, and B grades in history and film studies.^[4] She was elected Head Girl in her final year.^[5]

In September 2008, Beatrice went up to read History at Goldsmiths, University of London.,^[6] and graduated in 2011 with a 2:1 degree (BA) in History and History of Ideas.^[7]

Personal interests

In an interview to mark her 18th birthday, Beatrice said that she wanted to use her position to assist others through charity work; she had already undertaken charitable duties alongside her mother through the various organisations the Duchess supported. In 2002, Beatrice visited HIV-infected children in Russia, and, in Britain, she supported Springboard for Children (a literacy project for primary-school children with learning difficulties) and the Teenage Cancer Trust. During the summer of 2008, Beatrice volunteered as a sales clerk at Selfridges, and it was reported Beatrice and a friend have plans to found a fashion label.^[8] In April 2010, running to raise money for Children in Crisis, she became the first member of the Royal Family to complete the London Marathon.^[9]

Beatrice has also been involved in the film industry, becoming the first member of the Royal Family to appear in a non-documentary film when she made a brief non-speaking appearance as an "extra" in The Young Victoria (2009), based around the accession and Coronation of Beatrice's fourth-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. Beatrice had a minor, non-speaking role in a number of scenes.^[10]

Official duties

Beatrice has been present at a number of official Royal occasions, such as Trooping the Colour in London, and The Queen's 80th birthday. She and her sister were also guests at the Concert for Diana, in memory of their late aunt organised by their cousins, Princes William and Harry. Both princesses attended the service of thanksgiving for Diana on 1 September 2007, representing their father, who was on an official visit to Malaysia. Beatrice was present at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. At the wedding, Beatrice's hat designed by Philip Treacy was remarked upon by some as an odd choice of fashion. Nonetheless, in May 2011, the hat was offered for sale on the internet auction site eBay with the proceeds going to charity:^[11] it was sold for £81,000 ($123,325), with the money split between Unicef and Children in Crisis.^[12]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 8 August 1988 – : Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York

The Princess's style and title in full: Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice Elizabeth Mary of York. As a British Princess, Beatrice has no official surname; however, she uses the name of the area over which her father holds title, i.e. York (as Prince Harry uses Wales, per his father, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales).

Arms

Ancestry

References

External links

• Princess Beatrice reveals secrets
• Illustrated biography of Princess Beatrice