Right now there are just eleven working members of the Royal Family and 21-year-old Lady Louise Windsor isn’t one of them - at least, not yet…The King’s niece is in her final year studying at the University of St Andrews and royal expert Christopher Wilson believes she’s a "dark horse contender" to be a new face of the monarchy in future.
Describing Louise as someone who "charms all who meet her", Christopher recently suggested that she could be both a "decorative and useful asset to the royal team". He’s not the only one to consider her a secret weapon either, as her first foray into royal documentaries in 2021 garnered similar comments from fans.
However, a quick transition from student to working royal might not be on the cards. The expert believes that Duchess Sophie’s "vastly protective" of her children and this could mean that Louise stays "out of the spotlight" for the time being.
She’s also known to be an incredibly private person, with Sophie previously explaining that her daughter "doesn’t put anything out about herself" and "purely [by] choice" doesn’t really get involved with social media. Full-time royal life doesn’t necessarily sound like a natural fit for Lady Louise, though she could always be an "asset" to her family without committing herself to becoming a working member.
Her cousins Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice have patronages they support and have stepped in to make appearances at different events on behalf of the monarchy. Now, with their father Andrew continuing to make headlines and being stripped of his Princely title, the murmurings that they could play an even greater role have stopped.
Looking ahead to Prince William’s future reign, having a cousin as popular and charming as Lady Louise who could support him when needed would be a huge help.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and Louise’s parents are the only working royals under the age of 70. King Charles's vision for a "slimmed-down monarchy" could potentially result in there not being enough royals to fulfil the vast number of responsibilities unless more of the younger generation, like Lady Louise, step in.
She’s rumoured to be taking a royal path already, with reports claiming she’s interested in a military career after joining the University Officer Training Corps.
"Lady Louise seems to have been keen on the military from an early stage in her undergraduate studies and the pictures show that she has thrown herself into the training exercises, including liberally camouflaging her face and proudly wearing combat gear," former BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond declared in January. "She is said to have loved every minute of her time as an officer cadet and is keen to turn it into a full-time career."
Serving in the Armed Forces and making occasional public appearances as part of Prince William’s "royal team" sounds like it could potentially work for Lady Louise as a middle ground. She’s thought to be close to her older cousin too, serving as a bridesmaid at his wedding to Kate and helping to look after their children at Balmoral.
Having trusted family members he can call on will be invaluable to Prince William as he forges his own path as King in the future.
