Lady Louise Windsor’s grandmother might be the Queen,
but perhaps confusingly, that doesn’t mean that the 18-year-old is a Princess.
Two of her female cousins, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie,
have royal titles. However, her other female cousin, Zara Tindall, is not
a Princess either.
The reason lies in the fact that Louise’s father,
Prince Edward, became an Earl when he married his wife Sophie in 1999, and the
couple agreed with the Queen that their offspring would be styled as
children of an Earl rather than a Prince, perhaps because they are not the
monarch’s direct heirs.
They are therefore known as Lady Louise Mountbatten Windsor
and James, Viscount Severn. At 14, James, is now the only one of the
Queen’s grandchildren who is under 18.
The pair were given HRH titles at birth which they could
choose to use when they turned 18, but so far, Louise has chosen not to do
so.
Prince Andrew’s daughters do use their
titles, which is less typical for royals who are not working members
of the royal family.
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Louise is the Earl and Countess of Wessex’s oldest child
However, the sisters do sometimes represent the Queen
at events, such as Buckingham Palace garden parties.
In contrast, Princess Anne’s first husband Mark Phillips
declined the Queen’s offer of an Earldom when they married and the couple
preferred their children to not use titles, being known simply as Zara and
Peter.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, the Princess Royal reflected
on the decision, saying: “I think it was probably easier for them, and I
think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles. So I
think that was probably the right thing to do.”
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The teenager inherited the late Duke of Edinburgh’s carriage
It’s possible that Louise and James could begin
using royal titles in the future, perhaps when Edward becomes
the new Duke of Edinburgh after Prince Charles accedes to the
throne.
Their mother Sophie has previously spoken about her and her
husband’s down-to-earth attitude towards raising children, though,
saying: “We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very
likely to have to work for a living.”
