A royal expert has discussed what the future could hold for Lady Louise Windsor, as she prepares to enter her second year studying English at St Andrew’s University.
The eldest child of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Louise is not a working member of the Royal Family, and neither is her younger brother James, Earl of Wessex.
Although this can partially be explained by their young age, as King Charles seeks to slim down the monarchy it seems unlikely that Louise and James will become working royals. Furthermore they are relatively far down the list of succession at 16th and 15th place respectively.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams spoke to Express.co.uk about what Louise’s working future could look like and how important it may be for the family.
He said: “The probability is that Lady Louise will be working for a living as her mother the Duchess of Edinburgh once anticipated.”
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“She did not receive a title when her parents became Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and her brother Viscount Severn became the new Earl of Wessex. The style of the daughter of a Duke is similar to that of an Earl.
“Since she is still at university there is the understandable desire to minimise publicity about and interest in her activities.
“It remains true however that if in future she did perform royal duties, it would be of great importance for the royal family, only four working royals are currently under 70 and they will therefore be performing fewer duties for fewer charitable institutions.”
In spite of the King’s more slimmed down and modern approach, Louise and James did appear with other senior members of the Firm on the balcony at Buckingham Palace after the Coronation.
Along with Edward and Sophie, the only other two working royals under 70 are Prince William and Princess Kate, whose own children are still far too young to take up royal duties.
Therefore some have suggested that younger family members such as Louise, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie should be asked to take on more royal responsibilities.
Despite the York daughters working on their own private ventures, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine that they could be given more prominence as royals.
She said: “Beatrice and Eugenie are the obvious choices if the Royal Family suddenly finds itself so slimmed down that there simply aren’t enough of them to go round.
“As their mother said in her podcast, the two women do a fair bit of charity work quietly behind the scenes. Perhaps this is the best way to go.”
