Lady Louise Windsor

Lady Louise
Full name
Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor
House	House of Windsor
Father	Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Mother	Sophie, Countess of Wessex
Born	8 November 2003 (2003-11-08) Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey
Religion	Church of England

The Royal Family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
HM The Queen HRH The Duke of Edinburgh HRH The Prince of Wales HRH The Duchess of Cornwall HRH The Duke of Cambridge HRH The Duchess of Cambridge HRH Prince Harry of Wales HRH The Duke of York HRH Princess Beatrice of York HRH Princess Eugenie of York HRH The Earl of Wessex HRH The Countess of Wessex Viscount Severn Lady Louise Windsor HRH The Princess Royal HRH The Duke of Gloucester HRH The Duchess of Gloucester HRH The Duke of Kent HRH The Duchess of Kent HRH Prince Michael of Kent HRH Princess Michael of Kent HRH Princess Alexandra

The Lady Louise Windsor (Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor; born 8 November 2003) is the elder child and only daughter of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. She is the youngest granddaughter and second-youngest grandchild of Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Lady Louise is currently ninth in line of succession to the thrones of the 16 Commonwealth realms (having been eighth in line at the time of her birth).

Early life

Lady Louise Windsor, far left, on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with other members of the wedding party after the marriage of her first cousin, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge on 29 April 2011.

Lady Louise was born, prematurely, on 8 November 2003 (at 23:32 GMT), by the Royal Surgeon/Gynaecologist Marcus Setchell at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey, after her mother was rushed there by ambulance from the couple's home at Bagshot Park, Surrey. She was delivered by emergency Caesarean section, necessitated by a placental abruption, causing severe blood loss to both child and mother, before her December due-date. The Countess of Wessex had previously suffered an ectopic pregnancy. Prince Edward was not present for the birth because it came so suddenly. Lady Louise was transferred to a neo-natal unit in St George's Hospital, Tooting, London as a precaution. Meanwhile, the Countess remained at Frimley Park Hospital until she was well enough to be released.

Lady Louise was released from hospital on 23 November and her name was announced on 27 November. She was baptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle on 24 April 2004 and her godparents were: the Lady Alexandra Etherington, the Lady Sarah Chatto, the Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Rupert Elliott, and Mrs Urs Schwarzenbach.

Lady Louise is ninth in the line of succession to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms. Until her birth, the first ten positions in the order of succession remained unchanged for over 13 years after the birth of her cousin, Princess Eugenie of York in 1990.

Lady Louise was born with the eye disorder exotropia. In January 2006 it was reported that Lady Louise had undergone a 30-minute operation under general anaesthetic to correct the problem, but in 2009 it was once again reported that her parents had decided against this treatment.

She was one of the bridesmaids at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on 29 April 2011.

Education

Lady Louise attends St George's School, Windsor Castle, the same school that Princess Eugenie attended from 2001 to 2003 as a day girl.^{[citation needed]}

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 8 November 2003 – present: The Lady Louise Windsor
  • also styled: The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor

Letters patent issued in 1917 (and still remaining in force today) assign a princely status and the style of Royal Highness to all male-line grandchildren of a monarch. Therefore, all else being equal, Louise would have been styled as Her Royal Highness Princess Louise of Wessex. However, when her parents married, the Queen, via a Buckingham Palace press release, announced that (in hopes of avoiding some of the burdens associated with royal titles) their children would be styled as the children of an earl, rather than as princes or princesses. Thus, court communications never refer to her in terms of a princess of the United Kingdom, but simply as The Lady Louise Windsor. There are two opposing opinions as to whether or not Louise is "legally" a princess and Her Royal Highness: Some experts consider the Queen's press release to not have enough legal force to override the 1917 letters patent, whereas other experts contend that the Queen's will, however expressed, is law in matters of royal titles and styles. If the latter is the case, then the 1960 letters patent is also applicable and Louise bears (but is seldom styled with) the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.

Honours

In June 2008, to recognise a visit by her father to the Canadian province of Manitoba, the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba-in-Council named a lake in the north of the province after Lady Louise.

External links

• BBC News- "Royal baby born prematurely"

Lady Louise Windsor House of Windsor Born: 8 November 2003
British royalty
Preceded by Viscount Severn	Line of succession to the British Throne 9th position	Succeeded by The Princess Royal
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Princess Eugenie of York	Ladies The Lady Louise Windsor	Succeeded by Zara Phillips