The Queen's Lesser-Known Granddaughter Lady Louise Windsor Left Us Speechless

Oct 07, 2022 by apost team

Throughout her seven-decade reign as the queen of the United Kingdom and other commonwealth countries, Queen Elizabeth II has become a fixture not only by the people but by her own extended family as well. Unbeknownst to many, the British Royal Family is not only limited to now-King Charles III, Prince William, and even Prince Harry's controversial family. It also extends to the queen's other children – Prince Andrew, Prince Anne, and Prince Edward, and by extension, their family too. 

Queen Elizabeth II passed away last Sept. 8, 2022, marking the end of the second-longest reign of a monarch ever recorded. Along with the mourning that the world witnessed at the time, many members of the British Royal Family who had stayed under the radar emerged to attend the many funerals, vigils, and gatherings set in place to honor the late queen. 

Sparking the interests of many avid followers and fans of Queen Elizabeth II is one of her relatively unknown granddaughters, Lady Louise Windsor, the daughter of Prince Edward, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Forfar. 

In one of the public ceremonies held for the queen during Britain's mourning period, Lady Louise was spotted wearing a poignant tribute to her grandmother, which many find touching despite their not-so-public interactions and relationship with each other. 

Lady Louise was one of the two children of Prince Edward and Sophie, and the latter was revealed to have been a close confidant of the late queen even before her marriage to her youngest son. Just like her father, Lady Louise was born into the Royal bloodline when her parents were already working for the monarchy. 

Prince Edward was born on Mar. 10, 1964, to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. As the youngest child of the queen, he followed his two older brothers in the line of succession at birth; however, his position is currently at number 13. Edward's birth was the first of the queen's children at which Philip was present. 

After he finished his schooling, Edward spent a gap year in Whanganui, New Zealand, where he worked as a tutor and junior master at the Whanganui Collegiate School. Upon his return to the United Kingdom, Edward received a bachelor's degree in history from Jesus College in Cambridge in 1986.

Following his studies, Edward joined the royal marines but later quit to try a career in the arts, as reported by The Guardian. He started his career working for theatrical production companies before starting his own company, named Ardent Productions, which focused on TV documentaries. Although he was successful in production, in the last while, he's shifted to take up more royal duties.

In 2017 Edward began to take over some of his father's duties after Philip's inability to carry out some responsibilities due to his age. Notably, Edward now presides over the Commonwealth Games Federation. He also took over his father's role and now presides over the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which was started by Prince Philip in 1956, according to Royal Central. Since he took over duties from his father, Prince Edward has traveled to many parts of the world in different capacities to oversee projects. He has been to South Africa, Israel, Baltimore, and many other places.

Edward received the title Earl of Wessex on his wedding day with Sophie Jones while the Earl of Forfar as a birthday gift from Queen Elizabeth II on Mar. 10, 2018. 

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Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones was born in Oxford, England, on Jan. 20, 1965. After she trained as a secretary, she began working in public relations before she eventually started her own agency named RJH Public Relations in 1996.

It was during a period when she worked at Capital Radio that Sophie met Edward in 1987. However, the two didn't begin dating until 1993. Then in 1999, after dating for a number of years, the couple got married on June 19 at St. George's Chapel, the site of many royal weddings and funerals, including Prince Philip's. As a present from the queen for their wedding, Edward was given the title Earl of Wessex, which made his wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

After marrying Prince Edward, Sophie was under the critical eye of the British press but always received help from the crown. According to Harper's Bazaar, Sophie was known as one of the queen's most trusted in-laws. Both she and Edward have taken on roles as senior working members of the royal family. After the couple got married, Sophie's first royal tour overseas was to Prince Edward Island, a Canadian province, in 2000.

The Mirror reported that the Countess of Wessex had been "a tremendous support" to the queen before her passing, especially back when she needed it the most. A source told the news outlet, "Sophie cherishes her relationship with the queen and not only appreciates her guidance and wisdom throughout her own life, [but] she is [also] very protective of her. Their bond is very like a mother and daughter, and the feeling of love and respect is quite mutual. It is very special."

One royal courier explained:

"If you're asking who is Her Majesty's favorite child, it's none of them, it's her daughter-in-law."

Seemingly, Queen Elizabeth's closeness with Sophie, Countess of Sussex, transcended to her the latter's children, particularly their eldest daughter. 

Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor, Prince Edward and Sophie's first child, was born on Nov. 8, 2003. According to the BBC, Lady Louise was born prematurely and therefore had complications and an eye condition that was later corrected in her teenage years. 

Since Edward and Sophie choose to live a relatively quiet life, it's no surprise that the lives of their children are even less public. However, as a young girl, Louise played a role in the biggest royal wedding of the century — she was a bridesmaid at the tender age of 7 for her cousin Prince William, Prince of Wales' wedding to Catherine, Princess of Wales.

Since 2015, Louise has accompanied her parents on a number of official engagements, including a trip to South Africa. The family also attended the funeral of Prince Philip together, as well as his memorial service in 2022. Later on, in June 2022, Louise also attended various events celebrating the queen's Platinum Jubilee and appeared on the balcony alongside other royals for Trooping the Colour. 

Personally, Louise's interests include Girlguiding and horses. Specifically, she enjoys carriage driving, a sport popularized by her grandfather. In 2017, she made her debut leading the carriages of the Champagne Laurent-Perrier Meet of the British Driving Society at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. 

Similarly, Louise's interest in horses was something she inherited from her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who was also fond of the four-legged mammal next to her royal corgis, dachshunds, and dorgis. 

Queen Elizabeth has always loved riding horses, and there is a long, documented history to accompany this affinity. The British royal experienced her first equestrian lesson when she was three years old.

Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI, gifted her with her first horse — a Shetland pony she named Peggy — but she had since bred horses and rode them until her final days. President Emmanuel Macron even gave her a horse from the French Republican Guard as a jubilee gift. She always loved riding horses, and there is a long, documented history to accompany this affinity. The British royal experienced her first equestrian lesson when she was just three years old.

Furthermore, the queen loved staying at Windsor Castle — which she considered her "home" — so she could ride her horses. She was regularly caught riding and was even seen riding a classy stallion at Windsor Castle with her head groom Terry Pendry. 

Interestingly, the late queen's fondness for colts even saved an entire horse breed from extinction in 2019. 

Per BBC One, the Cleveland Bay was a reliable working horse that was used for coach pulling and war, however, "over the years their popularity started to dwindle and after the first world war, where they were used to pull artillery, the breed became severely depleted."

According to the Cleveland Bay Horse Society, "Her Majesty made the horse available at public stud, and the breed suddenly found a new popularity with the English public that saw stallion numbers rise dramatically over the next ten years. Mulgrave Supreme became a household name in the horse world with many successful offspring competing in all disciplines." The queen used Mulgrave Supreme to breed carriage horses and to be used for royal events. 

With their shared interest in horses, Lady Louise has struck a special relationship with her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. The media has often dubbed Louise as the "Queen's favorite grandchild" because of their special liking for the animal. 

During Prince Edward, Sophie, Lady Louise, and James Viscount Severn's visit to the Balmoral Castle in Scotland, Louise often accompanied the queen on horse riding sessions on their three-day visit. 

"The Queen loves the fact that Louise and James relish their time at Balmoral, and she has become particularly close to Louise, who seems to have become her favourite grandchild, closely followed by James. Louise also endeared herself to everyone by looking after William and Kate's children when they were up here," an insider told The Sun. 

Royal experts claimed to the same publication that after the visit, Lady Louise became Queen Elizabeth II's favorite grandchild. Their special relationship was again displayed as the queen, despite her old age, made a rare public appearance at the Royal Windsor Horse Show to watch and support Lady Louise. 

Per Royal historian Marlene Koenig, the Wessex children, Louise and James, were actually really close to their grandmothers as much as to their grandfather Prince Phillip. 

Like her grandmother, Lady Louise has also shared her love for horses with his late grandfather, Prince Phillip. At Prince Phillip's funeral last April 2021, Lady Louise was seen honoring his grandfather by wearing a silver equestrian brooch, signifying their shared hobbies of tending and riding horses and carriage riding. 

Prince Phillip was a proud granddad as he was there in 2019 when Louise won third place at the Private Driving Singles carriage drive during the Royal Windsor Horse Show. 

Given Louise's close relationship with her grandparents, it was understandable that Lady Louise did not take the news of Queen Elizabeth II's passing lightly. 

Queen Elizabeth II was the reigning monarch of England for an incredible 70 years, but sadly her time came to an end when she passed away on Sept. 8, 2022. She passed away while at her home in Balmoral after Buckingham Palace had earlier announced that she was under medical attention.

During her weeks-long funeral, foreign dignitaries, the masses, especially the extended part of the British Royal Family, were present, and so was Lady Louise. 

Many have taken a special interest in Louise's attendance at her grandmother's funeral, considering their closeness. And just like how she mourned her grandfather's passing, Lady Louise decided to honor in her own simple and beautiful way her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. 

Red-eyed from crying and mourning Queen Elizabeth II, Lady Louise clenched the hand of her mother, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, as they greeted bystanders outside the Balmoral Castle last Sept. 10, 2022, two days after the queen's passing. 

According to OK! Magazine, Louise and her mother even stopped to see the flowers and read the tributes offered to the queen outside the castle, sentimental and touched after seeing the huge support and love poured out. 

Joining them is Anne, Princess Royal, her husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, and Prince Edward. 

To pay homage to her late grandmother, Lady Louise wore a silver necklace with a horse pendant for the occasion. While other members of the royal family opted for the more traditional pearl, the young royal chose a more personal symbol, nodding to her and her grandmother's equestrian hearts.

Lady Louise's subtle but poignant nods towards her grandparents, especially to the late Queen Elizabeth II, during these difficult times clearly shows how deeply rooted her love towards her family is. 

What do you think about Lady Louise and Queen Elizabeth II's relationship with each other? Are you touched by Lady Louise's tribute to her grandmother? Tell your family, friends, and other Royal Family fans about this heartwarming story and let us know what they think!