Princess Beatrice follows in the footsteps of Duchess Sophie after new appointment
Since welcoming her baby girl Athena, Princess Beatrice has been announced as patron of Borne, a medical research charity on a mission to end premature birth.
As Athena was weeks premature, it's no wonder Beatrice is so dedicated in her support of the organisation, even attending their Wonderland event just weeks after welcoming her little girl.
The Princess' anguish around Athena's arrival was articulated in an open letter she wrote for British Vogue earlier this week.
"Nothing quite prepares you for the moment when you realise your baby is going to arrive early. There's so little control," Beatrice penned.
Adding: "Will she arrive healthy? Will there be complications? How will you juggle the rest of family life while trying to keep a tiny human safe and well?"
Beatrice's commitment to the charity is incredibly reminiscent of how the Duchess of Edinburgh continues to support organisations for the visually impaired following her daughter's birth in 2003.
Sophie's daughter, Lady Louise Windsor was born with Esotropia which causes a squint in one eye that turns inwards, according to the NHS.
At 18 months old, Lady Louise underwent surgery to correct her vision. Unfortunately, this was unsuccessful. "Her squint was quite profound when she was tiny," said the Duchess. "And it takes time to correct it. You've got to make sure one eye doesn’t become more dominant than the other."
Lady Louise went on to have a second procedure in 2014 when she was ten years old, and her vision was overhauled. "She's fine now – her eyesight is perfect," Sophie added.
Since Louise's early years, Sophie has poured her charitable efforts into supporting organisations such as Seeing Is Believing, blindness prevention charity, the Vision Foundation and Orbis UK.
Sophie has also become a spokesperson and continually campaigns to reduce avoidable blindness. Her dedication to the cause led her to be named the Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
Over one billion people live with preventable sight loss. In 2012, the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust (QEDJT) was launched with the aim to end avoidable blindness across the Commonwealth and beyond.
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Baby Athena
Since her early arrival in January Beatrice and her family have been besotted by their little girl.
Announcing the news to the world, proud dad Edoardo shared a beautiful photo of his newborn swaddled in a pink blanket and cradled in his arms.
Captioning the post, he wrote: "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. Our hearts are overflowing with love for you, baby Athena. [Pink love heart emoji]."
"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."
A new photo of little Athena was shared earlier this week and showed her snuggled into her toy bunny. See the full story here.
