Lady Louise Windsor
Encyclopedia
The Lady Louise Windsor (Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor; born 8 November 2003) is the elder child 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 16 independent states
(having been eighth in line at the time of her birth).
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 realm
s. 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.
, the same school that Princess Eugenie attended from 2001 to 2003 as a day girl.
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
.
of Manitoba
, the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
-in-Council
named a lake in the north of the province after Lady Louise.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. She is the youngest granddaughter and second-youngest grandchild of Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
. Lady Louise is currently ninth in line of succession
Line of succession to the British Throne
The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. By the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession is limited to the descendants of the Electress Sophia of...
to the thrones of 16 independent states
Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
(having been eighth in line at the time of her birth).
Early life
Lady Louise was born, prematurely, on 8 November 2003 (at 23:32 GMT), at Frimley Park HospitalFrimley Park Hospital
Frimley Park Hospital is a large, 720-bed NHS hospital in Frimley, Surrey, part of the Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.It opened in 1974 to provide a full range of district general hospital services for North East Hampshire and West Surrey, a catchment population of about 365,000...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, after her mother was rushed there by ambulance from the couple's home at Bagshot Park
Bagshot Park
Bagshot Park is a royal residence located near Bagshot, a village south west of Windsor and approximately north east of Guildford . It is the current home of The Earl and Countess of Wessex. Bagshot Park is on Bagshot Heath, a fifty square-mile tract of formerly open land in Surrey and Berkshire...
, Surrey. She was delivered by emergency Caesarean section
Caesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
, necessitated by a placental abruption
Placental abruption
Placental abruption is a complication of pregnancy, wherein the placental lining has separated from the uterus of the mother. It is the most common pathological cause of late pregnancy bleeding. In humans, it refers to the abnormal separation after 20 weeks of gestation and prior to birth...
, causing severe blood loss to both child and mother, before her December due-date. The Countess of Wessex had previously suffered an ectopic pregnancy
Ectopic pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy, or eccysis , is a complication of pregnancy in which the embryo implants outside the uterine cavity. With rare exceptions, ectopic pregnancies are not viable. Furthermore, they are dangerous for the parent, since internal haemorrhage is a life threatening complication...
. 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
St George's Hospital
Founded in 1733, St George’s Hospital is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals. It shares its main hospital site in Tooting, England with the St George's, University of London which trains NHS staff and carries out advanced medical research....
, Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, 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
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
on 24 April 2004 and her godparents were: the Lady Alexandra Etherington
Lady Alexandra Etherington
Lady Alexandra Clare Etherington is the only daughter of James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife and a great great great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She married Mark Fleming Etherington , on 11 May 2001. They have one daughter, Amelia Mary Carnegie Etherington...
, the Lady Sarah Chatto
Lady Sarah Chatto
The Lady Sarah Frances Elizabeth Chatto, née Armstrong-Jones , is the only daughter of the 1st Earl of Snowdon and Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, the second daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. She is 17th in line of succession to the thrones of each of the Commonwealth Realms;...
, the Lord Ivar Mountbatten
Lord Ivar Mountbatten
Lord Ivar Alexander Michael Mountbatten, DL is the younger son of the 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven and Janet Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven...
, Rupert Elliott, and Mrs Urs Schwarzenbach
Urs Schwarzenbach
Urs Schwarzenbach is a Swiss-born financier based in the United Kingdom.Schwarzenbach set up Interexchange, the largest foreign exchange dealership in Switzerland. Through its success he has bought well over £300m of property in the UK, in Australia, a palace in Morocco, £17m of assets in the...
.
Lady Louise is ninth in the line of succession
Line of succession to the British Throne
The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. By the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession is limited to the descendants of the Electress Sophia of...
to the thrones of the Commonwealth realm
Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
s. 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
Princess Eugenie of York
Princess Eugenie of York Eugenie Victoria Helena; born 23 March 1990) is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York...
in 1990.
Lady Louise was born with the eye disorder exotropia
Exotropia
Exotropia is a form of strabismus where the eyes are deviated outward. It is the opposite of esotropia. People with exotropia often experience crossed diplopia. Intermittent exotropia is a fairly common condition. "Sensory exotropia" occurs in the presence of poor vision...
. 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 CastleSt George's School, Windsor Castle
St George's School, Windsor Castle is a coeducational independent Preparatory School of some 410 children, aged from 3 to 13, in Windsor, near London....
, the same school that Princess Eugenie attended from 2001 to 2003 as a day girl.
Titles and styles
- 8 November 2003–present: The Lady Louise Windsor
- also styled: The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
Letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
issued in 1917 (and still remaining in force today) assign a princely status and the style of Royal Highness
Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
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
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
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
British princess
This is a list of British princesses from the accession of King George I in 1714. This article deals with both princesses of the blood royal and women who become princesses upon marriage....
, 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
Mountbatten-Windsor
Mountbatten-Windsor is the personal surname of some of the descendants of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh under an ambiguously-worded Order in Council issued in 1960, and as such a cadet branch of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , which in turn is a branch of...
.
Honours
In June 2008, to recognise a visit by her father to the Canadian provinceProvinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
The Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba is the viceregal representative in Manitoba of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...
-in-Council
Queen-in-Council
The Queen-in-Council is, in each of the Commonwealth realms, the technical term of constitutional law that refers to the exercise of executive authority, denoting the monarch acting by and with the advice and consent of his or her privy council or executive council The Queen-in-Council (during...
named a lake in the north of the province after Lady Louise.