Beatrice, Neb., Throws Shower for English Princess Who Shares Name

Princess Beatrice, the newest member of Britain’s royal family, got a king-size baby shower from this community of the same name.

The daughter of Andrew and Sarah, the duke and duchess of York, received in absentia a regal array of gifts, from a college scholarship to a library card and a key to the city of 13,000. Beatrice, born Aug. 8, is fifth in line to the throne.

The party, an open house Thursday at the Chamber of Commerce office with cake, coffee and punch, was the idea of the Gage County Visitors Committee, Chairman Randy Baynes said.

“We wanted to celebrate something we had in common with her, even though the name’s pronounced differently,” Baynes said.

The cake, festooned with pink frosting roses, spelled out the difference. It read: “Be-AT-trice welcomes Princess BE-a-trice.”