The mother of Princess Beatrice‘s stepson has opened up about the bullying she received growing up due to her race.
Dara Huang, 38, shared a personal Instagram post detailing how she was teased for being Asian and grew up believing she ‘wasn’t as worthy’ as her peers because she was ‘different’.
The glamorous American-Chinese architect, who shares a son, Wolfie, with Princess Beatrice’s property developer husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi, 36, added that she has since embraced her heritage, calling it her ‘super power’.
She said she is keen for her little boy to do the same as he gets older and revealed he is already learning mandarin.
The mother of Princess Beatrice’s stepson, Dara Huang, has opened up about the bullying she received growing up due to her race
‘So let’s get personal,’ Dara began her post. ‘When I grew up, I was teased for being Asian.
‘I grew up believing that I wasn’t as worthy as the other girls because I was different. This followed me from elementary school, till probably when I left central Florida and headed north east to attend Harvard.
‘And when I got there, I suddenly found myself surrounded by this incredible diverse group of international people, different languages and religious beliefs.
‘So from a small town to travelling the world – I worked in cities such as: NYC, Tokyo, Basel, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Dubai, Milan and London. And the more I learned and experienced new things, the more I discovered all of the non-traditional “beauty” that the world had to offer.’
The American-Chinese architect shares a young son, three-year-old Christopher ‘Wolfie’ Woolf, with former fiancé of three-and-a-half years, Edo Mapelli Mozzi (pictured together)
Addressing young women who may have been through the same struggles as her, she went on: ‘Being different is beautiful.
‘You may not see it now, but I promise as you get older you’ll appreciate and strive to be different every day (wish someone told me that when I was younger and btw being Asian is my super power now… it’s allowed me to have global offices and standing out can be a positive thing when we’re all searching for a USP).
‘I’m now teaching my son daily to embrace his cultural heritage and he’s learning mandarin every day.’
Dara’s post resonated with many of her followers, who praised her honesty and thanked her for sharing.
Dara said she was teased for being Asian and grew up believing she ‘wasn’t as worthy’ as her peers because she was ‘different’
Dara’s post resonated with many of her followers, who praised her honesty and thanked her for sharing
Beatrice, 32, who is ninth in line to the throne and granddaughter of the Queen, married Dara’s ex-fiancé Edo in July, becoming the only princess to marry someone with children and take on a stepchild.
According to reports, the princess is a ‘doting stepmother’ who has put up ‘loads of pictures’ of Wolfie in their home so he ‘feels like he has two families’.
Insiders told The Daily Telegraph’s Camilla Tominey that the royal has been embracing her new role, saying: ‘Beatrice ensured there are loads of pictures of him up in their house, so he feels like he has two families, and they do get on well. She has instigated a lot of that, rather than Dara.’
They claimed she has become a regular at collecting Wolfie from nursery and accompanying him home on his scooter.
Edo married Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne and granddaughter of the Queen, in July, with the royal becoming the only princess to marry someone with children and take on a stepchild
Friends of the royal said she talks about the youngster ‘all the time’ and has warmly embraced him into her life.
They added that he is ‘super little’ and ‘extremely cute’, adding that Beatrice will always make Wolfie’s happiness ‘her number one priority’ even when she and Edo decide to have children themselves.
In January, a friend of Dara and Edo insisted the estranged couple remain close, with Dara even cutting Edo’s hair and occasionally buying him clothes.
Their amicable relationship meant Dara was on the original guest list for Edo’s wedding to Beatrice before the coronavirus pandemic forced the couple to cancel their May nuptials.
When news of Edo and Beatrice’s romance became public in December 2018, Dara’s father Po-Tien accused the Royal Family of helping to rob his daughter of the chance to walk down the aisle with Edo. Pictured: Edo and Beatrice after announcing their engagement in September 2019
Beatrice and Edoardo later secretly tied the knot on July 17 in Windsor, with the Queen and Prince Philip in attendance and Wolfie acting as best man.
Dara and Edo dated for three years before splitting in 2018. Edo and Beatrice, who were long-time family friends, started dating in October 2018 and got engaged during a romantic trip to Italy’s Amalfi Coast in September last year, after an 11-month whirlwind romance.
When news of Edo and Beatrice’s romance became public in December 2018, Dara’s father Po-Tien accused the Royal Family of helping to rob his daughter of the chance to walk down the aisle with Edo.
However, her father’s apparent frustration did not result in Dara cutting ties with her ex-partner.
Dara has recently found love again with 37-year-old London-based financier Filippos Kodellas de la Morena, the son of ‘a Greek diplomat and a well-connected Spanish mother’, according to the Daily Mail diarist Richard Eden. Filippos is also reportedly director of La Perla.