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The royal line of succession has shifted after the birth of Princess Beatrice’s daughter Athena Elizabeth Rose, with the newborn now in 11th place.
On Wednesday, 28 January, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles’ niece, 36, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi had welcomed their second child together last week.
Athena is the little sister of the couple’s three-year-old daughter Sienna, who is currently 10th in line to the throne.
While Princess Beatrice’s younger sister Princess Eugenie was previously in 11th in line to the throne, the arrival of Athena has pushed her aunt down to 12th place on the line of succession.
Athena becomes the third child in the Mapelli Mozzi brood alongside Sienna and Wolfie, eight, from Edo’s first marriage to Dara Huang, who is not in the line of succession.
As it stands, King Charles’ son, the Prince of Wales is next in line to the throne, followed by Prince William’s children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.
Prince William’s estranged younger brother Prince Harry is sixth on the list of heirs to the British throne, followed by his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Announcing the arrival of Athena in a sweet Instagram post, Buckingham Palace wrote: ‘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.
Princess Beatrice has given birth to a daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose, Buckingham Palace has announced
‘The baby was born weighing 4 pounds and 5 ounces.
‘The King and Queen, and other members of The Royal Family have all been informed and are delighted with the news.
‘Princess Beatrice and Mr Mapelli Mozzi would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care.
‘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.’
Athena will not be an HRH (His or Her Royal Highness) or a Prince or Princess – and will also not require the monarch’s permission to marry.
For hundreds of years, the Royal Marriages Act 1772 meant descendants of George II had to seek the sovereign’s consent before they wed, otherwise their marriages were deemed invalid.
But this law was repealed through the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, which restricted the consent to just the first six people in the line of succession.
As the new baby is 11th in line, they will not at present need to seek a monarch’s approval to wed.
The newborn is now 11th in line to the throne, pushing her aunt Princess Eugenie to the 12th spot
George III, George II’s grandson, had ordered the 1772 Act after his younger brother, the Duke of Cumberland, secretly married Lady Anne Horton, deemed to be a highly disreputable widow of a commoner.
Beatrice is the eldest daughter of the Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah, and the new baby is the Yorks’ fourth grandchild.
Athena is also the 14th great-grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and the second to be born since her death in 2022, following the arrival of Eugenie’s second child Ernest last year.
Like her elder sister Sienna, Athena’s middle name is likely a sweet tribute to Princess Beatrice’s late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth 11.
Since Buckingham Palace’s announcement, Athena’s father Edo, 40, declared his new daughter was ‘tiny and absolutely perfect’ in a post on Instagram.
He captioned a photograph of Athena wrapped in a blanket: ‘Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi.
‘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.
Another new family picture shared to mark the announcement, showing blonde-haired Sienna from behind as she walks along a country lane, holding hands in the middle of her father and big brother Wolfie. The youngster, with a red bow in her hair, is kitted out in bright yellow wellies and an all-in-one blue waterproof puddlesuit decorated with cloud and bird motifs
Reposting the baby announcement on her Instagram story, Princess Eugenie wrote ‘welcome baby girl’ to her new niece
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Athena’s father posted a gushing announcement of his daughter’s birth and said the family was ‘overflowing with love’ for her
‘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.’
Reposting the baby announcement on her Instagram story, Athena’s aunt Princess Eugenie wrote ‘welcome baby girl’.
Buckingham Palace announced Beatrice’s pregnancy on October 1, 2024.
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.’
Two new pictures from the family were shared to mark the announcement, with one showing blonde-haired Sienna from behind as she walks along a country lane, holding hands in the middle of her father and big brother Wolfie.
The youngster, with a red bow in her hair, was kitted out in bright yellow wellies and an all-in-one blue waterproof puddlesuit decorated with cloud and bird motifs.
Princess Beatrice, 36, waves at crowds as she arrives at St Mary Magdalene Church accompanied by her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and her stepson Christopher Woolf ‘Wolfie’ Mapelli Mozzi
Beatrice married millionaire property tycoon Mr Mapelli Mozzi in a secret lockdown wedding in 2020 attended by her grandparents the Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, after her planned ceremony was postponed because of the pandemic.
The Princess of York’s last public appearance was on Christmas Day in Sandringham where she joined the royal family for their annual trip to St Mary Magadalene Church.
Looking effortlessly elegant, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s granddaughter joined other Royal Family members, such as King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales for the occasion.
She was accompanied by her husband Edo and Wolfie.
Beatrice’s appearance at Sandringham came following medical advice not to travel abroad at the late stage of her pregnancy – which halted her plans to fly to Italy and spend the festive period with her property tycoon husband’s family.
Days before Christmas, Buckingham Palace announced that the Princess had changed her festive plans following medical advice that she should not travel for ‘long distances’.
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