Royals

Lady Louise, 14, hailed for poise after millions watch royal wedding trip-up

Oct 14, 2018

Lady Louise escorts Prince George and the rest of the bridal party inside St George's Chapel. Source: Getty

There was plenty of pomp and fanfare at this week’s royal wedding, but amongst all the glitz and glamour, one quiet royal stood out from the rest and is being praised for her incredible poise in a moment of intense pressure.

Lady Louise, the daughter of Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, has been hailed for keeping her calm and showing incredible maturity as she corralled Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s young bridal party up the stairs at St George’s Chapel, battling unruly gusts of wind and eight excited children in front of the world’s media.

At just 14 years old, Louise was tasked with the important job of escorting her cousin’s bridal party on Friday.

She was dealing with an uphill battle from the get go as she climbed the stairs with the children, but carried it off with aplomb. When Louis de Giverny, one of the pageboys, dropped Louise’s hand and promptly fell over, she calmly pulled him to his feet and carried on, only for an untimely gust of wind to catch her dress and send it flying high.

The Bridesmaids and Page Boys have arrived at St George's Chapel! #RoyalWedding pic.twitter.com/k26Z2uGeNB

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 12, 2018

There was some confusion on social media when footage showing Louise’s dress flying into the air was beamed around the world, with many people mistaking her for the nanny rather than a 14-year-old girl.

Dozens of pictures of the unfortunate moment were shared online with many joking about the moment before they were abruptly corrected by angry defenders of the young girl.

“Lady Louise, at only 14 decided to prioritise the safety of the small children in gale force winds and continued to hold both of their hands. She is to be applauded and respected,” one person wrote on Twitter.

When she entered the church and took her seat next her cousin Zara Tindall, Louise appeared flustered, as if she was worried she hadn’t done her job to the best of her ability. Cameras captured the moment Zara put her hand on Louise’s wrist and appeared to whisper an encouraging word to her, while Zara’s husband, Mike, and sister Autumn, also leaned over and offered words of praise.

Zara Tindall comforts her young cousin inside St George's Chapel. — Zara Tindall comforts her young cousin inside St George’s Chapel. Source: Getty

Being part of the royal family is somewhat of a double-edged sword for many of its members, and while some seem to embrace their high-profile status and indeed revel in it, others like Louise’s parents have endeavoured to raise their family in a more ‘normal’ manner.

Unlike their cousins Beatrice and Eugenie, Louise and her brother James, 10, have been raised largely outside of the limelight and rarely make public appearances. Louise has been described by some as “a naturally self deprecating young girl”, who carries no airs or graces despite her privileged position.

Speaking previously about her effort to raise her children as best as possible, Louise’s mother Sophie 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.”

No doubt both she and Edward are very proud of their daughter’s efforts on Friday.