Down-to-earth royal LADY LOUISE DIGS IN!

The King’s niece isn’t afraid of getting her hands dirty for the minimum wage

- Judy Kean

Many customers at a garden centre near Windsor did a double-take when they were served by a polite blonde teenager. The girl looked familiar, but surely it wasn’t Lady Louise Windsor, granddaughter of the Queen? A member of the royal family would never work behind a till, taking money from people buying plants… would they?

Actually, they did. Louise, 18, had a summer holiday job in the centre, not only working on the till and assisting customers, but literally getting her hands dirty potting plants, for which she was believed to be paid the UK’s minimum wage of $13 an hour.

One customer says, “I couldn’t believe it was Lady Louise. I had to look twice. She really is a modest and sweet young woman, who is polite and attentive to customers. She seemed to be loving the job.

“You’d never imagine the Queen’s granddaughter would take on a role working behind a till.”

The fact that Louise was prepared to take on a low-paid summer job just like any other teenager is a sign of the strong work ethic that has been instilled in her by her parents, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. And the sweet and thoughtful nature that made the garden centre customers warm to her is a clue to why she is thought to have been the Queen’s favourite grandchild.