Lady Louise Windsor

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Lady Louise Windsor
Lady Louise Windsor, June 2012.jpg
Lady Louise on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2012
Full name
Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor
House House of Windsor
Father Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Mother Sophie, Countess of Wessex
Born (2003-11-08) 8 November 2003 (age 9)
Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey, England
Religion Church of England
The Royal Family of the
United Kingdom and the
other Commonwealth realms
Badge of the House of Windsor.svg

HM The Queen
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

Lady Louise Windsor[1] (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).

Contents

Early life [edit]

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 delivered, prematurely, on 8 November 2003 (at 23:32 GMT),[2] 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 discharged.

Lady Louise was discharged from hospital on 23 November and her name was announced on 27 November.[3] She was baptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle on 24 April 2004 and her godparents were: Lady Alexandra Etherington, Lady Sarah Chatto, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Rupert Elliott, and Francesca Schwarzenbach.[4][5]

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.[6][7] In January 2006 it was reported that Lady Louise had undergone a 30-minute operation under general anaesthetic to correct the problem,[8] but in 2009 it was once again reported that her parents had decided against this treatment.[9] An eight-year-old Lady Louise broke her left arm when she fell off her pony while riding at the Queen's estate at Windsor on 11 April 2012. She was treated at a hospital, but was released the same day. She was wearing a hard hat and safety back brace at the time of the accident and did not sustain any other injuries. Doctors said she would not require further surgery. Her mother cancelled her duties for the day to stay with her, but her father continued with his daily schedule after hearing that Lady Louise's injuries were not serious.[10]

Royal duties [edit]

She was one of the bridesmaids at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on 29 April 2011.[11]

Lady Louise attended her first Trooping the Colour in June 2009 and rode in the carriages with her family at Trooping the Colour for the first time in June 2011.[12] Lady Louise was again present at Trooping the Colour in 2012.

On Easter 2012 Lady Louise accompanied her paternal grandparents, parents and cousin, Princess Eugenie of York, to the Easter service in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.[13]

In June 2012 Lady Louise attended the Jubilee Thames River Pageant with her parents and younger brother. A few days later Lady Louise accompanied her parents to the Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul's Cathedral in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.[14]

Titles, styles, honours and arms [edit]

Titles and styles [edit]

  • 8 November 2003 – present: Lady Louise Windsor[1]

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 Lady Louise Windsor.[1] 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.[15] 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.[16]

Honours [edit]

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.[17]

Ancestry [edit]

Her mother descends from Nicholas St. John of Lydiard Tregoze (descendant of King Edward III of England) and his wife, Elizabeth (née Blount, a relative of royal mistress Elizabeth Blount) making her parents 11th cousins, once removed. Lady Louise's mother is a direct descendant of King Edward III of England,[18] King Henry IV of England,[19] and King Henry II of France. Louise is also related to the family of the Viscounts Molesworth by her mother's descent from Robert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworth.[20] Her mother also descended from the Welsh prince and warrior Elystan Glodrydd.

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c Statement issued by the Press Secretary to the Queen: Announcement of the christening of Lady Louise Windsor - The official website of The British Monarchy
  2. ^ "Royal baby born prematurely". BBC News. 8 November 2003. Retrieved 11 May 2010. 
  3. ^ "Royal Wessex baby finally named". BBC News. 27 November 2003. Retrieved 7 May 2010. 
  4. ^ "Buckingham Palace press releases – Christening of Lady Louise Windsor". Royal. Retrieved 15 October 2011. 
  5. ^ "Royal Christenings". Yvonne's Royalty Home Page. Retrieved 15 October 2011. 
  6. ^ English, Rebecca; Knight, Kathryn (10 July 2007). "How Sophie's become the Queen's favourite". Daily Mail. Retrieved 15 October 2011. 
  7. ^ Elizabeth Sanderson (13 February 2011). "Sophie’s little Lady Louise picked as royal bridesmaid". Daily Mail. Retrieved 15 October 2011. 
  8. ^ The Royalist – Lady Louise Windsor Makes A Rare Public Appearance[dead link]
  9. ^ "Edward Sophie's brave Lady Louise fairground attraction". 
  10. ^ Rebecca English. "Queen's granddaughter Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor breaks arm in horse riding accident". Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 6 May 2012. 
  11. ^ "Royal Wedding: Names of bridesmaids and page boys to take part in royal wedding are confirmed - hellomagazine.com". Royalweddings.hellomagazine.com. 2011-02-14. Retrieved 2012-05-06. 
  12. ^ "Britain Trooping the Colour Pictures - Monsters and Critics". News.monstersandcritics.com. 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2012-05-06. 
  13. ^ Doherty, Ruth (2012-04-09). "Princess Eugenie dons stylish hat for Easter service at Windsor Castle : MYDaily UK". Mydaily.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-06. 
  14. ^ "Britain's Prince Edward, Sophie, Countess of Wessex and their daughter Lady Louise Windsor leave after a thanksgiving service to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee at St Paul's Cathedral in London". 
  15. ^ "UK Royal Titles – The Wessex question". Ukroyaltitles.tumblr.com. 27 April 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011. 
  16. ^ 1960 Letters Patent - website Heraldica.org
  17. ^ "Prince Edward begins Winnipeg visit". The Vancouver Sun (Canada). 2 June 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2010. 
  18. ^ Sophie of Wessex descends from Edward III of England through several lines. Sir Nicholas St. John's paternal grandmother, Jane Iwardby, descended from Edward The Royal Lineage; Sir Lachlan Maclean, 1st Baronet who descends from Edward and Scottish royalty and nobility.
  19. ^ Charles Mosley, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 2720.
  20. ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, volume 2, page 2731.
Lady Louise Windsor
Born: 8 November 2003
Lines of succession
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
Lady Louise Windsor		 Succeeded by
Zara Phillips
*not including short-term appointments, visiting dignitaries and most peers
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