Princess Beatrice's New Baby's Name Is a Subtle Tribute to Prince Andrew
Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi welcomed little Athena on Jan. 22.
A new royal baby is here—and she's got quite the meaningful name. Princess Beatrice gave birth to her second child, Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
"Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, born on Wednesday, 22nd January, at 12:57pm, at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London," a press release from the palace read.
When her pregnancy was first announced, Buckingham Palace noted the baby was due in "early spring," but she arrived early, with the press release noting Athena "was born weighing 4 pounds and 5 ounces." The new baby joins big sister Sienna Elizabeth, 3, and Mapelli Mozzi's son Wolfie, 8, from a previous relationship.
As for her name, it follows a tradition that Beatrice and Edoardo started with their first daughter. Shortly after Sienna's 2021 birth a source told Hello! that the couple "were looking for an Italian name which started with an S for Sarah, to honor the duchess [Sarah Ferguson], and also reflected the golden rust colour of both the duchess's hair color and Beatrice's, which the new baby shares." Of course, Sienna's middle name honors Princess Beatrice's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
A photo posted by on
Although Athena is a Greek name meaning "goddess of wisdom" and not Italian, the couple appears to have honored a parent with a name of the same first letter once again, using an "A" name for Beatrice's father, Prince Andrew, as Marie Claire predicted earlier this month.
Baby Athena's middle name, Elizabeth, is another sweet nod to the late Queen, while her third name, Rose is an unknown.
Although Athena was born early, the palace shared that "Her Royal Highness and her daughter are healthy and doing well, and the family are enjoying spending time together with Athena’s older siblings, Wolfie and Sienna."
Princess Eugenie celebrated her new niece with a glittery Y2K-style "Welcome Baby Girl!" graphic on her Instagram Story and a pink bow while sharing the Royal Family's photo. Meanwhile, proud dad Edo shared the same photo on his grid and wrote that Athena "is tiny and absolutely perfect," noting that the whole family "including Wolfie and Sienna" are "completely besotted with her."
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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.