Lady Louise Lives A Lavish Life
Lady Louise Windsor might not be a princess, but that doesn't mean her life isn't the stuff of fairy tales. As the daughter of Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II's youngest son, Louise has been able to experience a lifestyle that most people only dream of. She summers at Balmoral Castle, wears glamorous clothes to royal events, and travels via a private jet.
Of course, it's important to note that Louise doesn't flaunt her wealth the way that other royals might. She wears the same outfits over and over again — even borrowing clothes from her royal mom's closet. Her car, a used Volkswagen Polo, is fairly understated. Plus, whereas many young aristocrats have never worked a day in their lives, Louise spent one summer earning the "under 18" minimum wage at a plant shop. On top of all of that, Louise spent the first several years of her life totally unaware that her grandmother just so happened to be the reigning monarch. As Louise's mother, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, once told Sky News (via Marie Claire), "It wasn't until she was at school that other children were mentioning it and saying, 'Your gran is the Queen.'"
Despite all these efforts to have a more normal life, Louise is not in a normal position. She is rumored to have been Queen Elizabeth II's favorite granddaughter and now takes the place of 16th in line to the British throne. This means that Louise leads a very privileged life, full of luxuries and opportunities.
Lady Louise Windsor has received a top-notch education
A good education can go a long way, and Lady Louise Windsor seems to know it. The young aristocrat has attended top British schools for most of her life, beginning her academic career at St. George's School at Windsor Castle. The institution was founded by her ancestor, King Edward III, back in 1348. Since then, it has maintained close ties with the British royal family, even enjoying the patronage of Queen Elizabeth II.
From there, she went on to a private boarding school at St. Mary's School Ascot. There, Louise would have had access to a wide range of activities, such as fencing, squash, and ballet. She also would have received top-notch preparation for her A-Levels.
As far as university goes, Louise has chosen to follow in the footsteps of the Prince and Princess of Wales, attending the renowned University of St Andrews. Like Prince William and Princess Catherine before her, Louise seems to be enjoying her time on the historic campus. Her mother, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, has already politely asked the press to give Louise this time to explore the world out of the public eye. As Sophie put it in a live BBC Radio interview, "I hope for the next few years, at least, she will still be able to be as private as she wants to be" (via Mirror).
She goes home to a 120-room mansion
Because Lady Louise Windsor has spent so many years at boarding school and university, it might not be clear where her "home" is. That being said, when she does go visit her immediate family, Louise often stays with them in a 120-room mansion called Bagshot Park.
Located in Surrey, Bagshot Park is one of the royal family's many properties. When Louise's parents, Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, wed in 1999, Queen Elizabeth II offered them the use of the stunning estate. While other royal residences are open to the public for tours and the like, Bagshot Park happens to be totally private. That said, Sophie has been kind enough to show parts of the property to the press. One of the living rooms features an ornate fireplace, gold-framed paintings, and antique furniture. The kitchen, meanwhile, is more modern with white cabinets and marble countertops.
While the house itself is certainly beautiful, the grounds that surround it are especially extraordinary. The property boasts 51 acres of greenery, including walking trails, a greenhouse, and a traditional British garden. As a young person, this must be a fantastic place to practice sports, read a book, or even catch a few rays in the summertime.
Lady Louise wears gorgeous jewelry
In the years since she graduated from boarding school, Lady Louise Windsor has become a fashion icon. Some of her best looks have included an ankle-length white dress worn to Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee and an adorable black frock, which she rocked at King Charles III's coronation concert. And like so many other members of the royal family, Louise accessorizes her stylish ensembles with stunning jewelry.
On Christmas 2023, for example, Louise stunned in a classic pair of pearl earrings. The pieces hailed from the special Missoma jewelry collection created in collaboration with design legend Harris Reed. A few months before that, she sported sweet and sparkly Cartier pieces at Charles' coronation ceremony. The young royal has also used accessories to honor her late grandparents' love of equestrian sports: In 2022, she wore a silver horse pendant to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, and the year prior she donned a carriage driving-themed brooch to Prince Philip's service.
Although she still has not publicly worn a tiara, Louise is expected to have her official diadem debut at her future wedding. This is because British royals follow a strict no-tiaras-before-marriage rule. When she does finally walk down the aisle, though, Louise will be expected to wear one of many expensive pieces, potentially even her mother's famous aquamarine tiara.
The aristocrat enjoys luxurious vacations
There comes a time when everybody needs a break — even members of the royal family. That being said, when Lady Louise Windsor and her family go on vacation, they take the concept of rest and relaxation to a whole new level. As a whole, the Edinburgh's enjoy sports, particularly downhill skiing and horseback riding. While there are plenty of horses for Louise to spend time with in England, there are not a lot of large ski resorts in her native country.
For this reason, the Edinburgh family has been known to vacation in St. Moritz, Switzerland, where they can hit one of 87 pistes. They are members of the Corviglia Ski Club, which only extends invitations to the world's wealthiest and most influential aristocrats. In the past, club members have included other royals, such as Prince Rainier of Monaco and Prince Constantine of Liechtenstein. However, a select few members of the ultra-rich — including Alfred Heineken of the beer empire — have been permitted to join as well. Because the club is so exclusive, its membership list of 160 people is top-secret. Even so, it's probably safe to say that Louise has been rubbing shoulders with a very select crowd.
Lady Louise Windsor travels by private jet
The British royal family has always been known to travel in style, and Lady Louise Windsor is no exception. The adventurous young aristocrat often travels by private jet — usually accompanied by her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. In 2016, the family arrived in St. Moritz on a gorgeous aircraft, estimated to have cost £46 million. In 2020, they traveled via an even more expensive vessel, which is valued at approximately £49 million.
It is important to note that while neither of these aircrafts belong to the Edinburgh family, it can still cost more than £20,000 to charter a private flight for two hours. According to the Daily Mail, the family's 2019 jaunt to St. Moritz from Britain cost a cool £24,000.
The British taxpayers are not supposed to bear the cost of any of these luxuries, as it is forbidden for public funds to go towards the royal family's private vacations. (And as Louise's father, Prince Edward, knows all too well, it's also frowned upon to use taxpayer dollars on private planes when traveling for royal engagements when public transit is available.) This means that Louise's parents either paid for the transport out of their own personal savings, or were offered the chance to borrow a friend's private jet for the day. Either way, it is clear that the family knows a thing or two about luxury.
She was a bridesmaid in a royal wedding
One of the biggest perks of being a high-ranking member of British society is participating in major royal events. In 2011, Lady Louise Windsor was honored by the monarchy when she was invited to be a bridesmaid at Prince William and Princess Catherine's wedding. During the event, Louise shared this role with two other important young girls. The first was Eliza Lopes, who is best-known as Queen Camilla's grandchild. Also alongside her was Princess Margaret's granddaughter, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, who looked adorable in all her finery.
The three girls dressed to impress. Louise, Eliza, and Margarita looked adorable in their little white frocks, which were designed by Nicki Macfarlane. Because of the formal nature of the event, they also wore crowns of white flowers and held matching bouquets. Although some people believe that only a bride should wear white on her wedding day, it is a royal tradition for the bridesmaids to wear white as well — perhaps due to the old idea that white could repel ill will.
Tradition aside, however, Louise seemed to enjoy her role. Following the ceremony, she was photographed smiling and waving to the crowds on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Her cousin Margarita, meanwhile, appeared overwhelmed by the noise, covering her ears and glaring at the cheering public.
Lady Louise indulges in carriage driving
Lady Louise Windsor comes from an active family. Her father, Prince Edward, is Vice-Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation, and her late paternal grandfather, Prince Philip, enjoyed activities ranging from cricket to hockey to sailing. In his later years, Philip fell in love with the sport of carriage racing, and, although it's not an inexpensive hobby, Louise has been keen to follow in his footsteps.
At Philip's memorial in 2022, Louise's mother, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, recalled just how much the late prince enjoyed the sport. Apparently, he even tried to teach her a thing or two about carriage driving — an activity at which Sophie did not exactly excel. Luckily, Louise eventually decided that she was willing to take up the reins, and Philip gladly taught his granddaughter everything he knew. As Sophie put it, "He was so pleased when she took the sport up ... He was just brilliant with her" (via Daily Mail).
Carriage racing, however, involves quite a few major expenses. Carriages are not cheap, and replacement parts can cost thousands of pounds. Maintaining horses can also be pricey, as the animals require quite a bit of food, care, and veterinary attention. Hey, if there's anyone who can foot the bill for a pricey sport, it's probably a member of the royal family. Lucky for Louise, she happens to be 16th in line to the throne.
The young royal has spent many of her summer vacations in a castle
Sleeping in a castle is a bucket list item for many people, but for Lady Louise Windsor it was just a typical part of her summer. Throughout her childhood, the aristocrat spent many weeks at Queen Elizabeth II's £140 million property, Balmoral Castle in Scotland. There, Louise would bond with the queen, as well as Prince William, Princess Catherine, and other senior members of the royal family. As one palace insider told The Sun in 2019, "The queen loves the fact that Louise and James relish their time at Balmoral, and she has become particularly close to Louise, who seems to have become her favourite grandchild, closely followed by James."
While at Balmoral, Louise would have enjoyed sweeping views of the nearby nature and spending time exploring the grounds. Per the same source, "Louise loves drawing and sketching and was very patiently trying to get Charlotte to do pictures of rabbits and deer."
During her time at the estate, Louise was even offered the chance to use valuable historical documents to help her hone her artistic skills. As the insider in question explained, "Because of her obvious artistic skill, the queen allowed Louise to look through some of the collection of Queen Victoria's Highlands sketches which are kept at Balmoral but are rarely dug out these days."
She reportedly practiced driving on the Windsor property
Art is not the only thing that Lady Louise Windsor has studied on royal grounds. As a source dished to The Sun, the young royal is also believed to have practiced driving around the Windsor estate. Because the property contains a vast array of private roads, this would have been the ideal place for Louise to get comfortable behind the wheel. On these exclusive royal grounds, she would have enjoyed a lot of privacy and many opportunities to make mistakes without attracting public attention.
One may assume that a member of the royal family needn't worry about passing their driver's test before they hit the road, but it turns out that they have to follow the rules just like everyone else. The reigning monarch is the only member of the family who doesn't need a license to drive.
Of course, once Louise did successfully obtain her drivers' license, she remained quite humble about her new ability to put the pedal to the metal. As previously noted, the young aristocrat even purchased an inexpensive used car using the money she earned while working at a gardening center. That being said, it's important to keep in mind that Louise's driving lessons took place in a very special environment; Windsor is a far cry from an empty shopping center parking lot. As understated as she may be, Louise was Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter — and she is definitely not "just like us."