Who is Lady Louise Windsor? Prince Edward’s daughter who attended Queen’s vigil
Louise is 15th in line to the throne
Lady Louise Windsor was among Queen Elizabeth II’s eight grandchildren who took part in a silent vigil by her coffin on Sunday evening.
Lead by the Prince of Wales, members of the royal family filed into Westminster Hall where the Queen was lying in state.
Prince William was joined by his brother, the Duke of Sussex, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, James, Viscount Severn, Peter Phillips, and Zara Tindall.
The Queen’s funeral will take place on Monday (19 September) morning at Westminster Abbey, followed by a committal service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
The late monarch’s coffin will be carried on a 123-year-old gun carriage and will be pulled by 98 Royal Navy sailors.
Lady Louise looked sombre as she arrived at Westminster Hall on Sunday. The 18-year-old wore a long-sleeved black dress and hat, which she accessorised with a silver horse pendant.
The necklace is thought to be a subtle nod to her grandmother and grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, with whom Lady Louise shared her love of horses.
Who is Lady Louise Windsor?
Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor is the eldest child of the Earl of Wessex and the Countess of Wessex.
Lady Louise was born on 8 November, 2003 and is 15th in line to the throne, after her younger brother, Viscount Severn.
Lady Louise was baptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle in April 2004.
She was born with a rare eye condition called esotropia, or “squint”. This is a condition that makes people’s eyes look in different directions.
As a child Lady Louise underwent surgeries to fix her eyes, her mother previously explained in an interview with The Sunday Express.
“Premature babies can often have squints because the eyes are the last thing in the baby package to really be finalised,” Sophie said.
“Her squint was quite profound when she was tiny and it takes time to correct it. You’ve got to make sure one eye doesn’t become more dominant than the other but she’s fine now – her eyesight is perfect.”
How often does she appear in public?
Lady Louise attended her first public engagement in 2011, when she was a bridesmaid at Prince William’s wedding to the Princess of Wales.
She made several appearances during the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations.
Louise rode in a carriage during the Trooping the Colour ceremony, and later attended a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral. She also joined other members of the royal family at the Platinum Party at the Palace concert.
Where does she study?
In August it was announced that Lady Louise will follow in Prince William’s footsteps by attending St Andrews University in Scotland, where she studies English.
She started her education at St George’s School at Windsor Castle, before moving to St Mary’s School Ascot at the beginning of year nine in 2017.
She chose English, history, politics and drama as her A-level subjects.
Does she have a job?
Lady Louise reportedly spent the summer working at a local garden centre, where she earned near minimum wage.
According to The Sun, the teenager worked at the centre for several days a week after completing her A-level exams in June.
Her role in customer service role entailed helping out on the tills, greeting customers and looking after the plants. She reportedly earned £6.83 an hour.
One customer at the garden centre commented: “I knew the cost-of-living crisis was bad, but I didn’t think I’d ever see a grandchild of the Queen working in a garden centre.”
Another said: “I couldn’t believe it was Lady Louise – I had to look twice. She is a really modest and sweet young woman who is polite and attentive to customers. She seemed to be loving the job.”
Follow the latest updates following the death of Queen Elizabeth II here.
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