Princess Beatrice of York
Princess Beatrice of York (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor) (born August 8, 1988) is a member of the British Royal Family. She is a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and has been fifth in the Line of succession to the British Throne since her birth.
Birth
Princess Beatrice was born at Portland Hospital in London. She weighed 6lb 12oz (3.06 kg). Her father is The Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Her mother is Sarah, Duchess of York, (née Ferguson), the daughter of Major Ronald Ferguson and Susan Barrantes (née Wright). She was named after Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria. She has one sister Princess Eugenie (born 1990).
She was christened on December 20, 1988 in the Chapel Royal, St. James Palace. Her godparents were: Viscount Linley, Peter Palumbo, the Duchess of Roxburghe; Mrs. Harry Cottrell and Mrs. John Greenall.
As a granddaughter of the British monarch in the male line, Beatrice is a Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with the style of HRH, and is therefore styled Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York. [1]
Education
Princess Beatrice began her education at Upton House School, Windsor in 1991. From there she and her sister were enrolled at Coworth Park School in Woking, Surrey in 1994. Princess Beatrice is currently attending an all-girls school, St. George's School in Ascot, Berkshire, enrolled under the name "Beatrice York." There had been plans to send her to Aiglon College in Switzerland; however, a sex scandal involving the headmaster forced her parents to re-think. [1] In March 2005, her mother revealed that Beatrice suffers from mild dyslexia and has needed special help with reading and writing in the run-up to her GCSE exams. [2]
In the GCSE examinations that she took in the summer of 2005 (a year later than usual, due to her dyslexia), she achieved A* grades for history and drama, A grades for French and art, and B grades for English literature, English language, mathematics and dual award science.
The Princess takes an active interest in her school community. She sings soprano in the school choir. In May 2006, according to The Royalist, Beatrice was elected to the position of head girl at St. George's School where she is currently studying for her A Levels. A school spokesperson is quoted on The Royalist website as saying: 'This year the school has elected Princess Beatrice of York to be head girl and we are delighted that she has accepted the position.'
Home life
| Styles of HRH Princess Beatrice of York |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Reference style | Her Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
Her parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, divorced when Princess Beatrice was 8 years old. The Duke and Duchess share joint custody of their 2 daughters. She happily spends her time equally with her parents, and Beatrice has said the divorce has brought them all closer. When Beatrice is home from boarding school, she resides with her parents and sister at Prince Andrew's new home, Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park (the lease of which her father inherited upon the death of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother in 2002).
It had been suggested that Princess Beatrice and her sister be stripped of their HRH style and title of princess as part of a downsizing of the Royal Family, and become "The Lady Beatrice Windsor" and "The Lady Eugenie Windsor", the style possessed by daughters of a non-royal duke. Their father is said to be strongly opposed to this idea, as it is their birth right to hold a royal title.
Future
Princess Beatrice lives a relatively low profile life. As she has grown up, the British media have published photographs of her and her various boyfriends. Princess Beatrice dumped one of these boyfriends after she learned that he played a role in the deadly beating of an American college student.[3]
It is not clear whether the Princess will undertake royal duties when she comes of age. With fewer women in the Royal Family in coming years, some expect there will be opportunities to take on such duties. She has already undertaken charity work alongside her mother, and made headlines visiting HIV infected children in Russia.
Recently the Princess has appeared in the British magazine Tatler as a cover girl and her first interview, which suggests a more public role is on the way for the young Princess.
It was reported in late 2005 that she intended to further her education in the United States, preferably at an Ivy League institution. [4]
Notes and references
- ^ a b "Profile of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie".
- ^ "I'm not a stereotypical princess". (Aug. 3, 2005). The Telegraph.
- ^ Princess Beatrice dumps boyfriend
- ^ Walker, Tim & Eden, Richard (Oct. 16, 2005). "American princess: Beatrice aims for the Ivy League". The Telegraph.
| Preceded by: HRH The Duke of York |
Line of succession to the British Throne | Succeeded by: HRH Princess Eugenie of York |
