Princess Beatrice Broke One York Family Naming Tradition With Daughter Athena, Who Is Celebrating Her First Birthday

Princess Beatrice's youngest daughter, Athena, is celebrating her first birthday on Thursday, January 22, and the tiniest member of the Mapelli Mozzi family takes after her 4-year-old big sister when it comes to her name.

When Beatrice was pregnant with her first daughter, Sienna, many wondered if she'd chose to follow in one special naming tradition that was created by the princess's mother, Sarah Ferguson. The former Duchess of York is a longtime fan of Queen Victoria and chose to name both Beatrice and her sister Eugenie after members of Victoria's family.

Eugenie then gave both of her sons, Ernest and August, Victorian names. But Princess Beatrice broke the tradition when Sienna was born in 2021. At the time, a source close to Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi told Hello!, "They were looking for an Italian name which started with an S for Sarah, to honor the duchess and also reflected the golden rust color of both the duchess's hair color and Beatrice's, which the new baby shares."

The couple followed the same tradition with their second child, choosing a baby name with the first letter of her father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's name. And like Sienna, one of her middle names is Elizabeth to honor Beatrice's late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi arrived months ahead of schedule last year, with proud dad Edo posting on Instagram that she was "tiny and absolutely perfect."

The couple has only brought their youngest child to one public event to date, bringing Athena, Sienna and Edo's 9-year-old son from a previous relationship, Christopher Woolf Mapelli Mozzi, to a parade to celebrate the England women's soccer team's EURO win last summer.