Princess Beatrice reveals she ‘burst into tears’ when she encountered a teacher who helped her with dyslexia at school after always feeling like she ‘didn’t fit in’

Princess Beatrice has revealed that she still ‘wells up’ when she thinks about the teachers who helped her with dyslexia at school and recently ‘burst into tears’ when she saw such a mentor at an event recently.

The royal mother-of-one, 35, who is an ambassador for Made by Dyslexia, appeared on an episode of the charity’s podcast, where she discussed the power of improving AI by integrating the thinking of a dyslexic brain.

During the episode, she told her interviewer, Kate, about her own experiences growing up with dyslexia while at school, and how it affected her learning in the early days of her education.

She said: ‘The early days of school really stand out in terms of those times when you just don’t fit in and you can’t figure out what it is about you, why don’t I fit in?’

But with the guidance of some great teachers and an “incredibly close” family who helped her get through tough times with “humor and joy,” she was able to overcome obstacles and learn to embrace how the dyslexic brain thinks.

Beatrice, married to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (who is also dyslexic) and mother of two-year-old Sienna, recalled the frustration she felt at school when she was very young, before realizing she was dyslexic.

She said, “I remember trying to take extra classes with teachers, and just kind of staring blankly at (my teacher’s) face and she said, ‘Why are you looking at me? The words are not on my face’.

“And I said, ‘well, they’re not on the page either’!”

She also remembered sitting in a classroom with her peers when she was six and reading a Beatrix Potter story, with each child reading a few lines.

The princess is now an ambassador for Made by Dyslexia and spoke at the World Dyslexia Assembly in Sweden last year

As her turn approached, the princess revealed that she “didn’t know what (I was going to say).”

But over time, and after a year of going back, Beatrice says she has learned to understand that her brain works differently from other people’s, and has received support from both charities and some ‘amazing teachers’ .

She mentioned teachers Hillary Leopard and Wendy Miles, saying, “These are all characters that I think about when I think about because I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for them in my life.”

Beatrice added that she recently saw Hillary Leopard at a charity event, where she “promptly burst into tears” when she thought about the meaning this teacher has in her life.

She said, “We stood in this crowd and I was crying and she was crying.

“As an advocate for dyslexic thinking, I think about her every day…how lucky I was…the hours she spent being there and plowing through it.”

The royal said she is inspired by Hillary’s “infectious energy” to “pay it forward.”

As well as some inspiring teachers, Beatrice revealed that as a child she had strong support at home from her ‘incredibly close family’.

“I would say that throughout our lives we were able to get through everything with humor and joy. And my mom (Sarah Ferguson) really instilled that.

“She has been through so much in her life and I think she is one of the most inspiring characters of joy and humor.”

Referring to the Duchess of York’s battle with breast cancer, Beatrice praised her mother, who “still finds time to be self-deprecating and joyful.”

Later in the episode, Beatrice and Kate joke that because of Fergie’s creativity and talent for telling a compelling story, she should also be tested for dyslexia.

“She is a creative soul,” the princess said, before praising her mother’s “incredible emotional intelligence.”

When she was pregnant with her daughter Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Beatrice spoke movingly about dyslexia, saying that if her daughter inherited it, she would consider it a “gift.”

In conversation with Hello! Magazine, Beatrice said: ‘I think having dyslexia and thinking about where I am now in my career path, and also as an older person looking back, it has definitely allowed me to look at things in a new way and come up with new insights. solutions.’

Her words echoed the title of Ron Davis’ 1994 book The Gift of Dyslexia, which became an instant bestseller and a bible for people with dyslexia and parents of children with dyslexia.

The Duke and Duchess of York’s daughter said: ‘If a child, bonus son or future babies on the way are lucky enough to be diagnosed with dyslexia, I am incredibly grateful to have resources like the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity (of which she is patron) to give them that extra support.’