Early life and education

Birth and naming

Beatrice was born on 8 August 1988, at 8:18 pm at the Portland Hospital, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, and fifth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. She was baptised in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace on 20 December 1988, her godparents being: Viscount Linley (her father's cousin); the Duchess of Roxburghe (now Lady Jane Dawnay); Peter Palumbo ; Gabrielle Greenall; and Carolyn Cotterell. She was named Beatrice after Queen Victoria's youngest daughter Princess Beatrice; Elizabeth after her paternal grandmother the Queen; and Mary after Queen Mary and her maternal grandmother's second name. Her name, an unexpected choice, was not announced until almost two weeks after her birth. As a male-line grandchild of the Sovereign, Beatrice was styled Her Royal Highness with the title Princess Beatrice of York.

Education and career

Beatrice began her early education at the independent Upton House School in Windsor, in 1991. From there, she and her sister both attended the independent Coworth Park School from 1995. Beatrice continued her education at the independent St. George's School in Ascot, where she was a pupil from 2000 to 2007. Having been diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, she delayed sitting her GCSE exams for one year. She remained at St. George's to take her A-Levels, gaining a grade A in drama, and B grades in history and film studies. She was elected Head Girl in her final year.

In September 2008, she started a three-year course studying for a BA in History and History of Ideas at Goldsmiths College, London. Princess Beatrice graduated in 2011 with a 2:1 degree.

In April 2010, Princess Beatrice became the first member of the Royal Family to complete the London Marathon, running with friends to raise money as part of 'Team Caterpillar', which supported a number of charities.

Her charitable work continued with a global ambassadorship for her mother's charity, Children In Crisis, founded in 1993 with the aim of educating women and children in some of the world's poorest countries. More recently, Princess Beatrice with six close friends — including the children of Sir Richard Branson — formed the unique philanthropic organization known as The Big Change, a charitable incubator modeled after technology startups and tasked with identifying and supporting projects that improve the lives of young people. In September 2012, she and her fellow Big Change founders climbed Mont Blanc as part of The Big Climb, the group's first fundraising project.

She is Patron of the York Musical Society, the York Theatre Royal, the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, Broomwood African Education Foundation, the Berkshire Community Foundation, English National Ballet School, and Fashion for the Brave (only in 2013). She is also a Junior Ambassador for Children in Crisis, Ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and is a co-founder of Big Change.

Princess Beatrice works full-time in business. She currently Lives in New York working for an Associate at Sandbridge Capital.

From September 2011 - January 2012, Beatrice was a Research Associate for Children in Crisis UK, February 2012 - June 2013, she was a Private Equity Analyst for Cabot Square Capital, January 2014 - January 2015, she had a job as an International Production Analyst for Sony Pictures Entertainment. After the cyber attack on Sony she decided to get more work experience elsewhere. On May 2015, Beatrice became an Associates at Sandbridge Capital.

Personal interests

In an interview to mark her 18th birthday, Princess Beatrice said that she wanted to use her position to assist others through charity work; she had already undertaken charitable duties alongside her mother through the various organisations the Duchess supported. In 2002, Beatrice visited HIV-infected children in Russia, and, in Britain, she supported Springboard for Children (a literacy project for primary-school children with learning difficulties) and the Teenage Cancer Trust. During the summer of 2008, Beatrice volunteered as a sales assistant at Selfridges, and it was reported Beatrice and a friend had plans to found a fashion label. In April 2010, running to raise money for Children in Crisis, she became the first member of the Royal Family to complete the London Marathon.

Beatrice was the first member of the Royal Family to appear in a non-documentary film when she had a small, non-speaking role as an extra in The Young Victoria (2009), based on the accession and early reign of her ancestor, Queen Victoria.

Beatrice is in a long-term relationship with Virgin Galactic businessman Dave Clark.

Activities as a member of the Royal Family

Princess Beatrice does not carry out official duties as a member of the Royal Family and as she is not an official "working member" of the Royal Family, she receives no allowance from the Privy Purse. Her solo activities are not reported in the Court Circular. However, she is involved in numerous activities due to her membership of the Royal Family. Princess Beatrice has been present at a number of official Royal occasions, such as Trooping the Colour in London, and the Queen's eightieth birthday. She and her sister were also guests at the Concert for Diana, in memory of their late aunt organised by their cousins, Princes William and Harry. Both princesses attended the service of thanksgiving for Diana on 1 September 2007, representing their father, who was on an official visit to Malaysia. Beatrice was present at the wedding of her cousin Peter Phillips to Autumn Kelly in 2008, and the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. At the wedding, Beatrice's fascinator designed by Philip Treacy was remarked upon by some as an odd choice of fashion. Nonetheless, in May 2011, the hat was offered for sale on the internet auction site eBay with the proceeds going to charity: it was sold for £81,000 ($123,325), with the money split between Unicef and Children in Crisis. A few months later Princess Beatrice was seen at the wedding of her cousin Zara Phillips to Rugby player Mike Tindall.

Princess Beatrice accompanied her grandmother, the Queen, to the traditional Royal Maundy services on 5 April 2012 in York. Other than the Duke of Edinburgh, she was the sole member of the Royal Family to attend the Maundy Thursday services at York Minster with the Queen. There, Beatrice interacted with parishioners, received flowers from the public, and assisted the Queen as she passed out the official Maundy money to the pensioners. This recalls Queen Victoria's habit of having her royal granddaughters attend her at particularly important events or meetings. In the lead up to the 2012 Summer Olympics Princess Beatrice welcomed the Olympic flame on the steps of Harewood House near Leeds.

While it was never an official role Princess Beatrice and her sister have promoted Britain overseas via Germany in 2013. She also visited The Isle of Wight in 2014.

After the birth of her first cousin once removed, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge in 2015, Beatrice moved from sixth to seventh in the line of succession. Consequently, she no longer needs the permission of the sovereign of the UK to marry, as only the first six individuals in the line of succession require such permission.

Princess Beatrice accompanied her father during an official engagement in the United Arab Emirates on 24 November 2014. She is also mentioned in the Court Circular when she attends Royal Garden Parties, official Receptions or other events such as attending Epsom Races or Royal Ascot with other members of the Royal Family.

In November 2012, Beatrice became a patron of the York Musical Society.

In April 2013, Beatrice became royal patron of The Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre, a charity that she credits with helping her overcome her own academic challenges resulting from dyslexia.

Titles, styles and arms

Titles and styles

While the announcement of the Princess's name as Beatrice was made some two weeks after her birth, she was, from birth, a British princess entitled to the style of Royal Highness. Her style and title in full is: Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice Elizabeth Mary of York. She has no official surname, but she uses the name of the area over which her father holds dukedom: York.

Arms

Arms of Princess Beatrice of York

Notes The Princess' personal coat of arms is the shield of the arms of the sovereign in right of the United Kingdom, differenced by a label of five points bearing three bees in reference to her forename and maternal arms. Adopted 18 July 2006 Coronet A coronet composed of four crosses formy and four strawberry leaves. Escutcheon Quarterly 1st and 4th gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or 2nd Or a lion rampant gules within a double tressure flory counterflory gules 3rd azure a harp Or stringed argent. Supporters Dexter a lion rampant gardant Or imperially crowned proper, sinister a unicorn argent, armed, crined and unguled Or, gorged with a coronet Or composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back also Or. Other elements The whole differenced by a label of five points argent, the centre and exterior points each charged with a bee volant proper. Banner The Princess' personal Royal Standard is that of the sovereign in right of the United Kingdom, labelled for difference as in her arms. Symbolism As with the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom. The first and fourth quarters are the arms of England, the second of Scotland, the third of Ireland. The use of three bees in her arms continues the trend in royal heraldry (cf. the arms of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge) of using charges from the maternal line (The Ferguson arms feature a crest bearing a bee). It can also be considered a pun on the name Beatrice, an unusual example of canting in modern royal arms.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Princess Beatrice of York

16. George I of Greece 8. Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark 17. Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia 4. Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark 18. Prince Louis of Battenberg 9. Princess Alice of Battenberg 19. Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine 2. Prince Andrew, Duke of York 20. George V of the United Kingdom 10. George VI of the United Kingdom 21. Princess Mary of Teck 5. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom 22. Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne 11. Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon 23. Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck 1. Princess Beatrice of York 24. Brig. Gen. Algernon Ferguson 12. Col. Andrew Ferguson 25. The Honourable Margaret Brand 6. Maj. Ronald Ferguson 26. Lord Herbert Montagu Douglas Scott 13. Hon. Marian Montagu Douglas Scott 27. Marie Edwards 3. Sarah Ferguson 28. Henry FitzHerbert Wright 14. FitzHerbert Wright 29. Muriel Fletcher 7. Susan Wright 30. Mervyn Wingfield, 8th Viscount Powerscourt 15. The Honourable Doreen Wingfield 31. Sybil Pleydell-Bouverie

[ Source: Wikipedia ]