Prince Beatrice, the eldest of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s children, has delighted royal fans recently with her appearances at Lady Gabriella Windsor’s royal wedding last month, and the Trooping the Colour parade yesterday. With engagement rumours swirling around the princess, many are hopeful she will join her sister Princess Eugenie and tie the knot in her own royal wedding soon. However, what many royal watchers may not realise is Princess Beatrice’s name is a reminder of the way in which the British Royal Family is linked with the Spanish Royal House of Bourbon.
When the Princess was born in 1988, Burke’s Peerage commented: “The reason the Duke and Duchess of York have chosen the name Beatrice is because of their desire to honour the King and Queen of Spain, who are more responsible for making the Duchess feel at home in the Royal Family than any other couple.
“The important Beatrice in royal history was a great-grandmother of the king of Spain, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria.
“It is well known that the King of Spain (Juan Carlos I) was very touched with this honour."
The 19th-century Beatrice married Prince Henry of Battenberg, and their daughter was named Victoria Eugenie, the namesake of the present-day Princess Eugenie.
Princess Beatrice and Spain's Queen Letizia (Image: Getty)
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew welcomed Princess Beatrice in 1988 (Image: Getty)
Victoria Eugenie went on to become the Queen of Spain, marrying King Alfonso XIII, who ruled from 1906 to 1931.
However, the modern-day Beatrice’s name was considered an usual choice at the time of her birth.
With punters overwhelmingly plumping for Victoria or Elizabeth, Beatrice’s name came as a surprise.
William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said at the time: “’Not one punter backed
