Princess Beatrice Advocates for Premature Birth Research After Daughter's Early Arrival

In November 2025, Princess Beatrice, the eldest daughter of the disgraced former Duke of York, has stepped forward to raise awareness about the urgent need for more research into prematurity. This comes after the early birth of her own daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose, in January 2022.

Beatrice, now 37 years old, is fronting a campaign for the premature birth research charity Borne. She says the work of the organization has become "incredibly close and personal" to her following her daughter's premature arrival. Globally, 15 million babies are born too soon each year, and complications from prematurity remain the leading cause of neonatal death and lifelong disability.

Yet, Borne states that less than 2% of medical research funding is dedicated to pregnancy and childbirth. Beatrice hopes her support will help transform the outcomes for families affected by premature births in the future. She joined the charity's event in London, where the "every week counts" message was highlighted, emphasizing the importance of keeping babies in the womb until full term.

The princess, who is a patron of Borne, also visited the organization's research laboratories at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, accompanied by meteorologist Laura Tobin. Borne's chief executive, David Badcock, said Beatrice's involvement will help raise awareness of this critical, yet underfunded, area of medical research.