The following was sent to us via email by Maureen :
“A friend and I have questioned for some time why the only child of Prince Edward is never shown or brought to public royal gatherings.
We are aware that her birth was traumatic and she had to have eye surgery soon after being born. However, she is now almost 3 and one-half years old yet she is never a part of the royal family’s public celebrations.
We read British magazines and newspapers and no one mentions her unusual absences. If Princess Louise has some kind of physical problem/handicap, why wouldn’t the royal family show to the world that this child is as loved and as welcome to celebrate in full public view as any of the Queen’s grandchildren? Hiding her away sends the message that they are embarrassed or ashamed of the situation. I think that the British public would welcome the opportunity to embrace Princess Louise no matter her handicap.
Now, of course, this is all speculation on our part. However keeping her away from all things public leads to such speculation. “
Our reply:
Lady Louise Windsor parents, Edward and Sophie, have asked that their daughter enjoys a private life, away from the cameras. They have been careful to shield their little girl from media attention, rarely including her in public engagements.
Princess Ann also wanted her children to have as much of a normal life that a grandchild of the monarch can have. Her children were rarely seen in the press and like Lady Louise, they did not hold any royal style or title. (see note below)
Lady Lousie’s last apperance was in July 2006.
(Click here to see a newspaper report)
Note:
As a granddaughter of the monarch in the male line, she is legally and officially ‘Her Royal Highness Princess Louise of Wessex’, not ‘Lady Louise Windsor’, and, when she comes of age, she may legally use the title Princess Louise if she wishes. However, when her parents married, they decided that their children would be styled as the children of an Earl rather than as princes or princesses with the style Royal Highness.
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Saturday, February 17, 2007
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2 comments:
Hi, I have read your article about Prince Edward’s daughter and I don’t think the parents of the child are hiding her as you suggest. I think rather that the family wants to live in relative anonymity because the child has nothing seriously wrong with her and by now I believe that anyone with an eye problem wouldn’t be hidden away…
I think British people get kind of paranoid about some things and precisely articles like yours reveal this sort of thing. Prince Edward is doing the right thing by keeping his family out of the media. Royal or not, the family is formed by human beings and after what happened to Lady Diana Spencer, future media hounding is not a good idea.
I commend Prince Edward and Sophie’s decision to keep their children shielded from the press. They have seen how cruel the press can be and I can understand the need to protect their children. Princess Anne did – she was subjected to some of the worst press and coped, but why should the young children have to cope – like William and Harry and Andrew’s girls from an early age – if it is not necessary. It is just to placate the general public, and we can wait and see these children when THEY are ready to face the press and cameras.
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