What We Know About Prince Edward's Daughter, Lady Louise Windsor
Lady Louise Windsor is unlikely to ever take over the crown in the British monarchy, but she is said to hold a special place in the royal family. Not only has she reportedly been quite close to her grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, but it seems she filled a gap that developed when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped away from royal life.
Prince Edward is the youngest of the four children born to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex have two children. Lady Louise Windsor was born in November 2003 and her younger brother James, Viscount Severn, joined the family in December 2007. According to Town & Country, she is the queen's youngest granddaughter, and the site Royal Household notes she is currently 14th in the line of succession for the crown. Her full name is Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor, and she arrived about a month before her due date. In fact, the BBC detailed that the Countess of Wessex was rushed to the hospital and underwent a cesarean section to welcome her 4-pound, 9-ounce daughter. Prince Edward missed his daughter's birth, as he was visiting the island nation of Mauritius when the countess had issues and headed to the hospital.
So what else should you know about Lady Louise? Here's the scoop.
Lady Louise Windsor steps up for the royals
After her premature birth, Lady Louise Windsor navigated some medical challenges, per Town & Country. She stayed in the neonatal unit at first, noted the BBC, and both she and her mother overcame complications from a placental abruption. Lady Louise was also born with an eye condition called esotropia and underwent two procedures to correct the issues. Per Hello!, the second one done when she was 10 was successful.
Lady Louise is said to love drawing and horses and has watched over her cousin Prince William's kids during family gatherings, as a source told The Sun. Insiders also detail that Lady Louise is very close to her grandmother. "The Queen loves the fact that Louise and James relish their time at Balmoral, and she has become particularly close to Louise, who seems to have become her favourite grandchild," they declared in September 2019.
Hello! shared that Lady Louise and Prince Philip were quite close too, having shared a passion for carriage driving. The teen even joined her parents after Philip's death for a brief public appearance. This appearance seemed in line with a recent trend regarding her role in the royal family. Sophie reportedly encouraged Lady Louise to take on a more prominent profile with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle no longer performing royal duties, according to Express. Lady Louise is supposedly pleased over this, which suggests royal watchers will see much more of her in the years ahead.