Who is Princess Beatrice? Prince Andrew’s daughter who stood vigil by Queen’s coffin

Princess Beatrice joined her sister and cousins in a silent vigil by Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin on Saturday (17 September).

The short ceremony was led by the Prince of Wales and marks the first time the grandchildren of a monarch have taken part in the ceremony.

The Duke of Sussex was also present at the vigil, alongside Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn.

Beatrice and Eugenie released a joint statement in tribute to the Queen, describing her as “our matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our backs leading us through this world”.

They added: “There have been tears and laughter, silences and chatter, hugs and loneliness, and a collective loss for you, our beloved Queen and our beloved Grannie.”

Beatrice, 34, is the elder daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York. She is married to Italian noble Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, with whom she shares a daughter.

Following her grandmother’s death on Thursday (8 September), Beatrice became a Counsellor of State, a senior position in the royal family appointed to the first four in the line of succession who are over the age of 21, as well as the monarch’s consort.

Born in Portland Hospital on 8 August 1988 to Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Beatrice is the fifth grandchild of the late Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

She is ninth in the line of succession to the throne. Prince William is the current heir to the throne after his father, King Charles III, ascended, followed by his children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of Wales.

They are followed by Prince Harry and his children, Archie and Lilibet. Beatrice’s father, Andrew, is eighth in line to the throne.

Beatrice and her sister Eugenie attended the independent Coworth Park School, which is now known as Coworth Flexlands School, before going to the independent St George’s School in Ascot.

She later undertook a BA in history and history of ideas at Goldsmiths, University of London, and studied there from 2008 to 2011.

Beatrice was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of seven but only made it known publicly in 2005 at the age of 17.

She has spoken candidly about having dyslexia and campaigns for awareness around the learning difference, having described it as a “gift” in a Hello! magazine interview published in August 2021.

The York sisters are considered “non-working royals” as they are not paid to represent the royal family, and therefore hold their own jobs. They make some appearances at official events as members of the Queen’s family.

Beatrice has a full-time job as vice president of partnerships and strategy at Afiniti, an American multinational data and software company.

She also champions the work of the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre, which she has been patron of since 2013.

When her father became involved in a civil sex assault lawsuit brought against him by Virginia Giuffre, a victim of sex trafficking by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Beatrice and Eugenie distanced themselves publicly from him.

She has never spoken publicly about the case. Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations and claims he has never met Giuffre. Both parties came to a multi-million pound settlement this year to stop the case from proceeding to trial.

Beatrice married Mozzi in a private ceremony at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in the Royal Lodge at Windsor on 17 July 2020.

Andrew walked her down the aisle, but photographs from the wedding do not feature him.

During the ceremony, Beatrice wore a Norman Hartnell dress loaned to her by the Queen, as well as the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara, which the late monarch wore at her own wedding in 1947.

She gave birth to Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi on 18 September 2021 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. Beatrice also has a stepson, Christopher Woolf, from Mozzi’s previous relationship.