Just like with Princess Beatrice and the early arrival of her daughter Athena, there is another royal couple who also opened up about their terrifying experience when welcoming their first child. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh also endured a nerve-wracking ordeal when their now 21-year-old daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, arrived prematurely in 2003.

The youngest granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was born on November 8, 2003, around the 36-week mark in Duchess Sophie’s pregnancy. Just one year earlier, Sophie had been airlifted to hospital after suffering an ectopic pregnancy.

At this stage of her pregnancy, Sophie suffered severe internal pains and was admitted to Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey. After she arrived, doctors found the then-38-year-old to be dangerously ill from blood loss and performed an emergency caesarean.

During childbirth, Sophie almost died and, following her daughter's arrival, she had to spend the next six days away from her 4lbs 9oz baby girl.

After her arrival, Lady Louise spent two weeks in intensive care in the specialist neonatal unit at St George's Hospital, South-West London. Previously speaking to OK!, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond recalls the time she heard that Sophie was in labour.

She said: "They nurtured Louise, I think a great deal. I think Louise has always held a very dear part in their hearts as any child does, but because it was such a difficult birth.

Jennie continued: "I remember exactly where I was when I got the call that Sophie was in real difficulty and that she had lost pints and pints of blood when she had Louise and she almost lost her life. Louise, as I say, occupies a very special place in their lives, just as their son James does."

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi welcomed their second daughter, named Athena, on January 22, 2025. The 36-year-old has shared the story of Athena's premature birth with British Vogue Magazine - with Edoardo taking to social media to share his pride.

Revealing in her new interview that Athena is doing "really well", Beatrice wrote: "Nothing quite prepares you for the moment when you realise your baby is going to arrive early. There’s so little control.

"You know that when your baby arrives the doctors and midwives are going to be there, doing everything they can to ensure she makes it through those challenging first few days. But you have no idea how these things will play out, what happens next. The uncertainty leaves you with an overwhelming fear of the unknown."