Lady Louise Windsor

Turning 18 traditionally comes with plenty of life-changing decisions, including which university to attend, where to work and whether to move out. For Lady Louise Windsor, the milestone birthday comes with one very regal dilemma — whether she should become a princess. Queen Elizabeth's youngest granddaughter and the oldest child of Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, celebrated her 18th birthday on Monday.

Lady Louise Windsor has some adult decisions to make now that she has turned 18. November 8 is not only a milestone birthday for Lady Louise, it's also a chance for a Queen Elizabeth's youngest granddaughter to set the course for her life as a royal as she mulls over whether she will officially adopt the title of Princess.

Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, grew up largely out of the public eye—a move her parents very much intended. As the Queen’s youngest granddaughter, she attended royal events and had a close relationship with Prince Philip, with whom she bonded over carriage racing (she recalled how intimidating he was on the subject in the BBC documentary Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers), but never took on an official royal title. However, with her 18th birthday on November 8, that could change.

In a rather unique dilemma that few can relate to, Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex's daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, must shortly decide whether or not she'd like to become a Princess on her upcoming 18th birthday. The big day is on 8 November, so the royal (who is sixteenth in...

With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping away from royal duties and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice now happily married and starting their families, there’s been a bit of a vacuum of up-and-coming royals. But according to one royal expert, that may change soon: Enter, Lady Louise Windsor, granddaughter of the Queen, who is poised to take on a much bigger role in the family in the coming years.

Lady Louise Windsor found it “slightly scary” having her late grandfather, Prince Philip, “so involved” in her passion for carriage driving. The 17-year-old royal – who is the daughter of Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex – admitted it was “incredible” to have learned so much about the pursuit from the Duke of Edinburgh, but it could also be intimidating because he was such a key figure in the sport.

It has been 10 years since the then seven-year-old Lady Louise Windsor undertook one of her first major royal engagements, acting as a flower girl at her cousin Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton. Since then, the eldest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Wessex has largely kept out of the spotlight, growing up alongside younger brother James, Viscount Severn in Windsor, and attending local schools St George's School and St Mary's School in Ascot. Very occasionally she has accompanied her mother on official royal duties, and of course has been photographed at the weddings of her elder cousins, but all in all, she's remained low profile.

The Queen has been joined by the Countess of Wessex and Lady Louise Windsor at the Royal Windsor Horse Show during her fourth visit to the event this week. The largest outdoor horse show in the UK takes place across five days each year and involves international competitions in three equestrian disciplines.