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Princess Beatrice The Princess at an equestrian event in 2005 Full name Beatrice Elizabeth Mary[1] House House of Windsor Father Prince Andrew, Duke of York Mother Sarah, Duchess of York Born 8 August 1988 (1988-08-08) (age 21) Portland Hospital, London Occupation Student, University of London Royal Family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms HM The Queen HRH The Duke of Edinburgh HRH The Prince of Wales HRH The Duchess of Cornwall HRH Prince William of Wales HRH Prince Harry of Wales HRH The Duke of York HRH Princess Beatrice of York HRH Princess Eugenie of York HRH The Earl of Wessex HRH The Countess of Wessex Viscount Severn Lady Louise Windsor HRH The Princess Royal HRH The Duke of Gloucester HRH The Duchess of Gloucester HRH The Duke of Kent HRH The Duchess of Kent HRH Prince Michael of Kent HRH Princess Michael of Kent HRH Princess Alexandra

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. As such she is fifth, and the first female, in the line of succession to the thrones of sixteen independent states. At her birth she was the first princess born into the immediate royal family since Princess Anne in 1950.

As a university student, Beatrice does not regularly carry out official royal duties, though she does sometimes make appearances with the Royal Family at events, such as when she and her sister, Princess Eugenie, represented their father at a service of thanksgiving for Diana, Princess of Wales, in 2007.

Early life

Beatrice was born at the Portland Hospital on 8 August 1988, at 6 lbs. 12oz. (3.06 kg), the first child of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York, and fifth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. She was baptised in the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace on 20 December 1988, her godparents being David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley; Peter Palumbo, Baron Palumbo; Lady Jane Dawnay, formerly the Duchess of Roxburghe; Carolyn Cotterell; and Gabrielle Greenall, and she was named for Princess Beatrice, youngest daughter of Queen Victoria. As a male-line grandchild of the sovereign, Beatrice was styled Her Royal Highness with the title Princess Beatrice of York. She and her sister are the only granddaughters of the Queen to hold the title of princess and the style Her Royal Highness; although, by Letters Patent issued by King George V, their cousin, Lady Louise Windsor, is legally a princess, she is not styled as such at the request of the Queen and her parents, and their other cousin, Zara Phillips, is the Queen's granddaughter through the female line, therefore allowing her only the title and style of her father, Captain Mark Phillips.

Education

Princess 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; the Mail on Sunday ran a story telling how the Princess struck fellow pupil Brooke Burfitt-Dons in the face in the school playground breaking off her front tooth.^[2] Beatrice started her secondary education at the independent St. George's School in Ascot; there from 2000 to 2007, she was elected as Head Girl in her final year,^[3] and graduated with a grade of A in A-Level drama, and two grades of B in history and film studies.^[4]

It was revealed that the Princess had been diagnosed with dyslexia as a child; consequently, she delayed sitting for her General Certificate of Secondary Education exams by one year. In September 2008, the Princess started a degree in history at Goldsmiths, University of London to graduate in 2011.^[5]

Early romances

Princess Beatrice has grown up free of any real press intrusion into her life, despite the coverage constantly given to her parents. Since she has appeared in public on her own, however, the media have speculated on boys that Beatrice is apparently dating. One relationship that caused a stir was that which the Princess had with Paolo Liuzzo; the couple split after it was revealed Liuzzo was involved in the death of an American college student.

She is currently dating Dave Clarke, who works for Richard Branson on the Virgin Galactic project.

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Personal interests

In an interview to mark her 18th birthday, Princess 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 with HIV infected children in Russia, and, in the UK, she supported the Springboard for Children and Teenage Cancer Trust. During the summer of 2008, the Princess volunteered as a sales clerk at Selfridges, and it was reported the Princess and a friend have plans to found a fashion line.^[7]

Beatrice also dabbled in film, becoming the first member of the Royal Family to appear in a non-documentary film when she appeared in a cameo role 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.^[8]

Official duties

Princess 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, and organised by their cousins, Princes William and Harry of Wales, and both attended the service of thanksgiving for Diana on 1 September 2007, representing their father, who was on an official visit to Malaysia.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

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

The Princess' style and title in full: Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice Elizabeth Mary of York. As a British princess, Beatrice holds no surname; however, as with the other male-line grandchildren of Elizabeth II, she uses the name of the area over which her father holds title, i.e. York (as Prince William and Prince Henry use Wales, per their father, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales). Past precedent is that such surnames are dropped from usage in adulthood, after which either title alone, or Mountbatten-Windsor is used.^[9]

Arms

Arms of Princess Beatrice of York Notes The Princess' personalised coat of arms are the shield of the arms of the sovereign in right of the United Kingdom. Crest A coronet composed of four crosses formy and four strawberry leaves Escutcheon Quarterly 1st and 4th gules three lions passant guardant in pale or 2nd or a lion rampant gules within a double tressure flory counterflory gules 3rd azure a harp or stringed argent. Supporters Dexter a lion rampant gardant or imperially crowned proper, sinister a unicorn argent, armed, crined and unguled or, gorged with a coronet or composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back also or. Other elements The whole differenced by a label of five points argent, the centre and exterior points each charged with a bee volant proper. Banner The Princess' personal Royal Standard is that of the sovereign in right of the United Kingdom, labelled for difference as in her arms. Symbolism As with the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom. The first and fourth quarters are the arms of England, the second of Scotland, the third of Ireland. The use of three bees in her arms continues the trend in royal heraldry (cf. the arms of Prince William of Wales) of using charges from the maternal line (The Ferguson arms feature a crest bearing a bee). It can also be considered a pun on the name Beatrice, an unusual example of canting in modern royal arms.

Ancestry

References

External links

• Princess Beatrice reveals secrets
• Illustrated biography of Princess Beatrice