Princess Beatrice opens up about the ‘gift’ of dyslexia as she hopes to ‘shift the narrative’

Princess Beatrice has revealed she considers her dyslexia to be a “gift” and hopes to “shift the narrative” around it as she prepares to welcome her first child in the autumn. 

• Princess Beatrice has described being identified as dyslexic as a “gift” and expressed her belief that it’s life’s challenges that “make you”.   
• She discussed the significance of changing “one little idea” to help “shift the narrative” surrounding dyslexia.  
• This royal news comes as Prince Charles shares a rare baby photo to celebrate Princess Anne on her birthday. 

Princess Beatrice has powerfully opened up about her determination to help change perceptions surrounding dyslexia for the better. Earlier this year, Princess Beatrice announced her pregnancy with a heart-warming post and the Queen’s twelfth great-grandchild is due this autumn. Now, Princess Beatrice has shared deeply personal insights into her experience with dyslexia and described the prospect of her future children or stepson, Wolfie, one day being identified as dyslexic like her as a “gift”.

Opening up to Hello! Guest Editor Giovanna Fletcher during an interview for their Back to School digital issue, Princess Beatrice expressed her gratitude that organizations such as the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity, of which she is a Patron, exist to provide support to parents.

Asked whether she is looking ahead to the school years and the possible challenges to come, Beatrice declared, "I was thinking about this as well, that if any child, any bonus son, or future babies that are on their way, are lucky enough to be diagnosed with dyslexia, I feel incredibly grateful to have tools such as the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity to be able to tap into, to give them that extra support."

“I think it's really important for every parent, that they feel they are not alone in this,” the royal added. 

Princess Beatrice went on to reveal that both she and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are dyslexic and that they have already been discussing what might lie ahead for them as parents.

"My husband's also dyslexic so we'll see whether we're having this conversation in a couple of months' time with a new baby in the house, but I really see it as a gift,” the Queen’s granddaughter continued. 

She continued, “And I think life is about the moments, it's the challenges that make you. Of course, I would never want there to be any difficult situations. But I feel like if we're able to embrace some of the tools that we have from the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity and other organisations, then I feel very, very lucky that we can have this conversation."

Having been identified as dyslexic herself at seven, Princess Beatrice expressed her belief that referring to it as a “diagnosis” does a “disservice to the brilliance of some of the most fantastic minds that we have”. Instead, she hopes to help transform people’s perceptions of dyslexia into something more “positive”.  

“Just shifting the narrative a little bit towards something that is positive, something that is impactful, can really help everyone," she explained.  

"I was very lucky that when I was first told that I had dyslexia, not one person around me ever made me feel like it was a 'lesser than' scenario. It was always about moving forward, it was always about what you could do. Never about what you can't.

Ultimately, Princess Beatrice disclosed, this focus on positivity and development is one of the most important things for her. 

“[T]hat's something that's really, really important to me. I find it very inspiring every day to talk about it. Because if you can just change one little idea in someone's head, then you've done a great thing,” she declared.