Lady Louise Windsor Leaves Balmoral Devastated After The Queen’s Death

The nation was left stunned on Thursday evening when the news of Her Majesty's death was announced.

Members of the Royal Family have been gathering at the Queen's Scottish estate to pay their final respects.

Among them was Lady Louise Windsor, the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, who looked devastated as she left Balmoral to attend a church service for the Queen.

The young royal was photographed looking sombre as she and other members of the family left to attend a prayer service at nearby Crathie Kirk.

The Queen was a regular at the small church during her stays in Balmoral.

On Saturday, 18-year-old Louise, who has previously been regarded as Her Majesty's favourite grandchild, was among the royals who paid respect to the monarch.

After attending a prayer service at Crathie Kirk, three of the Queen's four children, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, and the Earl of Wessex, joined the Countess of Wessex and Anne's husband Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence for a walkabout.

Lady Louise, dressed elegantly in a black gown, spent about ten minutes with her family reading the condolences and appreciating the flowers before returning inside Balmoral Castle.

As senior members of the royal family waved to the mourners at the Aberdeenshire estate, the audience erupted in cheers.

Lady Louise's father, the Earl of Wessex, thanked the well-wishers lined the way back to Balmoral Castle, escorted by his wife, who was holding hands with their daughter.

The Queen's grandchildren Peter Phillips and Zara Tyndall, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor were also there.

Lady Louise has become more visible in the last two years as her parents, Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex, have risen through the royal ranks following the disgrace of Prince Andrew and the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

She participated in the Platinum Jubilee festivities, went to the Commonwealth Games with her parents, and had her successful TV debut in a documentary about the Duke of Edinburgh, her adored grandfather.

Indeed, she has become such a well-known face that she is recognized by customers of the Garden Centre where she has been working for £6.63 per hour since finishing her A-levels in June.

Now that she knows she has the marks to study English at the University of St. Andrews, where her cousin Prince William famously met his future wife, Lady Louise is gearing up for the next chapter of her life as a student.

Louise, unlike her older cousins William and Harry, was born around the time the Queen and Prince Philip cut back on long-haul travel, allowing her to spend more time with them as a child.

She has always resided about 11 miles from Windsor.

Lady Louise attended St. George's school at Windsor Castle until she was in ninth grade, when she transferred to St Mary's School in Ascot due to her inwardly turned eyes from congenital isotropia.

This problem was surgically cured in 2013.

She was mostly shielded from public view until she was a bridesmaid at the 2011 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Many royal watchers noted her similarity to the Queen at the same age.

However, it was her grandpa, the Duke of Edinburgh, who helped her discover her love of carriage driving.

Philip had more time to enjoy carriage driving after he retired, which had been one of his favourite pastimes since the 1970s.

Prior to representing Great Britain at multiple world and European championships, he raced carriages close to Norfolk.

Prince Philip was so thrilled, according to Sophie Wessex when his granddaughter expressed an interest in the sport.

”My father-in-law was always so good at encouraging, he was really encouraging of Louise.

So when she not only said, ”Please can I have a go?”

but then when she showed a flair for it, he was just brilliant with her,” she said.