Lady Louise Windsor has been presented the Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award by her father, Prince Edward, after graduating from the University of St Andrews yesterday, before she embarks on a gap year.
The late Queen's granddaughter, 22, was joined by her boyfriend Felix da Silva-Clamp, as well as her mother, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, at a reception in the official Scottish residence of her uncle, King Charles – the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in the capital.
In his role as patron of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, which was set up by his father Prince Philip in 1956, Prince Edward, 61, hosted young people from across Scotland and the north of England for the Gold Award celebrations.
Lady Louise looked delighted to receive her award from her father and posed with her proud mother before taking her seat next to Felix to watch the Duke's speech.
The family outing comes after the royal's graduation yesterday, where she received a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and International Relations in front of her supportive parents and boyfriend.
The late Queen's granddaughter, who had a Saturday job in her local garden centre, is said to be 'sweet, humble and down-to-earth' by those who know her.
While many would love for Lady Louise to join the dwindling ranks of working royals, the 22-year-old is planning on taking a gap year to consider her options, it was revealed by the Daily Mail.
During her gap year, she will, according to Buckingham Palace, be undertaking a mixture of working, volunteering and travelling. Officials say they won’t comment further on her future career aspirations at this stage.
Lady Louise's plan to take a gap year is not entirely surprising; it is fairly common for members of the Royal Family to take the time off to gain life experience and explore the world before committing to their duty.
After graduating from Eton College, Prince William took a gap year before enrolling at St Andrews, where he met and fell in love with the Princess of Wales.
During that time, he undertook 'preparation for survival' exercises with the Welsh Guards in Belize, working as a volunteer with Raleigh International in Chile, working on a dairy farm in the UK and visiting countries in Africa.
At the time, William said he was grateful not to have gotten 'special treatment' as the future King but that the 'living conditions aren't exactly what I'm used to', Tatler reported.
In a twist of fate, Catherine, who attended Marlborough College, also undertook the same programme when she visited Chile during her own gap year.
She also studied painting in Florence and crewed on Round the World Challenge boats in the Solent.
Prince Harry spent his gap year after Eton working as a jackaroo on a 16,000-hectare, remote cattle station in Queensland, Australia, in 2003, as the Duke of Sussex previously explained it entailed 'chasing cows through the bush and getting chased by countless bulls'.
He also visited an orphanage for children with Aids in Lesotho, Africa, where the Duke helped build a clinic.
Princess Anne's daughter Zara Tindall found love during her gap year in 2003, when she travelled to Australia and met Mike Tindall.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the former England rugby player said: 'She was on her gap year and in Australia with friends. Clive (Woodward, the coach) had just told me I was dropped for the semi-final, so I went out for a beer with two others who weren't playing, Martin Corry and Austin Healey.
'Zara was in the same bar, we got introduced but didn't speak that much. Later on, Austin gave me her number and said, "She wants you to text her, to say where you're all going out after the final so she can come along."'
Tags: Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Louis, Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Meghan, Lilibet
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