When King Charles ascended to the throne last year it meant that the entire royal family’s line of succession had to be changed. For example, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s title went from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to the Prince and Princess of Wales. This happened across the entirety of the royal family, with all members being given updated titles including those who aren’t in the public eye as much as others, like Lady Louise.
Who is Lady Louise?
Louise Mountbatten-Windsor was born in 2003 and is the eldest child of Prince Edward Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh, which makes her King Charles’ niece. Recently she’s received some attention from the public due to a video posted to TikTok in which the 20 year old discusses a play; the clip is related to her English Literature degree which she is studying for at the University of St Andrews. Anyways, the recent video has got many talking about Lady Louise as people suspect she may be getting ready to step up to more royal duties.
Did Lady Louise get given a new title after the Coronation?
As pretty much every member of the royal family received a new title in May last year you’d expect the same for Lady Louise. However, she is one of the only members of the royal family who seem to have not been given a new title. When her parents went from the Earl and Countess of Wessex to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh her younger brother was bumped up to the status of Earl. However, Lady Louise was not allowed to become a Countess.
Why wasn’t Lady Louise given a new title?
Would you believe me if I told you it’s because the monarchy is a bit outdated and very sexist? Because that is exactly the reason why she missed out on the change. Titles and properties go to the eldest son, not the eldest child, meaning although he’s four years younger, Louise’s brother, James. was the one to inherit his father’s title.
Of course, it’s likely that all of this title business doesn’t really to Lady Louise who has actually refused a previous title change. When she turned 18 back in 2020 she could have started using HRH (Her Royal Highness), but it seems she chose not to take it, sticking with Mountbatten-Windsor as her name. The double-barreled last name is a combination of Queen Elizabeth’s last name (Windsor) and Prince Philip’s (Mountbatten) and it’s likely that Lady Louise is the last member of the royal family to still be using it. So in many ways her title now is more meaningful than any of the others in the royal family.