The Duchess of Edinburgh is preparing to celebrate a significant milestone next week, and it appears her daughter Lady Louise will be by her side for the occasion. Sophie, who has been happily wedded to Prince Edward since 1999, will be marking her 60th birthday on 20 January.
The timing aligns perfectly for her eldest child to join in the celebrations. Currently studying English literature at St Andrews – the same university where Prince William and Princess Kate fell in love – Louise, 21, will be available to spend her mother’s special day with her as the university’s Candlemas Semester does not commence until 27 January.
It is expected that Sophie will privately celebrate her landmark birthday at her Surrey residence, Bagshot Park, alongside husband Edward, 60, and Louise. Their son James, Earl of Wessex, is likely to be at his boarding school in Oxfordshire.
Despite being senior working royals, the Duchess and Edward’s children do not carry HRH titles, allowing them a more private life. While Louise and James do make appearances at major Royal events with their parents, such as Trooping The Colour, Coronations, Royal weddings and Christmas Day walkabouts, they generally lead lives away from the public eye.
Duchess Sophie once shared her reasoning for not bestowing Royal titles on her children: “We try to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work for a living. Hence, we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it’s highly unlikely,” reports the Mirror.
Nevertheless, changes could be afoot due to the health troubles plaguing more senior royals. The Scottish Daily Express,reports Prince William is contemplating elevating Louise and James to working royals, granting them Sovereign Grant funds and assigning Royal duties.
Amid the health battles troubling members of the monarchy, including King Charles and Princess Kate focusing on cancer treatment last year, concerns over an aging pool of active royals arose. Strikingly, the average age hits 69, or 77 without counting Kate and William.
The couple has been juggling their family life with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis alongside Royal commitments—a situation where younger working royals could potentially alleviate the load of official engagements.
The addition of more youthful working royals could prove beneficial, particularly in light of Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back. King Charles’s vision for a ‘slimmed down monarchy’, aimed at reducing the financial burden of the House of Windsor on the public, did not factor in his youngest son, Prince Harry, departing The Firm.