Her mother, the Duchess of Edinburgh, has previously spoken out about the condition…

The late Queen’s granddaughter, Lady Louise Windsor, was born with a rare condition which affected her eyes.

The royal who is the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (Prince Edward and formerly Sophie Wessex), is currently studying at the University of St Andrews. It’s the same university that her cousin Prince William attended, where he met his future wife Kate Middleton.

21-year-old Lady Louise Windsor was born with the rare condition that causes her eyes to look in different directions, following a traumatic premature birth. We take a look at her life under the royal spotlight as she becomes more prominent within The Firm.

Duchess Sophie has spoken about Lady Louise Windsor’s eyes before (Credit: FameFlynet.uk.com / SplashNews.com)

Traumatic premature birth

Louise, who is the eldest child of Edward and Sophie, celebrated her 21st birthday in November 2024.

But her birth all those years ago was far from easy, with the Duchess losing nine pints of blood after suffering internal bleeding during labour.

Then 38-years-old, Sophie suffered an acute placental abruption and was said to be 15 minutes away from dying in the emergency room. At the time, Prince Edward was on an official visit in Mauritius and couldn’t get to her. The trip had been planned because Sophie was still a month away from her due date.

Thankfully, she managed to give birth to her daughter, who weight in at only 4lb 9oz, via C-section.

The complications from Lady Louise Windsor’s birth left the royal with esotropia – a rare condition which means both eyes do not look in the same direction.

Louise was sent to a specialist pre-natal unit, and was not reunited with her mother for almost a month. On the day they were finally together, Edward told the press it was a “great relief and joy”.

He said: “The important thing is that this has been a fantastic day in our lives, a day of great relief and joy, and it’s difficult to explain what it is to be together as a family for the first time.”

Lady Louise Windsor was born with a rare condition that affects her eyes (Credit: INFphoto.com)

Duchess Sophie on Lady Louise Windsor’s eyes

The Duchess of Edinburgh once spoke about their daughter growing up after being born premature.

She said to the Sunday Express: “Premature babies can often have squints because the eyes are the last thing in the baby package to really be finalised.

“Her squint was quite profound when she was tiny and it takes time to correct it. You’ve got to make sure one eye doesn’t become more dominant than the other but she’s fine now – her eyesight is perfect.”

The NHS states that squints can improve as children grow older, but it’s unusual to grow out of them. It explains, although it’s not known what causes Lady Louise Windsor’s condition, it is believed premature births can be behind the impact it has on a person’s eyes.

The young royal underwent two operations (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Lady Louise Windsor’s rare condition affects her eyes

While Lady Louise Windsor has a rare condition that affects her eyes, it is not a disability.

The young royal underwent more than one operation, with the first major surgery at just 18 months old. Unfortunately, this was unsuccessful.

She had another procedure in 2014, when she was 10 years old in a bid to improve her vision.

Fortunately, it was successful.

Esotropia affects between one and two per cent of the population. Although for some individuals it may come and go and not cause the individual issues, it can cause others problems if it is left untreated.