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Louise, 16, is the daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. During the summer at Balmoral, she impressed the Queen with her skill at drawing and sketching. It prompted the
93-year-old monarch to dig out drawings by Queen Victoria – who was known to sketch beautifully and paint with watercolours. A royal insider told The Sun in September: “Louise loves drawing
and sketching and was very patiently trying to get [Princess] Charlotte to do pictures of rabbits and deer. “Because of her obvious artistic skill, the Queen allowed Louise to look through
some of the collection of Queen Victoria’s Highlands sketches which are kept at Balmoral but are rarely dug out these days.” It seems the Queen thought Louise would benefit from seeing the
work of her great-great-great-great grandmother. Louise was also trying to engage her first cousin once removed, Princess Charlotte, in the activity. During their 10-day stay at the royal
residence, Louise impressed her family by helping to look after Charlotte, 4, and her brothers Prince George, 6, and Prince Louis, 1. According to the royal source, Louise has become the
Queen’s favourite grandchild with her brother James, Viscount Severn, 11, a close second. The royal insider said: “The Queen loves the fact that Louise and James relish their time at
Balmoral, she has become particularly close to Louise, who seems to have become her favourite grandchild, closely followed by James. “Louise also endeared herself to everyone by looking
after William and Kate’s children when they were up here.” There are numerous photographs that have captured Louise joyfully carriage-driving, sometimes with her mother Sophie there too. Her
brother James is not without his talents too though – he caught the attention of the Queen at Balmoral for his skill at fly-fishing. This apparently “delighted” the Queen, as it reminded
her of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who was also an eager fly-fisher. The royal insider said: “[James’] enthusiasm for fly-fishing delighted Her Majesty because it’s a sport beloved of
James’ great-granny, the late Queen Mother. “James was in the Dee as often as possible, waders up to his armpits. “His mother Sophie, who is a keen fisherwoman herself, liked to stand with
him. “The Balmoral ghillies [gamekeepers] were impressed with both of them. “Edward is not as keen because he’s not as patient, which you need to be when fishing for salmon, even in the
plentiful Dee.” James is 12th in line to the throne and Louise is 13th in line. Louise attends St Mary’s School Ascot in Berkshire, while James attends St George’s School, Windsor Castle.