The Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Windsor (born 8 November 2003) is a member of the British Royal Family. She is the elder child of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. The youngest granddaughter and second-youngest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh, Lady Louise is 8th in line to the throne after the recent changes to the Laws of Succession to the British Throne.

Early life

Lady Louise was born, prematurely, on 8 November 2003 (at 23:32 GMT),[2] 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.[3] 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.[4][5] Lady Louise is ninth in the line of succession to the British throne. 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. Lady Louise attends St George's School, Windsor Castle, the same school that Princess Eugenie attended from 2001 to 2003 as a day girl.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 8 November 2003 – Present The Lady Louise Windsor[6]
  • Legally: Her Royal Highness Princess Louise of Wessex

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. Louise is thus entitled to all of these, and as such would be referred to as Her Royal Highness Princess Louise of Wessex.[7] 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. This practice does not in any way affect her legal right. Thus, she remains legally HRH Princess Louise of Wessex.

Honours

In June 2008, to recognise a visit by her father to the province of Manitoba, the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, Philip S. Lee named a lake in the north of the province after Lady Louise.[8]

References

1. ^ Given her proper title under the 1917 Letters Patent, HRH Princess Louise of Wessex holds no surname; but, when court communications give her a surname in order to refer to her without this royal style, it is Windsor.
2. ^ "Royal baby born prematurely". http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/8/newsid_3724000/3724342.stm BBC News. 8 November 2003. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
3. ^ "Royal Wessex baby finally named". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3240966.stm BBC News. 27 November 2003. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
4. ^ Buckingham Palace press releases – Christening of Lady Louise Windsor http://www.royal.gov.uk/Home.aspx
5. Christenings of the Royal Family http://users.uniserve.com/~canyon/christenings.htm#Christenings
6. ^ Hardman, Robert (2007-11-29). "The Line of Succession to the British Throne". Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work. Druck, Wemding, Germany: Ebury Press. pp. 265. ISBN 978-0-09191-842-2.
7. ^ Royal Styles and Titles – 1917 Letters Patent http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/prince_highness_docs.htm#1917_2
8. ^ "Prince Edward begins Winnipeg visit". The Vancouver Sun. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2010. http://www.vancouversun.com/news/story.html?id=fd966f54-9c34-40d9-ba86-e9274cd753db

Links

Wikipedia in English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Louise_Windsor

ThePeerage: http://www.thepeerage.com/p12222.htm#i122215