Princess Beatrice opens up about being dyslexic in rare video message

Princess Beatrice of York opened up about her experience as a dyslexic and revealed that she used to feel not "smart enough or good enough" at school.

Princess Beatrice, the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the Duke and the Duchess of York, stressed that the learning disorder related to language processing is not a disability and has actually been beneficial to her. The British royal made the remarks during an appearance in a video message recorded for "Made by Dyslexia," and said that "there is nothing wrong" with being dyslexic.

Beatrice, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, shared that she can rely on her communication skills for her work at a technology company and many of her coworkers are dyslexic as well. "I think that's one of the strengths we have as dyslexic is to look at things differently, be a problem solver, find new ways to do things, be experimental, entrepreneurial," the 31-year-old explained.

The royal said that dyslexia did pose challenges for her at school, and still affects her day-to-day life. "It develops as you develop, it grows. It's part of you, it's part of how your brain develops. It is not something that is wrong with you. It is a great part of how your brain works, and everybody's brain works incredibly differently. There is nothing wrong, there is just everything that is so right," the philanthropist said.

While the princess is quite confident today, she felt self-conscious as a child as her friends and classmates were ahead of her in the school. She also opened up feeling not "smart enough or good enough" even though she feels lucky to have studied in a very nurturing and supporting environment.

"You know, I remember we had different colored books to describe how far where your reading levels had got to and I was always on the white books. My best friends were always on the yellow books or the green books. They were so far ahead," Beatrice said. "And I think at that stage, those moments of doubt just pop into your head. I'm not good enough, I'm not smart enough. Why am I not like the others?" the royal added.

It comes over a month after the royal, who would have been planning to tie the knot with fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on Friday, if not for the coronavirus pandemic, recorded a video for her patronage, the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity. In the video released on April 22, which also marked her first appearance since the postponement of her wedding, Beatrice requested those struggling with dyslexia to approach the charity.