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Princess Beatrice is fronting a campaign for premature birth research charity Borne ahead of World Prematurity Day on November 17. The 37-year-old got involved after a deeply personal experience.
Her daughter Athena Elizabeth Rose arrived several weeks prematurely on January 22. Beatrice had received medical advice in December not to travel long distances, prompting her to change Christmas travel plans. Doctors expected her daughter in early spring, but she arrived weeks ahead of schedule.
The research gap
Every year, 60,000 babies in the United Kingdom (UK) and 15 million globally arrive prematurely. Complications from prematurity remain the leading cause of neonatal death and lifelong disability.
Yet less than two percent of medical research funding goes to pregnancy and childbirth. The campaign addresses this critical gap in medical research.
Princess Beatrice said: "The work that Borne is undertaking is something that is incredibly close and personal to me following the birth of my daughter. Every year in the UK, 60,000 babies are delivered too soon, with little information or research as to why this is. That is why I am really looking forward to supporting Borne and its programme of groundbreaking research, which I hope will help thousands of parents and children in the future."
Royal support for research
Borne chief executive David Badcock highlighted how important Beatrice's support is. "Her support helps raise awareness of the urgent need for more research into prematurity, an area that has for too long been underfunded and underexplored. At Borne we believe that every week counts and, by investing in science today, we can transform the outcomes for families tomorrow," he said.
Beatrice, who is a patron of Borne, hosted an event at London's Battersea Power Station on Tuesday highlighting the campaign's message "every week counts."
The charity is also releasing a podcast episode on Monday featuring Beatrice, meteorologist Laura Tobin, and Borne founder Professor Mark Johnson.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
