THE Queen may be one of the most famous women on the planet, but to her grandchildren she is simply “granny”.
During a rare TV interview in 2016, Prince Edward’s wife Sophie Wessex revealed their daughter Lady Louise, 17, had no idea that her gran was Queen growing up.
Sophie said that Lady Louise had “no concept” of her “grandmama” was famous, and found out in a very unusual way.
In an interview for the Queen’s 90th birthday, Sophie told Sky News: “I mean Louise had no concept really that the Queen and her grandmother were one and the same person.
“It wasn’t until she was at school that other children were mentioning it and saying, ‘Your gran is the Queen’.
“And she’d come home and say, ‘Mummy they say that Grandmama is the Queen.’
“And I said, ‘Yes,’ and she said, ‘I don’t understand what they mean.’”
Prince Edward and Sophie, both 57, typically keep their kids, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn, 14, out of the spotlight.
Louise is 14th in line to the throne, behind her younger brother James, as they were both born before the 2013 Succession to the Crown Act, which officially ended the centuries-old rule that male offspring take precedence over females.
In the past, Lady Louise and brother James have been seen riding in a carriage with their parents at the Trooping The Colour ceremony, celebrating the Queen’s birthday.
Lady Louise is said to have emerged as the Queen’s favourite following a lengthy stay at the monarch’s Scottish retreat, Balmoral, a few years ago.
She spent 10 days there along with her family, and is said to have bonded with Her Majesty over her love of sketching.
Lady Louise was also chosen to accompany her grandmother horse-riding in the surrounding hills for three days running, with her mother only joining them for one ride.
A royal insider said: “The Queen loves the fact that Louise and James relish their time at Balmoral, and she has become particularly close to Louise, who seems to have become her favourite grandchild, closely followed by James.”
Ingrid Seward previously told Fabulous that the Queen likes “ordinary people more than she does those that pander to her”.
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Prince Philip, who passed away last April, left his beloved ponies and carriage to granddaughter Lady Louise.
The Duke of Edinburgh had taught the young royal how to do carriage driving before his recent death.
Prince Edward, who is the Queen’s youngest child, was also asked when he personally realised his mum was the monarch.
He said: “I can’t necessarily remember when that realisation was there.
“When you grow up in that family and in that environment, that’s just what your parents do.
“It’s been much more interesting watching our children growing up, and watching our children trying to work out what that this, and how that works. It was probably not until five or six I think.”
The Queen has eight grandchildren: Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn.
We shared how Sophie Wessex is the Queen’s ‘favourite’ and she’s ‘trusted’ in ways Kate and Camilla aren’t.
And this is the moment Sophie grimaced and grabbed her head in front of a concerned Meghan Markle… after a bug flies into her EAR.
