Princess Beatrice Welcomes Baby No. 2 Several Weeks Early

Princess Beatrice is a mom again!

On Jan. 29, Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace announced the arrival of Princess Beatrice, 36, and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s second child, sharing a heartwarming first photo of the newborn. The couple chose the name Athena Elizabeth Rose — a touching tribute to Beatrice’s late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

While the baby arrived several weeks early, with the palace originally announcing a due date in early spring, it’s understood that the premature arrival was not unexpected. The proud parents, however, share that their little one is “healthy” and “doing well.”

“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. The baby was born weighing 4 pounds and 5 ounces,” the palace statement said on X.

“The King and Queen, and other members of The Royal Family have all been informed and are delighted with the news,” it continued, referring to King Charles, Queen Camilla and the extended royal family. 

“Princess Beatrice and Mr Mapelli Mozzi would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care,” it said. “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.”

The statement came with photo of the new baby, snuggled up in a white outfit in a pink blanket, with photo credit given to Beatrice’s husband, Edoardo, 41, who is known as Edo.

The proud father also shared the photo on his personal Instagram, expressing how he and Beatrice are “completely besotted” with baby Athena.

“We welcomed Baby Athena into our lives last week. She is tiny and absolutely perfect. We are all (including Wolfie and Sienna) already completely besotted with her,” he wrote. “Our hearts are overflowing with love for you, baby Athena.”

“A massive thank you from my wife and I goes out to all the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their exceptional care and support during this incredibly special time,” he continued.

Princess Beatrice’s mother Sarah Ferguson shared a tribute of her own on Instagram, writing that she was “Overflowing with love and joy to be able to welcome Athena Elizabeth Rose into the world. She is already so adored and I’m incredibly blessed to be a Granny once again. So proud of Edo, Beatrice and the rest of my little 5-a-side team!” She added a heart emoji to the end of her post, which also featured the photo of Athena shared by other family members.

Beatrice’s younger sister, Princess Eugenie, also shared her joy in an Instagram Story, posting the sweet photo of baby Athena alongside a heartfelt message: “Welcome Baby Girl!”

Princess Beatrice and Edo are already parents to 3-year-old daughter Sienna Elizabeth, whose name also honors Queen Elizabeth, while Edo’s 8-year-old son, Christopher Woolf — affectionately called Wolfie — is from a previous relationship.

Buckingham Palace announced the news of Princess Beatrice’s second pregnancy on Oct. 1. In a statement, the palace said, “Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their second child together in early spring; a sibling for Wolfie, aged eight, and Sienna, aged three.”

“His Majesty The King has been informed and both families are delighted with the news,” the statement continued, referring to Beatrice’s uncle, King Charles.

In December 2024, doctors advised Princess Beatrice to avoid long-distance travel due to her pregnancy. As a result, she made a last-minute change to her plans, opting to forgo spending the holidays with her in-laws in Italy and instead joined the royal family for Christmas Day services at Sandringham.

A source tells PEOPLE that Beatrice was told by doctors to rest over Christmas.

The new baby becomes 11th in the British line of succession to the throne, and also inherits an aristocratic title from Edo’s side of the family. The property developer descended from Italian aristocracy, and Edo and Beatrice’s children are a “count” if male and “nobile donna” if female.

“Edoardo is the only male descendant taking the family into the next generation,” Edo’s father, Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, told The Daily Mail in 2020, the same year Edo and Beatrice were married. “He is a count — his wife will be a countess automatically, and any of their children will be counts or nobile donna.”

The proud father also spoke of the sweet bond Edo and Bea share, saying ahead of their wedding that July, “They are very suited to each other and have known each other for a long time. I’ve never seen him so happy.”

Princess Beatrice, the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has a royal title, but her children do not carry titles from the British royal family. They are not the grandchildren of the monarch (as Princess Beatrice and her sister Princess Eugenie were when they were born), and as such, according to a 1917 Letters Patent issued by King George V, do not receive titles.

In addition to having two children of her own, Princess Beatrice notably became the first member of her generation of the British royal family to step into the role of stepparent when she married Edo, adding Wolfie, her stepson, into her family. A source previously told PEOPLE that Beatrice embraced the role of stepmother from the start, saying, “Beatrice is a wonderful and very hands-on stepmom.”

Princess Beatrice and her younger sister Princess Eugenie, 34, both became mothers in 2021, Eugenie giving birth to son August in February before Beatrice welcomed Sienna in September. Eugenie told Hello! soon after Beatrice’s October pregnancy announcement that she and her sister swap parenting tips “all the time,” and that “I ring her a lot about meltdowns and what we do and this and that,” Eugenie said.

In addition to August, 3, Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank also share son Ernest, 1. “It really is like you become part of a club — a mothering club,” Eugenie told Hello! “And when your children are the same age and they’re going through the same things, it’s just the luckiest thing in the world.”

“And Bea’s my big sister,” Eugenie added. “I talk to her about everything.”

The new baby pushed Eugenie to No. 12 in the line of succession, with Beatrice still at No. 9, Sienna at No. 10 and Athena now at No. 11.

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

“Bea has such a good heart and she’s such a kind person, so motherhood came very naturally to her,” celebrity nutritionist Gabriela Peacock told Hello! earlier this year. “She’s a fantastic mum. She’s had Wolfie in her life since she and Edo met and has always been incredible with him. She is extremely nurturing and involved with both kids’ lives. It’s lovely to see my best friend growing into this next stage of her life and to share it with her.”

“She has a lovely family life, she’s extremely successful in her career and she has a nice social life,” Peacock continued. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy. She’s got the best husband, and she and Edo are a perfect couple and great team. They are so happy and in love and complement each other so well.”