Princess Beatrice Admits 'Homeschooling' Stepson Wolfie Was 'Definitely Not My Forte,' Says She 'Felt Very Lucky To Have Had The Chance To Work With My Bonus Son'
Aug. 16 2021, Published 10:58 a.m. ET
When the world went into lockdown, there were some silver linings for Princess Beatrice. The royal got to spend more time with her stepson, Wolfie — whom Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi shares with Dara Huang — and even attempted to help him with school work.
"Homeschooling, that was definitely not my forte!" Beatrice told Hello! magazine. "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."
During the interview, the mom-to-be — who suffers from dyslexia — spoke more about her condition.
"Even referring to it as a diagnosis, I feel, does a disservice to the brilliance of some of the most fantastic minds that we have," she said. "Just shifting the narrative a little bit towards something that is positive, something that is impactful, can really help everyone."
"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," she continued. "Honestly, what inspired me to talk about dyslexia the way that I have, is because I really want to change the narrative around the diagnosis. Even referring to it as a diagnosis I feel does a disservice to the brilliance of some of the most fantastic minds that we have. And I think just shifting the narrative a little bit towards something that is positive, that is impactful, I think can really help everyone."
Fortunately, Beatrice has prevailed over the years.
"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," she said. "I always describe it like being able to think in a circle. Yes, my spelling is appalling, and I wish that I could do something about that. But luckily, spellcheck has sorted that out for me."
Beatrice is due soon, and now she is thinking about what her future tot will have to go through at school.
"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," she noted.
She added, "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. 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 organizations, then I feel very, very lucky that we can have this conversation."
