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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Jennifer Newton

Inside Princess Beatrice's sweet bond with the Queen - name change and wedding tribute

A whole host of royals will visit the Chelsea Flower Show today - with the Queen also hoping to attend.

If she does go, she'll have her son Prince Edward, daughter-in-law Sophie Wessex and one of her granddaughters, Princess Beatrice there to keep her company.

Beatrice is one of the 96-year-old monarch's eight grandchildren and the mum-of-one always speaks sweetly about her grandmother.

While the Queen gave Beatrice permission to wear some of her most sentimental pieces from her wardrobe on her wedding day. Here we take a closer look at their strong bond...

Name change

Beatrice is the oldest child of the Queen's second son Prince Andrew and his former wife Sarah Ferguson.

Princess Beatrice, who has the Queen's first name Elizabeth as a middle name (Getty Images)

And Her Majesty took a keen interest in her granddaughter from almost the minute she was born - and played a huge part in choosing her name.

It took two weeks for Beatrice's parents to formally announce her name because of the Queen's concerns, reports the Sun.

Fergie had her heart set on naming her daughter Princess Annabel, but Her Majesty's feedback, apparently, was that the name was too "yuppie".

However it seems as if what the Queen takes away with one hand, she gives with another - she then suggested Beatrice, believed to having taken inspiration from the name of Queen Victoria's youngest daughter, and the rest is history.

Beatrice's full name is Beatrice Elizabeth Mary, with her middle names paying tribute to her grandmother and great great-grandmother.

Maternal bond

Beatrice helps the Queen with flowers at Sandringham at Christmas 2009 (AFP/Getty Images)

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Growing up, Beatrice and her younger sister Princess Eugenie were believed to be very close to the Queen - and only lived a short drive from Windsor Castle.

Royal author Ingrid Seward told the Channel 5 documentary ‘Beatrice and Eugenie: Pampered Princesses?’,: “They would often go and have tea with the Queen and Prince Philip.

“Again, Fergie said they had three sets of manners: One was for her, one was for when they were out and the third was when they were with the Queen.”

royal expert Angela Levin claimed the Queen has been “maternal” of their princesses, as they are children of divorce.

While fellow expert Angela Levin added: "

Ms Levin said: “It’s always very difficult for children to see their parents split up.

“And I think perhaps the Queen even felt more maternal towards them."

Full of admiration

Beatrice has spoken of her admiration for her grandmother (PA)

After growing up close to the Queen, it's no wonder that in interviews as an adult, Beatrice has spoken of her admiration for her grandmother.

In a Hello interview Beatrice once said: “I have two role models, my mother and my grandmother....I am very lucky that I happen to be related to these two incredible women."

Beatrice has also previously said how she found the Queen inspiring due to her “sense of duty”.

She told Hello: “I find my grandmother inspiring every day because her overwhelming sense of duty is linked with an overwhelming curiosity.

“Every day she’s curious to learn something new, to do something new ... she goes out into the community with a genuine curiosity as to how she can be a force for good in the world."

Wedding tribute

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi with the Queen and the late Prince Philip on their wedding day (Benjamin Wheeler/PA)

However, the biggest indication of the sweet bond between granddaughter and grandmother came in July 2020 - on Beatrice's wedding day.

Beatrice wed husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a scaled back ceremony due to strict Covid restrictions at the time.

The Queen and the late Prince Philip were among the small number of guests - and for the big day, Beatrice wore a dress straight from the Queen's wardrobe.

The dress was designed by Norman Hartnell, with the Queen having worn it to several glitzy ocassions in the 1960s.

She wore the gown to the Lawrence of Arabia film premiere at the Odeon in Leicester Square on December 10, 1962. She also wore the dress to the State Opening in 1966.

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on their wedding day in 2020 (PA)

The dress was remodelled for Beatrice and fitted by the Queen's senior dresser Angela Kelly and designer Stewart Parvin, Buckingham Palace said.

Beatrice also wore the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara which was also on loan from the Queen and even worn by the monarch on her wedding day.

Speaking at the time, royal writer Penny Junor said: "It's really touching that the Queen showed such solidarity with her, especially with the tiara that she herself was married in speaks volumes.

"I think it shows how fond her grandparents are of her, it's really heartwarming."

No place on balcony

However, despite their apparent closeness, there will, unfortunately, be no place on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Beatrice after Trooping the Colour in just under two weeks.

Beatrice and Eugenie usually appear on the balcony with the rest of the royals after the annual event.

But this year, the Queen has limited balcony appearances to working members of the family only.

And despite having a princess title and being styled HRH, Beatrice is not a working royal, and therefore won't get a place.

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