PRINCESS BEATRICE
REVEALS WHY SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING CHILDREN EMBRACE THE ‘GIFT’ OF DYSLEXIA ‘Having dyslexia definitely has allowed me to look at things in a new way’
Princess Beatrice is on a mission to change preconceptions around dyslexia, which she was identified as having when she was seven years old.
Her plan starts with how she refers to it, with the Queen’s 33-year-old granddaughter calling the disorder – which can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling – her “gift” and “learning difference”.
“Even referring to it as a diagnosis, I feel, does a disservice to the brilliance of some of the most fantastic minds we have,” Beatrice tells our digital guest editor Giovanna Fletcher as they chat over Zoom. “Just shifting the narrative a little bit towards something positive, something that is impactful, can really help everyone.”
Beatrice has been patron of the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity, which gives young people the tools they need to learn in their own way, since 2013, and has a real passion for speaking openly about her own experience of dyslexia. Here, the royal – who is expecting her first child with her husband of one year Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi – talks about how dyslexia has affected her life, home schooling her “bonus son” – five-year-old stepson Wolfie – and her own early school memories of feeling “a little muddled” and “the odd one out”.
You’re very open about your dyslexia journey. What inspired you to share your story?
“I think storytelling is one of the most fantastic ways to communicate. If, by sharing my story, I can help one young person, whether they’re 11 or seven, just receiving the news that they’ve got the gift of dyslexia, then I think you’ve got such a fantastic opportunity to share some of these great learnings.
“That’s what I really love about what we’re trying to do and the fantastic work Helen Arkell is really supporting. How do we inspire
things to be done in a different way? It’s not a one-size, one-solution-fitsall model and I think that really needs to be talked about.
“I was very lucky that when I was first told 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. And that’s something that’s really, really important to me.
“I find it very inspiring every day to talk about it because if you can change one idea in someone’s head, then you’ve done a great thing.”
You talk about dyslexia being a gift and about looking at things in a different way – and actually, when you have someone who thinks a little bit out of the box, that’s how great things happen…
“Exactly! I think that having dyslexia and reflecting on where I am right now in my career path – and also as an older person looking back – it definitely has allowed me to look at things in a new way and come up with solutions. I always describe it like being able to think in a circle.
“My spelling is appalling and I wish I could do something about that, but luckily, spellcheck has sorted that out for me!”
Everyone can benefit from looking at things in a different way…
“Completely. When we think about the last year – parents now teaching their children on Zoom and trying to home school – I think we’re having a quicker conversation about change.
“And I’m very grateful that even during the pandemic, Helen Arkell were there, making sure they were able to deliver that extra support when it was needed.
“Home schooling – that was definitely not my forte! Not going to lie. Sadly, I can’t blame that on dyslexia, but I’ve felt very lucky to have had the chance to work with my bonus son over the course of the school closures. It was a huge learning curve for all of us.”
Before you were told you had dyslexia, what was school like?
“I remember feeling really confused – an overwhelming sense of: ‘Why does this all feel a little bit muddled? Why do I feel like these words on the page are just a bunch of… What’s going on here? What am I expected to do with this?’ Maybe it’s a personality trait, but I don’t like feeling muddled.
“I think that mentality really led my parents and others on a voyage of discovery. I’m very lucky that I had some fantastic teachers who were aware of different diagnoses and different practices that we could work towards.
“But that feeling of confusion, feeling a little bit like you’re the odd one out – I remember one teacher, I’d be looking at the words, trying to formulate them in front of me, and I just looked at her with these big eyes to say: ‘What am I supposed to do?’
And her response was: ‘The words are not written on my face.’ And I’m thinking: ‘Well, I don’t know what they’re doing on the page, either!’
“I think it was quite an empowering thing, actually, between the age of seven and 11, really figuring out what you could and couldn’t do. I actually think it’s been the making of some of my best decision-makings.”
Now that you’re expecting, does it make you look to the school years and think about what’s to come and the possible challenges?
“It’s a great question. 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 Centre 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.
“My husband’s also dyslexic,