Princess Beatrice wants to ‘change the narrative’ around dyslexia

By MiNDFOOD

The royal wants to share her story so that other young people with dyslexia know they’re not alone.

The 33-year-old royal was diagnosed with the learning difficulty – which can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling – as a child, and has said she wants to share her story of how she overcame her struggles so that other young people know they’re not alone.

She said: “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.”

And Beatrice – who is expecting her first child with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi – wants to help change the way people speak about dyslexia, as she thinks “shifting the narrative” can help people feel less alienated.

She added: “It was always about moving forward, it was always about what you could do. Never about what you can’t. And that’s something that’s really, really important to me. I find it very inspiring every day to talk about it. Because if you can just change one little idea in someone’s head, then you’ve done a great thing.

“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.”

Beatrice’s husband is also dyslexic, and the couple are prepared for having a baby who may also have the learning difficulty.

She told Giovanna Fletcher during a conversation for Hello! magazine’s digital edition: “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 a little bit about the moments that make you; it’s the challenges that make you.”

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