Unless you’re among the most clued-in of royal family watchers, chances are you’d be hard-pressed to know exactly where Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor fits into the picture.
But the young royal was front and centre at this year’s Trooping the Colour ceremony in London.
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Trooping the Colour is the annual celebration of the monarch’s birthday, which begins with a carriage procession and ends with members of the royal family appearing on the balcony for the aerial flypast.
While most eyes eagerly awaited for the arrival of Catherine, Princess of Wales in her first public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis, it was another elegant royal in the first carriage to leave the Palace.
Lady Louise, 20, is the daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
That makes her the King’s niece and the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, but she has never had a high profile compared to some of her other royal relatives.
Louise cut a fine figure in a pale blue and white floral dress and matching hat, her light blonde hair pulled back into an elegant chignon which showed off a pair of pretty pearl drop earrings.
Not only was her carriage one of the first to appear at Saturday’s event, but she also took pride of place on the balcony, making the cut in King Charles’ slimmed-down version of the monarchy.
At birth, Louise was legally a princess, being the child of a son (Edward) of a reigning monarch (Elizabeth II).
However, her parents decided not to give her a royal title, hoping to raise her and 16-year-old brother James, Earl of Wessex, out of the public eye.
Speaking to The Sunday Times in 2020, the Duchess of Edinburgh said she and Prince Andrew chose not to use HRH titles for their children and had raised them to understand that they would have to “work for a living”.
When Louise turned 18, she was offered the option of adopting the title Her Royal Highness and calling herself Princess Louise.
But she chose not to, and is thus formally referred to as “Lady Louise rather than “Princess Louise”.
However, this doesn’t mean she is uninvolved in royal life, as her highly visible presence at Trooping the Colour has proved.
Her appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace — a privilege usually afforded only to working royals — indicates she may be about to give up her under-the-radar life for a more prominent role in the family.
Lady Louise is currently studying English at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where cousin Prince William first met Kate Middleton, his future wife.
However, royal experts believe Lady Louise may be offered a role as a working member of the family once she completes her degree.
British royal correspondent Dickie Arbiter said the monarchy was an “ageing institution” that needed an injection of youth.
“There is the King 75, Queen Camila 75, the Prince and Princess of Wales, 41 and 42 respectively, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, 60 and 59, respectively and the Princess Royal, 73 – just seven senior royals,” he wrote.
“Of the junior royals, there are the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, 79 and 77 respectively, the Duke of Kent, 88, and Princess Alexandra, 87, who was seen recently in a wheelchair.
“At a glance, it is an ageing institution, and the current optics could be said to ‘be of concern’.”
With Prince Andrew out of the picture after his connection to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was uncovered, attention has now also turned to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, his daughters with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.
A recent poll by HELLO! Online showed that these two relatively under-the-radar royals have also begun to emerge into the spotlight.
According to the poll, more than half of HELLO’s readers wanted to see the Princesses take on more prominent roles within the royal family, while 82 per cent of the magazine’s regular royal readers considered them “great role models” as working women, wives and mothers.
“I couldn’t be prouder of Beatrice and Eugenie and the strong, independent young women they have become — in fact, they are my proudest achievement,” Ferguson told HELLO after the poll results emerged.
“They both work for a living and have carved out successful careers but also dedicate a great deal of time to charity work.
“My girls are beautifully mannered with kindness running through them and are dedicated to duty in all ways.
“They miss their grandmother but learned so much from the late Queen: humility and goodness with compassion and strength.”
