The Special Items Prince Philip Left To Lady Louise

On April 17, 2021, the royal family bid farewell to Prince Philip, who died a week earlier on April 9, 2021. The coronavirus meant that the funeral was a small gathering, although 30 key members of the family were in attendance, including Philip's widow, Queen Elizabeth II, the pair's children, grandchildren, and their respective spouses, excluding a heavily pregnant Meghan Markle (via Esquire). 

According to People, Prince Charles walked directly behind the custom Land Rover carrying his father's coffin, while his sister, Princess Anne, followed close by. Next came Charles and Anne's siblings, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Philip's grandsons, Prince William, Peter Phillips, and Prince Harry made up the next wave of the procession (per People). Despite the sad day, a silver lining came as William and Harry were spotted exiting St. George's Chapel side by side, fueling rumors of a possible reconciliation.

Also present at the funeral was Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex. At just 17 years old, Philip's granddaughter was one of the youngest in attendance. But despite her tender age, she and the late Duke of Edinburgh reportedly shared a special bond.

Prince Philip shared eight grandchildren with Queen Elizabeth II, but Lady Louise Windsor may have been one of his favorites. Per Express, the royal teenager got off to a rocky start in life when she was born prematurely, with an eye condition called esotropia. After undergoing corrective surgery, she discovered a love of the outdoors, including a passion for horse riding and carriage driving (via The Mirror) — both activities that endeared her to her grandparents. An insider told The Sun that "the Queen loves the fact that Louse and [her brother] James relish their time at Balmoral, and she has become particularly close to Louise, who seems to have become her favorite grandchild, closely followed by James."

The Mirror reports that Louise "regularly went out riding with her grandmother and her dad, both in Windsor and during family holidays." The Duke of Edinburgh also passed on a talent for carriage driving to his beloved granddaughter, who has since taken part in the British Driving Society Championship. He was even pictured watching Louise compete in the Private Driving Singles carriage drive during the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2019. Louise's mother, Sophie Wessex, raved about her daughter's talent for carriage driving in a 2020 interview with Woman & Home, praising Louise as "naturally so good at it." Given Louise and her grandfather's mutual passion, it's no wonder he left her some special and personal gifts!

In a nod to the bond that Prince Philip shared with Lady Louise Windsor, he left her his two Fell ponies, Balmoral Nevis and Notlaw Storm, along with his custom, dark green four-wheeled carriage (via the Daily Mail). The Duke of Edinburgh is credited with bringing the sport of carriage driving to Britain, and was regularly spotted riding his carriage around the Windsor grounds during his later years. According to the outlet, he wrote: "I am getting old, my reactions are getting slower, and my memory is unreliable, but I have never lost the sheer pleasure of driving a team through the British countryside."

It's a beautiful sentiment, and one no doubt shared by Louise, who paid tribute to Prince Philip on the morning of his death by "putting the ponies through their paces" in Windsor Great Park in his carriage (via the Daily Mail). She also commemorated her grandfather by wearing a brooch featuring a horse head design to his funeral. As Louise takes up Philip's mantle and follows in his footsteps, our thoughts continue to be with her and the entire royal family during this difficult time.