When is Princess Beatrice’s baby actually due? Buckingham Palace statement says royal will give birth in ‘early spring’ while the social media posts say ‘early in the new year’

Buckingham Palace has caused confusion this evening after announcing Princess Beatrice’s pregnancy.

The late Queen’s granddaughter, 36, and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 40, are preparing to welcome a new addition to their family in 2025. 

In a statement, Buckingham 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,’ concluded the announcement.

However, in posts to the Royal Family’s social media accounts, such as on X and Instagram, the statement said the couple were expecting their second child together ‘early in the new year’, causing confusion over when the Princess’ baby is actually due.

The little one will be a younger brother or sister for the couple’s daughter Sienna, three, and Beatrice’s stepson, eight-year-old Wolfie, whose real name is Christopher Woolf, who Mr Mapelli Mozzi shares with his ex-fiancée, architect Dara Huang.

MailOnline has contacted Buckingham Palace. 

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, is kitted out in bright yellow wellies and an all-in-one blue waterproof puddlesuit decorated with cloud and bird motifs.

In another picture, an overjoyed Beatrice – wearing a black puffer jacket – smiles at the camera, while being embraced by Mr Mapelli Mozzi, who is gazing at his wife.

The grandchild will be a great niece or nephew to the King, and a second cousin of Prince George, Louis and Princess Charlotte.

He or she will also be Prince Andrew’s fourth grandchild, as Princess Eugenie has two children, August and Ernest Brooksbank. 

The baby, who will not be an HRH, will be born 11th in line to the throne, with Beatrice’s younger sister Princess Eugenie moving down to 12th place.

He or she will also be 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.

Beatrice is known to be a hands-on mother to both children, and has become close to her stepson Wolfie.  

Beatrice and Edo, who are not working royals, have been married for four years after tying the knot in 2020 at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park. 

The pair have been living in St James’s Palace while their £3.5million house in the Cotswolds is being renovated. 

Edo was previously engaged to Chinese-American architect Dara Huang in 2017 and the couple were together for three and a half years. 

Their daughter Sienna was worn on September 18, 2021, at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London. 

An announcement from the Royal Family said at the time: ‘Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter on Saturday 18th September 2021, at 23.42, at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London.

‘The baby weighs 6 pounds and 2 ounces. The new baby’s grandparents and great-grandparents have all been informed and are delighted with the news. The family would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care.

‘Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well, and the couple are looking forward to introducing their daughter to her big brother Christopher Woolf.’

Proud aunt Princess Eugenie, who is Beatrice’s younger sister, wrote a sweet message on Instagram to congratulate the couple using her nickname ‘Beabea’. 

She said: ‘Beabea and Edo, congratulations on your new angel. I can’t wait to meet her and I’m so proud of you. We’re going to have so much fun watching our children grow up. Love Euge.’

She went on to pen a meaningful note to her newborn niece, writing: ‘To my new niece, I love you already and think you’re just awesome from the photos.. we’re going to have so much fun ⁣together. Love your Auntie Euge.’ 

A friend of the family said the Duchess of York returned from Balmoral to meet her new grandchild over the weekend, adding: ‘She is absolutely over the moon.’ 

And doting father Edo wrote on social media: ‘Our life together has just begun, and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things that await us. 

‘Feeling so much love and gratitude for my amazing wife, baby Sienna and Wolfie. These are the days I never want to forget. This week, a friend said to me the sweetest saying… that with every child you grow a whole new heart.’ 

Beatrice – who was recently named best-dressed of the year by Tatler – has released few photographs of Sienna, and those that are publicly available mainly show the back of her head. 

Beatrice, who had a close relationship with Queen Elizabeth, decided to honour her grandmother with her daughter’s middle name. 

 

Despite not having a royal title, the little girl is officially a ‘Nobile Donna’ and ‘contessa’ – the female version of a count – as a result of her father’s noble ancestry.

Edoardo will one day inherit his family’s seat, the 18th-century Villa Mapelli Mozzi palace in northern Italy. 

When the couple announced Sienna’s name in October 2021, Edoardo shared a print of their daughter’s feet and wrote: ‘Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi.

‘Our life together has just begun, and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things that await us.

‘Feeling so much love and gratitude for my amazing wife, baby Sienna and [her half-brother] Wolfie. These are the days I never want to forget.

‘This week, a friend said to me the sweetest saying…. that with every child you grow a whole new heart.’

Later, the official royal family social media page posted the same image, with the caption reading: ‘The couple have said, ‘We are all doing well and Wolfie is the best big brother to Sienna.’

Sienna was christened on April 29, 2022, at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace. 

Princess Eugenie shared the first glimpse of her niece in a photo celebrating Earth Day.

She revealed that Sienna and her cousin August ‘love going to the London Zoo’ in a photo of the pair watching the penguins.

In the picture, she appeared to have a thick head of strawberry blonde hair.

Edoardo is the son of former Olympic skier Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi and Nikki Shale.

He had been a friend of the York children for some time before getting engaged to Beatrice. The couple married in 2020.

Known as Edo to friends, he helped mend Beatrice’s broken heart following her split from Dave Clark in 2016 after ten years together.

He was educated at Radley school in Oxfordshire before studying for a Master’s in politics at Edinburgh.

It is believed Beatrice met Italian property developer Edo in September 2018.

However, it is said that he had been close to the York family for some time and that they had known each other as children before Edo and the royal began seeing each other romantically.

He is the son of Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, a British Olympian and member of a formerly titled Italian noble family, and Nikki Shale.

The couple made their first public appearance together in 2019 at the National Portrait Gallery’s 2019 Gala. Not long afterwards, he accompanied Beatrice on a family trip with Sarah Ferguson during the Bahrain Grand Prix in March of the same year.

And it was a whirlwind romance, with the couple getting engaged just 11 months after dating in September 2019.

In a public statement Beatrice and Mr Mapelli Mozzi said of their 11-month romance: ‘We are extremely happy to be able to share the news of our recent engagement.

‘We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and can’t wait to actually be married.

‘We share so many similar interests and values, and we know that this will stand us in great stead for the years ahead, full of love and happiness.’

Beatrice’s sister Eugenie immediately rushed to share her joy on Instagram with a photograph of the happy couple next to the caption: ‘Beabea – wow! I’m so happy for you my dearest big sissy and dear Edo.

‘It’s been a long time coming and you two are meant to be.’

The happy couple got engaged during a romantic trip to Italy, which saw them staying in the exclusive cliffside village of Positano, on the Amalfi Coast.

After they announced the engagement, Edo began joining Beatrice at royal events, such as the Windsors’ annual Christmas Day services on Sandringham Estate, before tying the knot in July 2020. 

In recent months, the couple have enjoyed a series of exciting adventures together, such as attending BST in Hyde Park and taking to Wembley Stadium for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. 

In July, Beatrice was named by Tatler as the best-dressed person in Britain, 13 years after getting mocked for the hat she wore to William and Kate’s wedding. 

The society bible praised Beatrice for being ‘a beacon of sartorial elegance’ by ‘pairing vintage-inspired cuts with fresh-from-the-catwalk glamour’, although it did note she was the ‘subject of much jest’ for the Philip Treacy hat.

Beatrice and Eugenie are reported to have cried over articles criticising their hats at the wedding. 

Beatrice keeps a low profile and, unlike her sister Eugenie, is not active on social media. 

She is the vice president of partnerships at strategy, an artificial intelligence software firm. 

She has a number of royal patronages including the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre.