The solely method ‘unnoticed’ Sophie and Edward can turn into related? Their daughter Lady Louise. Royal skilled says couple urgently must deliver their daughter, 23, alongside on abroad excursions so as to add ‘youth and glamour’

As Lady Louise Windsor prepares to celebrate her 23rd birthday, questions remain over whether the Royal Family is making the most of one of its most valuable assets.

The granddaughter of the late Queen embodies many of the qualities traditionally associated with the survival of the Crown: youth, a steadfast sense of duty and, crucially, an absence of controversy.

She would seem an obvious poster girl for the monarchy’s relationship with a younger generation. Yet while other European royal families have been quick to wheel their younger members out onto the world stage, Lady Louise remains something of a royal wallflower.

The same could be said of her younger brother, the quietly handsome 18-year-old Earl of Wessex, or Viscount Severn, as he is known.

But both children of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh appear to be gathering dust in the royal pecking order.

And never could they have been put to better use than on their parents’ rather flat and forgettable royal tour of Helsinki last week.

The couple travelled to Finland at the end of last month for a programme covering education, innovation, culture and business. They smiled, waved and shook hands with President Alexander Stubb while making a series of high-profile visits to the capital along with Oulu and Vantaa.

But their exuberant daughter, who recently graduated with a degree in English and International Relations from the University of St Andrews, was nowhere to be seen.

Although the trip received some coverage in the Finnish media, it failed to generate much international excitement. Lady Louise, who bears a striking resemblance to her late grandmother, could have helped draw the spotlight onto the visit, providing a powerful visual and symbolic reminder of the much-loved late Queen.

Instead, her absence represented a missed opportunity to generate interest in Britain’s royal presence overseas. Now royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has said that people often forget that Edward and Sophie’s offspring are important people. 

He said: ‘As the monarch’s grandchild, Lady Louise technically has the option of becoming a Princess, so she’s quite a senior royal really.

‘Edward and Sophie are also popular and do well on YouGov ratings, but much of their hard work goes unnoticed. If they were to involve their children then they’d be introducing younger royals into the world, which they’ve really got to do, because there are now very few senior royals under the age of 70.’

By contrast, the Dutch royal family has shown a willingness to introduce its younger generation to the business of monarchy.

Princess Amalia accompanied her parents, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, on their Caribbean tour in 2023. Aged just 19, she brought a terrific sense of fun to the trip, laughing and taking selfies with locals, helping to present the Dutch royals as approachable and relatable rather than stiff and remote foreign dignitaries.

She also joined her parents during the Spanish state visit in April 2024, attending a reception and cultural events that offered valuable diplomatic experience and visibility.

Nobody expects Princess Amalia to rush prematurely towards the throne. Rather, her parents are giving her the opportunity to learn the job, build relationships and become a familiar face on the international stage.

And determined horsewoman Lady Louise could prove to be the Royal Family’s own secret weapon.

Described by royal watchers as possessing a ‘steely determination’, her less conventional pursuits have offered glimpses of a young woman who is refreshingly grounded.

Her passion for cookery was recently revealed when she spent the summer working as a cook on the Balmoral estate, preparing meals not only for members of the Royal Family in residence but also for guests renting holiday lodges on the Scottish estate.

She has previously taken on ordinary summer jobs, including working in a garden centre and undertaking administrative duties at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

She also inherited her late grandfather Prince Philip’s passion for carriage driving. He left her his personal carriage and horses when he died in 2021.

‘The Duke of Edinburgh has been so involved in my driving, which has been so lovely, although slightly scary because he invented the sport pretty much. It’s incredible to have learned first-hand from him,’ she said in a 2021 documentary following his death.

Yet part of Louise’s appeal lies precisely in the fact that she has managed to keep her head down. Unlike some younger members of the aristocracy, she has not been photographed bleary-eyed on the London club scene or become a fixture of celebrity gossip columns.

Instead, she has quietly secured a good education at one of Britain’s most prestigious universities, while cultivating interests and experiences beyond the royal bubble.

She could offer an alternative face to the more familiar senior royals: a fresh, young presence who has not endured the same relentless media scrutiny that shaped the lives of Princes William and Harry.

To their credit, Sophie and Edward have spent years establishing themselves as the dependable representatives of the monarchy. But perhaps their next important contribution should be preparing their own children for a more prominent role.

That does not necessarily mean thrusting them into the limelight or sacrificing their privacy. Rather, it could involve taking them on selected overseas visits, involving them in diplomatic and charitable engagements and allowing them to build relationships with their counterparts in other royal households.

‘It’s going to be years before Kate and Williams’s children, George, Charlotte and Louis, take on royal duties if indeed they choose to. One of the great social cachets of the British royal family is all the institutional links they have to charities and military organisations,’ Mr Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail.

‘But in order to do the job properly you need working royals.

‘The Prince and Princess Michael of Kent are not young, Princess Anne is in her 70s and obviously so are King Charles and Camilla, so it’s a good idea to introduce some younger members.’

Lady Louise has reached an age where the Royal Family should be considering what role, if any, she might play in the future of the Firm.

The challenge will be to strike a balance between protecting her privacy and preparing her for the possibility of a more public life.

After all, relevance remains one of the monarchy’s biggest challenges: how to appeal not only to today’s subjects but to the adults of tomorrow.

But perhaps the answer has been quietly riding in the back seat all along.