Lady Louise turns 18 this week. But in addition to blowing out the candles on her cake, the Queen’s granddaughter has a very important decision to make about her future within the royal family.
WATCH: Everything to know about Lady Louise Windsor
On her 18th birthday, the daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, can formally decide whether or not she wants to use her birthright title of ‘Her Royal Highness’.
Edward and Sophie opted not to give Louise or her brother titles at birth so they could experience a ‘normal’ childhood. Furthermore, in an interview just last year, Sophie said she felt it was “highly unlikely” that her kids would ever take up their titles.
However, royal experts say that may have changed recently, in light of a combination of the Queen’s declining health and also Louise’s sudden maturity.
Royal author Howard Hodgson revealed that, as the Queen’s “favourite grandchild”, she may be “encouraged to take the title” by the monarch herself.
Sophie and Edward have largely kept Lady Louise out of the public eye for most of her childhood, but the royal made her first foray into public life by taking part in the BBC documentary commemorating the life of Prince Philip.
Her TV debut was widely lauded, with royal fans – including author Hugo Vickers – noting Lady Louise “spoke with confidence and charm”.
Louise is also the older sister to Sophie and Edward’s son, James, Viscount Severn, but starting a family didn’t come easy for the royals.
In 2001, Sophie was rushed to King Edward VII’s Hospital in London to undergo emergency surgery after the discovery of a dangerous ectopic pregnancy.
Two years later, in 2003, they finally welcomed Louise, but not without complications. Sophie was struck down with crippling abdominal pains while Edward was visiting Mauritius.
She was rushed to Frimley Park Hospital, where she was soon diagnosed as suffering from acute placental abruption and needed an emergency caesarean. Almost dying from blood loss, Sophie spent several weeks recovering in intensive care.
Louise would also suffer from health problems after being born with esotropia, a condition that turns the eyes outwards and gives the person a “cross-eyed” appearance. She would grow up with vision issues until the condition was fixed with surgery in 2014.
In 2007, their son James was born, in a much less dramatic fashion than his sister’s arrival.
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