The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, is celebrating her 20th birthday today (November 8th) and will no doubt be having a great day with her friends at the University of St Andrew's in Scotland.

The royal is a popular member of the family who shared a particularly special bond with her late grandparents, the Queen and Prince Philip, thanks to her love of horses and carriage driving.

As she enters her 20s, a leading royal expert has spoken to OK! about Lady Louise and why she is not only "a credit to her parents" but also how she has "nailed the art of being royal and relatable".

Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Windsor was born on November 8, 2003 at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey and had a challenging start to life with a very difficult birth.

In Sophie's 36th week of pregnancy, she was admitted to hospital with severe internal pains and was found to be dangerously ill from blood loss. An emergency caesarean was performed and Lady Louise was born weighing just 4lb 9oz.

She then spent two weeks in intensive care in a specialist neonatal unit at St George's Hospital, South-West London before finally being well enough to go home.

Despite also undergoing surgery to correct esotropia in her eye, Lady Louise has flourished and is now thought to be very popular at the University of St Andrew's where she is currently in her second year.

As Lady Louise celebrates, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond has praised the young royal and the guiding influence of her parents. Speaking to OK!, she said: "What’s not to like about Lady Louise? She has overcome an eye problem with great dignity and now is blossoming into a beautiful 20 year old, enjoying life at St Andrew’s like any other undergraduate.

"She’s studying English and has reportedly taken to the stage in University productions, in many ways emulating her father.

"She was a firm favourite of both her grandmother, the late Queen, and of Prince Philip, who took her under his wing and taught her all he knew about carriage driving.

"She is now almost as expert as he was and has even inherited two of his ponies and his carriage.

"Louise seems to have both feet firmly planted on the ground. She decided to refuse the HRH style she could have used after her 18th birthday and last year she was seen driving a second-hand Volkswagen Polo she reportedly saved up for, and she also took a temporary job at a local garden centre, earning around £7 an hour.

"She seems to have nailed the art of being royal and extremely relatable at the same time. That is a credit both to her and to her parents."

Lady Louise has followed in her late grandfather's footsteps and become a talented carriage driver. In 2020, The Duchess of Edinburgh spoke about her daughter's passion and said: "I trail in her wake, frankly. No, she is naturally so good at it, she really is. It's something that she has taken to very well."

The late Queen's granddaughter also spoke about her love for the sport and paid tribute to her grandfather in a rare appearance on the BBC documentary 'Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers.'

She spoke of the influence Prince Philip had on her carriage driving and said: “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.”

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