Reading with my stepson has been lockdown joy, says Princess Beatrice

Princess Beatrice has told how reading with her stepson has helped the pair get through lockdown together.

The royal, 32, married property developer Edoardo Mozzi last year. He has a four-year-old son Christopher, known as Wolfie, with former partner Dara Huang. Sharing her thoughts about reading in lockdown in an article for the Evening Standard on World Book Day, she said being stepmother to Christopher was a “great honour” — adding she had enjoyed some “remarkable” times in lockdown reading books with him.

The princess, the elder daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, said books had provided the “best form of adventure from the safety of our own homes” during the pandemic. She wrote: “I have had the most remarkable time going back over some of my most favourite stories at bedtime.

“My stepson has been home schooling. Helping him engage with stories is a great journey to inspire imagination, creativity, independence and humour. It is amazing how in between video calls and working through technology we have had more time in the day to enjoy reading and it’s shown how important is has been to step away from the screen and jump into worlds unknown through the help of books.”

Beatrice is a patron of Oscar’s Book Prize, an award supported by the Standard, which recognises storytelling for under-fives. It is awarded in memory of Oscar Ashton, who loved stories and died aged three of a heart condition.