Princess Beatrice, who turns 37 today, was originally going to be named Annabel by her parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. However, the late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly vetoed the choice, deeming it 'too yuppie' for a royal.
According to reports, the Duke and Duchess of York had an informal chat with the Queen about their preferred name, hoping for her blessing. Instead, the monarch suggested Beatrice, inspired by Queen Victoria's youngest daughter. The princess's full name is Beatrice Elizabeth Mary, honouring both her grandmother and great-grandmother.
The Queen's intervention is not unusual in the royal family, where sentimental names are common. Princess Eugenie, Beatrice's younger sister, named her son August Philip, after their late grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh. Beatrice herself passed on the Queen's legacy by naming her daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi in 2021.
Beatrice recently celebrated her fifth wedding anniversary to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Their scaled-back ceremony in Windsor in 2020, attended by only 20 guests due to Covid-19 restrictions, also saw Beatrice inherit the title of countess. Edo's father, Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, confirmed that Beatrice automatically became a countess upon marriage, and their daughters, Sienna and Athena, hold the title of nobile donna.
