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Princess Charlotte is the daughter of Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, making her third in line to the throne after her grandfather, King Charles.
Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor may be 11 years older than young Charlotte, but she ranks 16th in the line of succession as the daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.
While their official relationship is rather distant as second cousins, the two young royals have a closer bond than most of the children in the Royal Family. Surprisingly, their differences – such as Louise’s teenage status and Charlotte’s status as an heir to the throne, make them more similar than other youthful relatives.
And according to body language expert Judi James, the pair are destined for the same path in their adult lives.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Judi analysed the relationship between them, claiming that Louise has many “attractive qualities” that make her the perfect role model for eight-year-old Charlotte.
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The mannerisms expert said: “Role models for younger royals used to offer limited options. While the boys were led down the military and sporting route, female royals were usually presented with a life of either royal appearances like Anne or the less royal life of careers working in art galleries, PR or charity work like Beatrice and Eugenie.
“Charlotte is luckier, though. Her female role models in the Firm, like Zara and her daughters and Peter Philip’s daughters, do seem to be offering alternatives – and Louise in particular might be the one showing her a route to a life that blends royal formality with the kind of university and career route – and all minus the constant glare of the press.”
It should be noted that while the expectations of the youngest generation of royals may have changed to suit modern times, one thing that hasn’t is the close bonds between mothers and daughters. Just as Princess Anne looked up to Queen Elizabeth II with such conviction, Judi noted that the same can be said for Kate and Charlotte, and Sophie and Louise.
Judi claimed: “Charlotte can also see how Louise has used her own mother Sophie as her mentor and role model for royal life. Louise was launched into a more public role much later in life than Charlotte, who has been front-line from birth, but she seems to have adopted her mother Sophie’s approach of calm confidence and low drama, which must look attractive to Charlotte.
“The strong maternal role modelling is similar to Charlotte’s relationship with her mother Kate. Both girls seem to be happy to learn from and mimic their mothers at royal events and this always looks natural, rather than the more forced visual mimicry that was expected from royal girls years ago.
“In a culture that could often have a rather outdated view of raising daughters as opposed to raising sons, Sophie and Kate both seem intent on creating as equal an upbringing as possible.
“Both women take a very confident, calm approach to their lives and appearances as royals and both show a capacity for getting stuck in when it comes to sports and activities.”
Most recently, Charlotte embraced her determined and competitive side when she was pictured using a bow and arrow – a look that Kate is known for when focused. And the same goes for Louise, who channels her love for horses from her mother, Duchess Sophie, and her later grandfather, Prince Phillip.
Judi suggested: “Louise is also one of the more intellectual royals and her quiet confidence seems to have given her some natural leadership ability. Charlotte is already emerging as something of a leader of her sibling group which may reflect Louise’s sense of leadership during her school days.
“In the world of drama that is the royal family right now, Louise and her mother supply an oasis of what looks like calmness and firmness and this might be very attractive qualities for Charlotte to role-model.”
But Louise had another role model and mentor whose approach might also be helpful to Charlotte.
“Louise was very close to her grandfather, the late Duke of Edinburgh and shared his passion for carriage driving. His humour and his no-nonsense approach might have rubbed off on Louise, who could in turn pass it on to her young cousin.”
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