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Lady Louise Windsor reportedly wants to follow in her late grandmother Queen Elizabeth's footsteps. According to The Sun, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's 20-year-old daughter would like to serve in the military.
“She talks about being very keen on a career in the military, serving the King and country," a friend told the outlet. “She is all about the Army Cadets and has fallen in love with it.”
Louise is described by The Sun as "an avid member of St Andrews' University Officers’ Training Corps." The Sun reported that the royal's LinkedIn page says that she is "interested in pursuing a career in the military, diplomacy, or law."
Lady Louise is currently sixteenth in line to the throne. She is Prince Edward and Sophie's only daughter, and Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's youngest granddaughter.
The late Queen was the first female member of the royal family to join the armed services as a full-time active member, per the royal family's website. King Charles III's mother joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in 1945. On her 21st birthday in 1947, then-Princess Elisabeth was appointed Colonel in Chief of the Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland. It was her first military appointment. The royal family's website notes that Queen Elizabeth held over fifty ranks and appointments in the UK and Commonwealth Armed Service.
While Louise would be the first female British royal to serve since the Queen, other family members have served. Louise's older cousin Prince William was commissioned as an Army Officer in 2006, and in 2009 decided to pursue a flying career in the military and began training as a Search and Rescue pilot. Her other cousin Prince Harry served in the Armed Forces for 10 years, during which he undertook two tours of duty to Afghanistan with the British Army, and her paternal uncle Prince Andrew joined the Royal Navy in 1979 and served during the Falklands War.
In a message to mark Armed Forces Day in 2020, Queen Elizabeth said, "Having had members of my family serve in each of the Armed Services, I know only too well of the pride Service personnel take in their duty."