Happy Birthday to Lady Louise Windsor! The young royal is celebrating her 16th birthday on Friday 8 November, and in honour of the occasion, HELLO! has rounded up everything you need to know about her. As the eldest daughter of Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex, Louise is 13th in line to the throne and is the Queen's youngest granddaughter. She recently played an important role at Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding, acting as a special attendant. The teenager looked lovely dressed in blue as she helped the little bridesmaids and pageboys up the stairs of St. George's Chapel.
© Photo: Getty ImagesLady Louise Windsor turned 16 on 8 November
It's been eight years since Louise was a bridesmaid at Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding. Only eight years old at the time, the youngster looked simply adorable in a white bridesmaid dress as she joined the family on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Lady Louise tends to usually stay out of the limelight with her younger brother James, Viscount Severn. Speaking about trying to give their children a normal upbringing, the Countess of Wessex said: "Certainly when they were very young we tried to keep them out of it. Only because for their sakes, to grow up as normally as possible we felt was quite important. And they're going to have to go out and get a job and earn a living later on in life and if they've had a normal a start in life they possibly can get, then hopefully that will stand them in good stead."
WATCH: Everything you need to know about Lady Louise Windsor
Louise was born prematurely via an emergency Caesarean section. She also suffered from exotropia - a condition which turns the eyes outwards. Fortunately, Louise can now see normally following various operations. The Countess previously explained that her daughter used to suffer from the eye condition. "Premature babies can often have squints because the eyes are the last thing in the baby package to really be finalised," Sophie told The Sunday Express in 2015. "Her squint was quite profound when she was tiny and it takes time to correct it. You've got to make sure one eye doesn't become more dominant than the other but she's fine now - her eyesight is perfect."
READ: The Countess of Wessex teams green flares with the most perfect winter coat
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe royal is a huge fan of horse riding
In 2016, Sophie recalled the moment Louise realised that her grandmother is the Queen. The Countess was giving an interview with the BBC's Louise Minchin, when she was asked by the presenter if her children are starting to acknowledge that their granny is a highly important public figure. "It happened a little while ago," said Sophie. "Well for Louise, actually, it was much more of a shock to the system. It was only when she was coming home from school and saying, 'Mummy, people keep on telling me that grandma is the queen.' And I asked her, 'Yes, how does that make you feel? And she said, 'I don't understand.'" She added: "I don't think she had grasped that perhaps there was only one queen."
Like the Queen, Lady Louise is a huge fan of horse riding. She has been often pictured showing off her equestrian skills, competing in the British Driving Society Championship for Young Drivers. Her grandfather, Prince Philip was very instrumental in the development of carriage driving and has represented Britain in three European championships and six world championships.
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