Beatrice's Newest Little Royal Has A Sweet Connection To The Queen

Princess Beatrice has given birth to her second daughter, and it's clear that the royal chose to honor her late grandmother with her new little girl's name. A week after Beatrice's newest child's birth on January 22, 2025, the royal family's Instagram account posted an announcement with the baby's full name of Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi. It came alongside a photo of the newborn covering her face, taken by little Athena's dad and Beatrice's husband, property magnate Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Of course, it's not a mystery where the "Elizabeth" in the name came from. Clearly, it's a tribute to Beatrice's grandmother and the United Kingdom's longest-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II.

The "Rose" is also perhaps a nod to the former queen. Roses have long been associated with the British monarchy, and Elizabeth was known to be a fan of the flowers. David Austin Roses even bred a new variety of roses that the horticulturist named for the queen in celebration of her Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

"Athena," the name of the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare, may be a bit of a curveball, though. Edoardo hails from Italian nobility, so it's certainly interesting that the couple chose the Greek name rather than Athena's traditional Latin name of Minerva.

Of course, little Athena Mozzi isn't the first young royal whose name includes a tribute to the family matriarch. Funny enough, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mozzi's other daughter, Sienna, also has the middle name Elizabeth, along with other royal youngsters.

Prince William and Princess Catherine's only daughter Princess Charlotte, also has Elizabeth as a middle name; her full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. And then there's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter, Lilibet, who's named after one of Queen Elizabeth's childhood nicknames. There was some controversy over that name after Lilibet's 2021 birth, with reports that the royal expats didn't get the queen's permission to use the name. Beyond those, Peter Phillips, who is the son of Princess Anne, has a daughter named Isla Elizabeth. His sister, Zara Tindall, has a daughter named Lena Elizabeth.

If there were an Elizabeth race to the throne, Charlotte would be third in the royal line of succession. as of this writing, Lilibet is seventh, Sienna is 10th, and Athena is 11th, followed by Isla in 21st and Lena in 24th. However, it's highly unlikely any of these ladies will have the opportunity to become queen in their lifetimes. However, if the royals continue the tradition of including Elizabeth in their daughters' names, one of them is bound to make it to the throne eventually.

Edoardo Mozzi posted the photo of his newest daughter to his personal Instagram account as well, where he wrote a touching note: "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." Wolfie is the nickname given to Christopher Woolf, Beatrice's stepson whom she co-parents with Eduardo and his ex-girlfriend Dara Huang.

Beatrice's mom, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, and her sister, Princess Eugenie, also celebrated the new addition to their family. Ferguson wrote on Instagram, "Overflowing with love and joy to be able to welcome Athena Elizabeth Rose into the world. She is already so adored, and I'm incredibly blessed to be a Granny once again."

Athena appears to have been born several weeks prematurely, as Buckingham Palace had originally issued a due date of early spring. But by all indications, little Athena and Beatrice are both thankfully happy and healthy.