27-05-2025
'I feel relieved': Queen Elizabeth II's cousin Flora Vesterberg reveals how she felt after being diagnosed with autism at age 30
Queen Elizabeth II's cousin Flora Vesterberg has revealed she was diagnosed with autism at age 30, declaring she was relieved by the news.
Flora is the granddaughter of Princess Alexandra, the late Queen's first cousin.
On Sunday, the 30-year-old art historian and broadcaster opened up about her late autism diagnosis in a first-person essay in British Vogue.
"Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with autism. I've struggled quietly with the challenges of my neurodiversity since childhood, but am now also able to perceive its strengths," Flora wrote.
"Like many women, I only recently felt compelled to pursue a clinical assessment. It followed an urgent need for clarity ahead of beginning my PhD at The Courtauld Institute of Art.
"As a result of the diagnosis, I feel empowered by having a framework with which to understand my experiences and sensitivities."
King's College London's Dr Dimitrios Paschos diagnosed her after a week of a "complex series of psychiatric evaluations" and questionaries.
She said Dr Paschos reassured her she was not alone in feeling "equally relieved and unsettled by the outcome" and relayed some statistics.
Flora said he told her "nearly 80 per cent of autistic women remain undiagnosed by age 18."
Dr Paschos further mentioned to Flora a "vast number of women on the spectrum are hiding in plain sight."
James and Julie Oglivy's daughter has now set out to advocate for a shift in that statistic over time.
Ahead of starting her PhD this year, Flora championed the National Autistic Society's Now I Know campaign which she said moved her.
Photography and films of both autistic women and non-binary people across the UK shine a light on their experiences of receiving a late autism diagnosis.
Flora said this series "offered a powerful sense of community and relatability" as "someone who has previously felt overwhelmed by the limitations of undiagnosed autism."
"It was also a reminder that autism comes in many different forms and can affect anyone, regardless of their background or career," she said.
Flora resides in London, England, with her husband of five years Timothy Vesterberg, a Swedish financier and former professional hockey player.
She married Vesterberg in a private ceremony at Chapel Royal in St. James's Palace in September 2020.
A church blessing in royal wedding style followed the nuptials, where Flora stunned wearing Princess Alexandra's Ogilvy Tiara.
Guests included royal family members Prince Edward, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Lord Frederick Windsor and his wife Sophie Winkleman.
