YOU might expect to find royalty spending their days eating fancy food, wearing designer gowns and dripping in diamonds.
But for one royal, life is much more "normal" than you'd imagine – we're talking a regular full-time job and second-hand dresses.
Princess Beatrice, who is the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, recently celebrated her 35th birthday and has now been branded a "great role model" and the royals' "relatable princess".
Married to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, she is the niece of King Charles III and granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, and has also been dubbed the royal's "secret weapon".
The royal, who has been one of King Charles's seven Counsellors of State for nearly a year now, has been described as more carefree than Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, more down to earth than Anne, Princess Royal, and more relatable than Kate, Princess of Wales.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK!: "Beatrice has put up with a lot of pressure and a lot of criticism in her life but she has really come into her own.
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"We already have a divorced queen on the throne. Now we have a relatable princess.
"Beatrice is a stepmother, who talks publicly about her dyslexia and who has more recently had to deal with the trauma of her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, having breast cancer.
“It makes her much more accessible. She seems to be universally liked."
As well as this, royal expert and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, Ingrid Seward, told OK!: "She has all her mother’s charm. She remembers people’s names and is so nice to everyone.
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"In fact, she’s a natural with people from all walks of life."
Working 9 to 5
While many of the royals are "working royals," meaning they offset the cost of their lavish lives to taxpayers by leading charities and attending state events, that's where Beatrice is different.
While the Princess can be spotted at many royal engagements doing her duty to support the crown, she has also opted to have a "regular" full-time job too.
Princess Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne, opted to pursue a career in finance, working first as an analyst at a wealth management firm before eventually becoming the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at software company Afiniti.
It might seem very un-princess-like to work a 9-to-5, but according to the girls' father, Prince Andrew, it's exactly the balance he wants for his daughters.
Andrew said in statement in 2016: "As a father, my wish for my daughters is for them is to be modern working young women, who happen to be members of the Royal Family, and I am delighted to see them building their careers.
"When they do support the Royal Family in its work this is very much appreciated by my Family."
The Royals' 'secret weapon'
Not only does she have a full-time job, but it’s reported that Beatrice is very close to her parents too.
On the royal's relationship with her father, Ingrid said: "Beatrice is very sensitive, especially about her father, as she blames herself for first encouraging him and then failing to stop him doing the Newsnight interview.
"But she also has massive public sympathy for the amount of very unpleasant publicity her father has generated."
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede said: "Beatrice is a great role model for others who experience family troubles.
“She’s dealt with a lot of turbulence in her life, including a broken home and a father – the Duke of York – who’s been quite controversial.
“And she appears to have weathered those storms very well.
"She also has the ability to see both sides of the coin, so with regards to Harry’s falling out with William and King Charles, she can be more open minded and encourage both sides to discuss, talk about and potentially heal that rift.
"I think if anyone can heal it it’ll be her or perhaps Princess Anne. Beatrice could well be the royals' secret weapon."
A Royal wedding unlike no other
Whilst it's typical royal style to have a big splashy wedding, that ended up not being so for Princess Beatrice.
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding was estimated to cost more than £32 million, when Beatrice tied the knot to Edoardo in 2020, it was in a quaint and understated way after the Covid-19 pandemic meant plans for a grander wedding had to be scrapped.
The pair said "I Do" in a small ceremony in front of just a handful of guests, without any fanfare, on a quiet afternoon in July.
Not only this, but the Princess didn’t splash out on a traditional wedding gown either.
Instead, she wore one of her grandmother's old white dresses for the occasion.
According to Ingrid Seward, Beatrice’s "happily ever after" has played a huge part in her meteoric rise to "key royal player" status in the past year.
Late night party trick
Just last month, Beatrice once again proved her relatability to the public – all through her shoes.
Beatrice and Edoardo stepped out in London for a glamorous night at Carlo Agostinelli’s birthday soirée in Mayfair, but it was the Princess’ footwear that people found relatable.
The Princess looked fabulous in a hot pink floral mini dress from ME+EM, alongside a personalised seagrass handbag from Anya Hindmarch, embroidered with the initials "BMM".
But one element of Beatrice's outfit caused a frenzy amongst royal style watchers – and it was her genius choice to wear not one, but two pairs of shoes for her night out.
Arriving at the exclusive venue, the 35-year-old royal channelled Barbie fever in embellished heels from high street brand Stradivarius.
The electric pink buckled heels were the ultimate choice for a statement but affordable party look – but Beatrice also had a backup plan.
Upon leaving the club, after perhaps too many hours on the dancefloor, the royal was photographed wearing Chanel's iconic Lambskin Ballerinas – a much more comfortable pair of flats.
Royal fans were floored by King Charles' niece making such a down-to-earth fashion statement, seemingly stunned by the prospect that even Princesses are partial to a blister.
One fan wrote on Instagram: "What I love the most about this is Bea changing heels for flats… It's always nice to see that royals are just like us normal people, who will switch shoes for more comfortable ones at the end of the night!"
Whilst another chimed in: "Ohh she a real one! My girl carries her spare comfy shoes in her bag like many of us do! 10 10 10s for her.”
At the same time, a third chimed in: "The heels in the bag and the switch to flats is so relatable."
Parenting struggles
Beatrice is mother to her 20-month-old daughter Sienna who she shares with her husband Edoardo and is also stepmother to his son Wolfie, seven.
In an interview with Hello! Magazine, the princess gave a rare insight into being a step-mum and opened up about her parenting struggles.
When discussing the various coronavirus lockdowns and how they affected schools, Beatrice said: "Homeschooling, 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 (Wolfie) over the course of the school closures. It was a huge learning curve for all of us."
A friend of the couple also told the Daily Mail: "Bea is totally into the step-mum role.
“She’s very concerned about getting it right and making every effort to be a second mother to Wolfie.
"She’s totally devoted to him and talks about him all the time.
"He’s a super little boy and extremely cute… Bea is so caring, his happiness will always be her number one priority."
She isn’t afraid to go au naturel
While we often see the ladies of the Royal Family dressed up in fabulous gowns, statement shoes and even eye-catching headwear, Beatrice has proved that Princesses aren’t always dressed up to the nines.
To mark her 35th birthday, her sister, Princess Eugenie, shared two sweet never-before-seen images that show her and "big sissy”.
In the family snaps, we saw the two sisters posing on a beach wrapped up in thick coats, scarves and hats before dissolving into a fit of giggles.
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Unlike how we often see many other members of the Royal Family, Princess Beatrice appeared fresh-faced, whilst donning a down-to-earth outfit, with a black beanie on her head and her hands in her pockets.
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