Lady Louise's necklace is tribute to her late grandparents

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (R) and his family (L-R) James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, Lady Louise Windsor and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, depart following the Vigil of the Princes, where Edward and his siblings stood watch at their mother Queen Elizabeth II's casket at Westminster Hall on September 16, 2022 in London, England. Queen Elizabeth II's children mount a family vigil over her coffin lying in state in Westminster Hall. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 20 September 2022

Lady Louise's necklace, a simple horse head silhouette, was worn during the Queen's grandchildren's vigil and her funeral too. The late Queen is remembered as a keen horsewoman as is Prince Philip - an interest shared with their youngest granddaughter.

Lady Louise's necklace is evocative of the brooch she wore at the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral.
The young royal is known for her passion for equine interests, especially in carriage driving - an activity that she enjoyed with her grandfather.
In other royal news, Queen Elizabeth II's former press secretary Dickie Arbiter reflects on his experience working for Her Majesty for 12 years.

Britain's Lady Louise Windsor leaves having held a vigil at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, lying in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster in London on September 17, 2022, ahead of her funeral on Monday. - Queen Elizabeth II will lie in state in Westminster Hall inside the Palace of Westminster, until 0530 GMT on September 19, a few hours before her funeral, with huge queues expected to file past her coffin to pay their respects.

In the days since Buckingham Palace made the solemn announcement that Queen Elizabeth II had died at Balmoral Castle, countless moving images have been shared. One particularly emotional scene was that of the vigil, held by the Queen's grandchildren, where they stood around her coffin in silence for 15 minutes.

It was during this vigil that Lady Louise's necklace was first spotted, a clear tribute to the great love of horses that her grandmother instilled in her. The young royal also wore the necklace during the Queen's funeral. For many, this subtle gesture was evocative of Lady Louise's poignant message to Prince Philip, a brooch depicting carriage riding - worn at his funeral.

WINDSOR, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: Lady Louise Windsor at Windsor Castle on September 19, 2022 in Windsor, England. The committal service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, took place following the state funeral at Westminster Abbey. A private burial in The King George VI Memorial Chapel followed. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III.

Lady Louise and Prince Philip's bond was clear, especially in the arena of carriage riding and the pair were often spotted out on the grounds of Windsor Castle. In fact, since his passing, Lady Louise is believed to be in possession of the Duke of Edinburgh's fell ponies - Balmoral Nevis and Notlaw Storm. She also led an emotional tribute to the Duke, back in May 2022, which left her usually stoic grandmother visibly moved.

She clearly isn't the only member of the Royal Family who's inherited this love of horses, as evidenced during another moment among the key moments of the Queen's funeral. Princess Charlotte’s sweet tribute to Queen Elizabeth II came in the form of a very sweet horseshoe brooch, made from precious stones.

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Buckingham Palace Prince Philip

Aoife is an Irish journalist and writer with a background in creative writing, comedy, and TV production.

Formerly woman&home's junior news editor and a contributing writer at Bustle, her words can be found in the Metro, Huffpost, Delicious, Imperica and EVOKE.

Her poetry features in the Queer Life, Queer Love anthology.

Outside of work you might bump into her at a garden center, charity shop, yoga studio, lifting heavy weights, or (most likely) supping/eating some sort of delicious drink/meal.