Princess Beatrice Once Had A Major Weight Loss Transformation. Here's How She Did It

Princess Beatrice knows all too well the struggles that members of the royal family face in maintaining a perfect image. As a teenager, she endured immense scrutiny surrounding her appearance, from her weight to Beatrice's sometimes questionable fashion choices. And she's not alone — both her mother, Sarah Ferguson, and sister, Princess Eugenie, were also bullied and shamed by the media for their weight (the press even used to refer to Sarah as the "Duchess of Pork"). "My experience was about growing up and living a very public life and living in an overexposed environment. So that's from being 18 and struggling with your weight to what fashion choices you are wearing," Beatrice acknowledged while reflecting on her struggles growing up in the spotlight during a 2017 anti-bullying event (via Vogue). Over time, she learned to just roll with it, noting, "Turning a negative into a positive is all about how you look at things."

The princess also took action. After unflattering photos of her wearing a bikini during a trip to St. Barts were widely circulated and harshly criticized in 2008, the then 19-year-old royal was inspired to embark on a fitness journey, debuting a slimmer figure in 2009 much to the surprise of fans everywhere. According to the Daily Mail, Beatrice was able to shed a whopping 28 lbs., or 12 kg., while training for the 2010 London Marathon. While looking back on her impressive journey, Beatrice credited her dedication to fitness and a healthy lifestyle as the secrets to her stunning transformation.

Princess Beatrice's personal trainer discussed her stunning weight loss transformation with Life & Style magazine, revealing the exact routine she followed in order to achieve her toned physique. According to Nadya Fairweather, who started working with the royal back in 2009, she created a tailored program for Beatrice consisting of high intensity exercises and core-strengthening movements. "She was actually really fit so we did loads of squats and lunges and burpees and we did sprint work," Fairweather explained. "We did an hour of not really having a break so it was more high intensity stuff. But always full body." They also regularly engaged in resistance training and boxing. And rain or shine, Beatrice always showed up no matter what. 

"This is a perfect example of someone with amazing work ethic because we trained — I kid you not — in sleet, snow, rain," Fairweather confirmed. "We were outside every single session and she trained through all of it." From having very little experience in the gym to essentially being addicted to working out, Beatrice was a delight to work with, according to the fitness expert. Aside from sticking to an intense training routine that helped her shed plenty of body fat, Beatrice also somewhat surprisingly didn't follow a strict diet. "She eats, which helps. She eats really healthily, but she eats," Fairweather told Express in 2014, clarifying that the princess wanted to maintain her natural shape: "Beatrice has beautiful curves and she embraces that."

Princess Beatrice was barely into double digits when she started to become conscious of her weight thanks in no small part to her mother Sarah Ferguson's watchful gaze. In 1997, the Duchess of York came under fire when she suggested in an interview that she'd encouraged her daughter to go on a diet after observing that she had gained weight (Beatrice was just eight years old at the time). "We noticed she was kind of appearing a bit chunky. So I began explaining a little of the Weight Watchers' regime. I said: 'OK, that's it. From now on, today only, no bread. And no more fizzy drinks," Ferguson, who was notably a Weight Watchers spokesperson herself, recalled during a press conference, per The Independent. She also chided, "Poor baby. I think over-eating sort of runs in the family."

Alas, her insecurities only intensified as the princess grew up in the public eye. Her personal trainer, Nadya Fairweather, confessed to Express that it broke her heart seeing how self-conscious Beatrice was about her body. "It was very upsetting," Fairweather admitted. Referring to the princess' viral bikini pictures, she reasoned, "I don't know any 18-year-old who has not had a bad photograph taken of them, especially in swimwear." Beatrice spoke candidly about her struggles with fame and body image in a 2008 interview with the Daily Mail, sadly disclosing, "I know it comes with the territory. The trouble is, I don't have much confidence so it can be quite upsetting." Fortunately, the princess gained a new perspective in the intervening time and is now focused on being fit and healthy.