Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s joy at arrival of baby daughter

Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi have shared their delight after the safe arrival of their baby daughter.

The Queen’s granddaughter gave birth to her first child, a girl weighing 6lb 2oz, at 11.42pm on Saturday September 18 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, Buckingham Palace announced in a statement on Monday.

Beatrice, 33, wrote on Twitter: “So delighted to share the news of the safe arrival of our daughter.”

Beatrice is understood to have already returned home with her new addition to the family.

Her mother Sarah, Duchess of York was described by a family friend as being “absolutely over the moon”.

Sarah met her new granddaughter over the weekend after returning from a stay at Balmoral on Friday.

Beatrice’s sister Princess Eugenie posted her congratulations on Instagram to “dearest Beabea and Edo” for their “new angel”.

She also wrote to the new arrival: “To my new niece ⁣I love you already and think you’re just awesome from the photos..

“We’re going to have so much fun ⁣together. Love your Auntie Euge.”

“The baby weighs 6lb and 2oz.

“The new baby’s grandparents and great-grandparents have all been informed and are delighted with the news. The family would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care.

“Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well, and the couple are looking forward to introducing their daughter to her big brother Christopher Woolf.”

The princess is stepmother to Mr Mapelli Mozzi’s young son “Wolfie”, from his previous relationship with ex-fiancee Dara Huang.

The baby, who is 11th in line to the throne, is the Queen’s 12th great-grandchild, and the second to be born since the Duke of Edinburgh’s death, following the arrival of the Sussexes’ daughter Lili in June.

Clarence House posted a message to the family, tweeting: “Congratulations to Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on the happy news of the birth of their daughter.”

Bookmakers Ladbrokes has Matilda and Florence leading the betting on the baby’s name, at odds of 4/1 and 9/2.

The princess and millionaire property tycoon Mr Mapelli Mozzi married in July 2020 in a secret lockdown wedding attended by the Queen and Philip after their planned ceremony was postponed because of the pandemic.

The baby’s arrival has brought joy to the family amid the legal wranglings over the US civil sexual assault lawsuit Andrew is facing.

The duke, who stepped down from royal duties in 2019, is being sued by Virginia Giuffre, who accuses him of sexually abusing her when she was a minor under US law after she was trafficked by billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew’s legal team have contested whether he has been officially notified about Ms Giuffre’s claim for damages.

Beatrice’s younger sister Eugenie, to whom she is incredibly close, had a baby boy, August, in February.

The sisters will be delighted to have their children so close together in age and to share the experience of being first-time mothers.

Their cousin Zara Tindall welcomed her third child, a son, Lucas, in March, while Harry, also their cousin, and Meghan have since had daughter Lili, but the Sussexes are thousands of miles away in the US.

She has a number of royal patronages including the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre.

In August, she spoke of how her own dyslexia was a “gift” because it has offered her different skills in life and that her own child or her “bonus son” Wolfie would be lucky if diagnosed with it.

Known as Edo, Mr Mapelli Mozzi is the son of former Olympic skier Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi and Nikki Williams-Ellis.