Princess Beatrice will mark her 38th birthday on Saturday, August 8, and this year’s celebrations will likely look a little different for King Charles’s niece. She’s been relatively absent from public life after her father was arrested in February, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor biographer Andrew Lownie says that the tough period Beatrice and her sister Eugenie have been going through is unlikely to change much this year.
Lownie, who wrote the bestselling book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, told the Daily Mail that this weekend's birthday “will not be an easy one” for Princess Beatrice due to “the state of her title, her marriage and her business activities.”
“Much has changed for the York family since Beatrice's last birthday,” the author continued. Since last August, the princess’s father was stripped of his titles and honors, evicted from his home, Royal Lodge, and arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Meanwhile, mom Sarah Ferguson has been “in hiding abroad.”
Rumors about Beatrice experiencing marital troubles with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi have been buzzing for months amid the scandals with her parents, and this year, Mapelli Mozzi, who often posts tributes to his wife on social media, stayed quiet on their anniversary.
On top of her family stress, Lownie admits that the publication of his book as well as Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, haven’t made life easier for the eldest York sister.
Although they did join the Royal Family for Christmas 2025, Beatrice and Eugenie didn't head to Windsor for Easter and skipped Royal Ascot this year. The sisters did attend cousin Peter Phillips's wedding to Harriet Sperling, making their only appearance of the year with the Royal Family on June 6.
Lownie says that another pressing issue with Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie is the “questions raised over the daughters' subsidized accommodation at St James's Palace and Kensington Palace though not working royals.” After it was uncovered that Mountbatten-Windsor was living practically rent-free at Royal Lodge, his daughter's living arrangements have made headlines in recent months, along with questions over whether they should keep their titles.
Despite everything going on, the York family does have one big reason to celebrate this week, aside from Beatrice's birthday. Princess Eugenie gave birth to a baby girl on August 3, sharing a sweet photo on Instagram of the yet-to-be-named little girl, who was born in Portugal, where Eugenie and husband Jack have a second home.
