Lady Louise Windsor Is Following In The Footsteps Of Kate Middleton

Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest granddaughter, grew up primarily out of the public eye. As of late, however, the 18-year-old has been making more appearances with her parents, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and wider relatives. Most poignantly, Louise and her younger brother, James, Viscount Severn, joined their cousins as they stood vigil beside the Queen’s coffin on Sept. 17, with Louise paying tribute to her grandmother’s love of horses by wearing a horse pendant. On account of being the 13th in line to the throne, Louise’s spotlight continues to grow. With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about Louise and where you may have seen her before.

Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor was born prematurely on Nov. 8, 2003 at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey. The royal arrived a month early, and was delivered via an emergency cesarean section. Edward was on a royal visit to Mauritius and, unfortunately, missed the birth of his first child. Both Louise and Sophie stayed in the hospital for quite some time following severe blood loss caused by a placental abruption — a complication where the placenta detaches from the uterus before birth, according to Mayo Clinic.

Sophie remained in Frimley Park Hospital until November 23, meanwhile Louise was taken care of at the neonatal unit at St. George’s Hospital in Tooting, London. Louise was born with a squint, a condition where one or both eyes point in a different direction. As the global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Sophie often speaks about Louise’s experience with her eyesight. “[Louise’s] squint was quite profound when she was tiny and it takes time to correct it,” she told the Sunday Express. The Countess of Wessex confirmed that her daughter “had the squint corrected because cosmetically it was awkward for her.”

Louise and her younger brother, James, Viscount Severn, were raised by their parents at Bagshot Park in Surrey. 10 miles south of Windsor, Louise studied at St. George’s School at Windsor Castle before moving to St. Mary’s School Ascot in 2017. There she studied English, history, and politics for her A-levels. She also participated in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, founded by her grandfather Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. “There was certainly an element of making my grandfather proud and honouring him by taking part in that award that has been so much of his life’s work,” Louise said in a BBC documentary filmed to celebrate his 100th birthday. “I definitely hope I have made him proud.”

The budding royal is now studying English at the University of St Andrews in Fife, following in the footsteps of her cousin William, Prince of Wales, and his wife, Kate Middleton. But Louise has always kept time aside from her studies to practice horse carriage riding — a hobby passed down to her from Philip. “After a competition, he would always ask how it went,” she said. “His eyes would light up because he just gets so excited when he talks about it.” She has since reportedly inherited his Fell ponies and carriage.