March 22, 2026

Lady Louise Windsor Called “One to Watch” as Debate Grows Over Future Working Royals

Lady Louise Windsor Called “One to Watch” as Debate Grows Over Future Working Royals
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Amazon Music podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
Castro podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player iconAmazon Music podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconCastro podcast player iconRSS Feed podcast player icon

Lady Louise Windsor is being described as “very grounded” by former palace press secretary Ailsa Anderson, who praised the young royal’s quiet upbringing largely outside the spotlight.Anderson said Louise’s love of carriage driving reflects the influence of her grandfather Prince Philip and noted that both Louise and her brother James have been able to grow up with relative normalcy compared with many senior royals.

Royal insider Deep Crown observes that the monarchy’s slimmed-down structure may eventually force Prince William to consider expanding the roster of working royals, with figures such as Zara and Mike Tindall and possibly Lady Louise Windsor becoming increasingly important.

Plus, a look back at the very different financial settlements received by Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson after their 1996 divorces, and a surprising comparison of royal wedding gowns showing that Queen Elizabeth the Second’s dress is the most expensive when adjusted for inflation.

Get episodes of Palace Intrigue by becommming a paid subscriber on Apple Podcasts. Click the button that says uninterrupted listening.  Just $5 a month, and that includes many ofther shows on the Caloroga Shark network.

Our royal newsletter written by Deep Crown is available for free.

Royal Books:

Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors by Tom Bower

William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story

The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:12.919
Calarogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Pallace Intrigue. I

2
00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:16.239
am your host. Mark Francis. Kate is being described by

3
00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:21.039
royal insiders as an increasingly important stabilizing force within the

4
00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:24.519
monarchy as Prince William faces growing pressure over the future

5
00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:28.679
of the institution. According to sources cited in recent reporting

6
00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:31.239
by Radar Online, the Princess of Wales has become a

7
00:00:31.239 --> 00:00:34.159
central figure behind the scenes doing what many see as

8
00:00:34.200 --> 00:00:36.840
one of the most difficult periods the royal family has

9
00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:41.039
faced in years. One royal insider said, among people who

10
00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:43.759
work closely with the royal household, there is a strong

11
00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:46.600
feeling that Catherine has become one of the central figures

12
00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:51.399
keeping everything steady while the institution navigates an unusually difficult chapter.

13
00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:55.320
She has a naturally calm and measured way of handling situations,

14
00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:58.079
and that has helped create a sense of stability around

15
00:00:58.119 --> 00:01:00.759
the future of the monarchy at a time when there

16
00:01:00.759 --> 00:01:04.040
has been so much uncertainty and pressure. Catherine's steadiness and

17
00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:08.959
composure have become incredibly important to maintaining confidence in the institution.

18
00:01:09.319 --> 00:01:12.400
She is now its backbone, whereas William frankly is seen

19
00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:16.079
as weaker than her. Reports also suggest that Prince William

20
00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:18.319
has been struggling with the weight of what lies ahead

21
00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:21.599
as he prepares for kingship. One source said there are

22
00:01:21.599 --> 00:01:24.400
times when the enormity of what Liza had for William

23
00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:27.719
really starts to press on him. Preparing to become king

24
00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:30.599
is always a huge burden, but the current climate surrounding

25
00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:34.519
the monarchy has made that weight feel even heavier. People

26
00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:36.480
who are familiar with what is going on behind the

27
00:01:36.519 --> 00:01:39.480
scenes say there have been periods where the constant stream

28
00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:45.000
of controversies, public scrutiny, and institutional pressures have visibly affected him.

29
00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:48.799
He understands that the expectations placed on him are enormous

30
00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:52.920
and that he will eventually inherit an institution under intense examination.

31
00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:56.439
Those around him say that awareness can sometimes make the

32
00:01:56.480 --> 00:02:00.120
path ahead feel daunting, particularly when the royal family is

33
00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:04.840
dealing with multiple crises at the same time. In The Express,

34
00:02:04.920 --> 00:02:07.879
Chris Richards writes, while Prince Harry and Meghan Mirk will

35
00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:11.319
plan a faux royal visit down Under next month, easygoing,

36
00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:13.960
Zara and Mike Tindall are showing the pair what they

37
00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:17.840
could have been. Mexit was sparked after Prince Haran Meghan

38
00:02:17.879 --> 00:02:21.560
Mirkal demanded a unique hybrid model of being working royals

39
00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:25.479
in the UK and US while staying financially independent and

40
00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:28.439
able to rake in cash from their new Sussex brand.

41
00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:31.719
The late Queen ruled their half in half out proposal

42
00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:35.599
unworkable by stressing that one cannot commercially trade on their

43
00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:39.719
royal status while still serving the crown. But despite most

44
00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:42.639
Britain steeming ex pat Harry and his actress wife Megan

45
00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:46.000
pretty meaningless, they still like to burn carbon and jet

46
00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:49.199
across the world, pretending they are full time UK royals

47
00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:52.960
on tour. Last month it was Jordan. Next month it's Australia,

48
00:02:53.080 --> 00:02:55.759
pretending they are meaningful royals. They can look at Zara

49
00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:58.199
and Mike and think, damn, that could have been us.

50
00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:02.560
Louise Windsor has been described as very grounded by a

51
00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:05.199
former royal aide who was present around the time of

52
00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:10.199
her birth. Former Palace Press Secretary Elisa Anderson recently reflected

53
00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:13.039
on Louise and her upbringing, praising the way she has

54
00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:16.479
grown up largely outside the spotlight. She said, I love

55
00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:18.400
seeing pictures of Louise. I love the story of her

56
00:03:18.439 --> 00:03:21.919
sitting slumped down in a train on her laptop doing work,

57
00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:25.080
either going back or coming home from university. I think

58
00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:27.599
she's very, very grounded. I love the fact that she

59
00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:30.879
takes after her grandfather in terms of carriage driving. It's

60
00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:33.560
a real passion of hers. It's a continuation of that

61
00:03:33.639 --> 00:03:37.039
amazing interest and hobby. She added that Louise could be

62
00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:40.199
an interesting one to watch in the future. Speaking about

63
00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:43.759
Louise and her younger brother, James, Earl of Wessex, Anderson

64
00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:45.879
said the two have largely been allowed to grow up

65
00:03:45.960 --> 00:03:49.319
away from the intense public attention that surrounds many senior royals.

66
00:03:49.719 --> 00:03:53.479
She said, I think both children look particularly grounded and normal.

67
00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:56.280
We don't see much of them on the balcony only occasionally.

68
00:03:57.039 --> 00:04:00.360
Anderson continued. If there's a big set piece of they

69
00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:02.560
are there, but they're pretty much under the radar, so

70
00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:05.000
they can live their life normally. If there is such

71
00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:07.159
a thing as a member of the royal family being normal.

72
00:04:07.479 --> 00:04:11.159
When you've got your uncle as the king royal inside

73
00:04:11.159 --> 00:04:13.879
a deep crown observes, there is a conversation that William

74
00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:16.199
will eventually be forced to have, and the sooner he

75
00:04:16.279 --> 00:04:19.120
has it, the better. The slim down. Monarchy was always

76
00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:22.680
a presentable theory, it is becoming in practice an operational problem.

77
00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:25.600
There are only so many engagements, only so many ribbons

78
00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:28.160
to cut, only so many regiments to visit, and the

79
00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:30.879
roster of working royals available to cover them is, to

80
00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:34.800
put it charitably lean. The Tindalls have shown themselves more

81
00:04:34.839 --> 00:04:37.120
than capable, and there is a quiet but growing school

82
00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:39.560
of thought that Zara and Mike may need to be

83
00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:43.600
coaxed formally or otherwise into a more structured role. Whether

84
00:04:43.639 --> 00:04:47.199
they would welcome that coaxing is another matter entirely which

85
00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:50.160
brings us with some interest to Lady Louise Windsor. The

86
00:04:50.199 --> 00:04:52.839
carriage driving alone tells you something. It is not a

87
00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:55.199
pursuit you take up because it photographs well, or because

88
00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:58.199
a publicist suggested. It is a pursuit you take up

89
00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:00.839
because your grandfather did it, and because you loved him,

90
00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:03.519
and because the connection to him feels worth preserving that.

91
00:05:03.560 --> 00:05:06.120
It's not the behavior of someone performing a role. That

92
00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:08.759
is the behavior of someone who actually understands what the

93
00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:13.079
institution means. Louise has been allowed, largely by design, to

94
00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:15.279
grow up outside the machinery. She has been on the

95
00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:18.000
balcony when the occasion demanded it, and otherwise she has

96
00:05:18.040 --> 00:05:20.240
been on a train with a laptop, which is frankly

97
00:05:20.279 --> 00:05:22.399
more than can be said for certain other members of

98
00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:26.639
the extended family who pursued celebrity at considerable institutional cost.

99
00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:29.360
The question of whether she eventually steps forward as a

100
00:05:29.399 --> 00:05:31.720
working royal is one that will be shaped as much

101
00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:34.959
by her own inclinations as by William's needs. She has

102
00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:37.959
not as yet indicated any burning desire for the spotlight,

103
00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:41.279
but necessity as a way of clarifying one's options, and

104
00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:44.920
William's bench is not getting longer. Anderson called her an

105
00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:48.319
interesting one to watch. I would put it rather more directly.

106
00:05:48.519 --> 00:05:51.600
She may, in due course be one the institution cannot

107
00:05:51.600 --> 00:05:54.519
afford to do without. More pallis in just a moment.

108
00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:01.399
Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana ended up in dramatically different

109
00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:05.839
financial positions after divorcing their royal husbands in nineteen ninety six.

110
00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:09.560
Diana received a settlement reportedly worth about twenty two million

111
00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:13.000
dollars along with an annual allowance following her divorce from

112
00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:16.720
the future King Charles. By contrast, Sarah Ferguson's divorce from

113
00:06:16.759 --> 00:06:20.199
Andrew resulted in a payout estimated at about four hundred

114
00:06:20.199 --> 00:06:24.160
and seventy five thousand. Ferguson later suggested she accepted less

115
00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:26.439
money in order to preserve a friendly relationship with a

116
00:06:26.519 --> 00:06:29.399
royal family. In a twenty ten interview with Oprah Winfrey,

117
00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:32.279
she said, I chose friendship with the family. I wanted

118
00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:36.240
friendship with the boss, referring to Queen Elizabeth. However, a

119
00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:39.680
smaller settlement left Ferguson struggling to maintain the lifestyle she

120
00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:42.879
had become accustomed to during her marriage. She was introduced

121
00:06:43.079 --> 00:06:45.639
to this lifestyle and kept living at Royal Author Robert

122
00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:49.000
Jobson said she was desperate for money. In the years

123
00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:52.720
after the divorce, Ferguson pursued a wide range of business ventures,

124
00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:55.879
including serving as a spokesperson for weight Watchers, writing a

125
00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:59.399
memoir and children's books, and launching a dinnerware line with

126
00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:03.279
wedge Wood. When it comes to Royal wedding gowns, the

127
00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:06.639
price tag is almost as fascinating as the design. While

128
00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:10.040
each dress reflected its era, the real surprise comes when

129
00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:14.879
you adjusted for inflation. Kate wore Accustom Alexander McQueen gown

130
00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:18.439
designed by Sarah Burton for her April twenty nine, twenty

131
00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:21.199
eleven wedding to Prince William. The lace and satin dress,

132
00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:25.519
with its handcut lace applquet, corseted bodice, and nine foot train,

133
00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:28.759
reportedly cost about four hundred and thirty four thousand dollars

134
00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:32.199
at the time. Adjusted to twenty twenty six dollars, that

135
00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:36.160
figure rises to roughly six hundred twenty seven thousand at

136
00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:38.959
face value. Kate's was the most expensive gown of the

137
00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:43.519
modern Royal era. Diana, Princess of Wales, chose designers David

138
00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:46.360
and Elizabeth Emmanual for her July eighty one wedding to

139
00:07:46.439 --> 00:07:50.079
King Charles at third. Her dramatic silk taffeta gown, complete

140
00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:53.360
with puffed sleeves, elaborate embroidery in a twenty five foot train,

141
00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:56.439
reportedly cost one hundred and fifteen thousand at the time.

142
00:07:56.839 --> 00:07:59.879
In today's money, that equates to approximately four hundred forty

143
00:07:59.879 --> 00:08:03.519
eight thousand. Despite its enormous cultural impact and enduring fame,

144
00:08:04.040 --> 00:08:07.720
Diana's dress ranks third in pure financial terms once inflation

145
00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:11.560
is factored in. The true financial heavyweight, however, is Queen

146
00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:14.800
Elizabeth I. When she married Prince Philip in nineteen forty seven.

147
00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:19.360
Her Norman Hartnell designed Duchess Saturn gown cost about forty

148
00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:22.720
two thousand dollars. That may sound modest compared to more

149
00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:26.160
recent royal weddings, but adjusted for inflation, the figure climbs

150
00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:30.399
to roughly one point six million in twenty twenty six dollars. Address,

151
00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:34.720
adorned with ten thousand seed pearls and symbolic floral embroidery

152
00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:39.120
inspired by Botticelli's Primavera, becomes the most expensive of the

153
00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:42.720
three when measured in present day value. So while Kate's

154
00:08:42.759 --> 00:08:45.440
gown carried the highest upfront price and Diana's became the

155
00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:49.639
most iconic, Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress ultimately stands as the

156
00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:53.519
most expensive in modern terms. They have it. I'd like

157
00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:56.240
to email as the addresses the Palace Intrigue at gmail

158
00:08:56.360 --> 00:08:58.200
dot com. Please fall us on Spotify, Apple or the

159
00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:00.320
apple of the choice. I'm Mirk Francis my thanks to

160
00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:07.759
John McDermott. This balance intrigue contains mm hmm