Queen Elizabeth’s Cousin Flora Vesterberg Reveals Autism Analysis at 30

Queen Elizabeth‘s cousin Flora Vesterberg has shared that she was identified with autism at age 30.

Flora is the granddaughter of Princess Alexandra, a primary cousin of the late Queen, and opened up about her analysis in a first-person essay for British Vogue on Could 25.

“Earlier this 12 months, I used to be identified with autism. I’ve struggled quietly with the challenges of my neurodiversity since childhood, however am now additionally in a position to understand its strengths,” Flora started the essay. “Like many ladies, I solely just lately felt compelled to pursue a scientific evaluation. It adopted an pressing want for readability forward of starting my PhD at The Courtauld Institute of Artwork,” the artwork historian and broadcaster stated. 

Following the analysis, Flora stated that she felt “empowered by having a framework with which to know my experiences and sensitivities,” and that the analysis gave her “a way of reduction in addition to validation.”

“I do know that this is not going to solely assist me to be kinder to myself, but additionally assist my neighborhood to help me successfully,” she wrote.

Flora stated the analysis adopted testing with Dr. Dimitrios Paschos, a number one marketing consultant psychiatrist and honorary analysis fellow at King’s Faculty London, and talked about that she was reflecting throughout Autism Consciousness Month, which is noticed all over the world in April.

The royal member of the family additionally shouted out the Now I Know marketing campaign organized by the Nationwide Autistic Society of the U.Okay., which encompasses a collection of movies and images highlighting the experiences of ladies and non-binary people who have been additionally identified with autism later in life. 

“As somebody who has beforehand felt overwhelmed by the constraints of undiagnosed autism, this collection supplied a strong sense of neighborhood and relatability,” Flora wrote. “It was additionally a reminder that autism is available in many alternative varieties and may have an effect on anybody, no matter their background or profession.”

The daughter of James and Julie Oglivy stated that the analysis introduced her readability and voiced a want to assist different ladies with autism advocate for what they want.

“While my journey with autism feels prefer it solely actually started with my analysis, I really feel relieved to now have a clearer understanding of my emotional wants in addition to the strengths that I ought to lean into,” she wrote elsewhere within the essay. “…These can typically be overshadowed by the accompanying struggles, however that’s once I hope to encourage myself – and different autistic ladies – to be open with their neighborhood, and develop rituals to assist them embrace their neurodiversity.”

Flora turned 30 in December 2024 and cited a statistic from Dr. Paschos that 80% of ladies with autism stay undiagnosed by age 18. She stated she penned the essay “within the hope that I can contribute to advocating for a shift in that statistic over time.”

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The PhD. scholar married Timothy Vesterberg, a Swedish financier and former skilled hockey participant, in a non-public ceremony on the Chapel Royal of St. James’s Palace in September 2020 amid the COVID pandemic, followed by a church blessing one year later with royal wedding ceremony vitality. 

There, the bride sparkled in Princess Alexandra’s Ogilvy Tiara in its pearl setting for the celebration attended by Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Lord Frederick Windsor, his spouse Sophie Winkleman and extra royal relations.