Prince William to lean on rarely-seen royal who takes after late Queen, expert says

The role that lies ahead for the Prince of Wales is one that few would envy, but he is thankfully surrounded by many supportive and experienced family members who will no doubt be there to do whatever they can to aid him. While the strictures of the slimmed-down monarchy are by now very well-known, there have been times that the likely future of what the Royal Family could look like under Prince William's reign have been showcased with his close cousins joining him at engagements.

And while his two youngest cousins - Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and James, Earl of Wessex, 17, - are still in education, a leading expert has suggested that the pair could be on hand in the future, especially because of the influence their mother, and indeed the late Queen, have had on them.

Following the Duchess of Edinburgh's 60th birthday on 20 January, reports were made that William will give his aunt a key role in the future. A royal insider told The Sunday Times: "They [the Waleses and the Edinburghs] get on very well." The source then added that they believe that the Prince of Wales will be "eager for his aunt and uncle to play a more prominent role in public life".

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This popularity also extends to the Edinburghs' two children, particularly after images surfaced of Lady Louise's determination to follow in her family's footsteps and be involved in the Armed Forces.

Praising the royal, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK!: "I think there is quite a lot of her grandmother in Lady Louise. Elizabeth was champing at the bit to do her military service, but by the time she was old enough to join up, the war was almost over.

"Nevertheless, her time in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) gave her a taste of military life – and she really enjoyed it. The papers dubbed her Princess Auto Mechanic. And for the rest of her life, she boasted that she knew her way around an engine."

Following a number of images surfacing of Lady Louise's involvement in the army cadets during her time at St Andrews University, Jennie added: "Lady Louise seems to have been keen on the military from an early stage in her undergraduate studies and the pictures show that she has thrown herself into the training exercises, including liberally camouflaging her face and proudly wearing combat gear.

"She is said to have loved every minute of her time as an officer cadet and is keen to turn it into a full-time career. So she’s clearly taking more after her grandmother than her father, who quit his training as a royal Marine and tried a career in the arts instead."

On the roles that lie ahead in Louise and James' futures, it is clear that they will make their own decisions. "Edward and Sophie are keen that Louise and James should choose their own career paths," Jennie says.

"Sophie has said that she has brought them up to expect that they will have to pay their own way and make their own careers but I’m sure that if in the years to come, if cousin William needs a few extra hands to the pump at any stage, Louise and James will be willing to help."

As well as showing that she achieved an impressive 4 A* grades in her A-Level's - the highest of any member of the Royal Family - Lady Louise's LinkedIn page indicates her interest in a military career, with careers in diplomacy or law as alternative options.

If she joins the military after completing her final year of university next year, Louise would be the first female royal to do so since the late Queen, who served as a Junior Commander with the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War Two. This was a position the late monarch cherished and had her dubbed Princess Auto Mechanic by the newspapers at the time.

It was also the start of a lifelong love and appreciation for all regiments of the Armed Forces. She created a new medal in 2009, the Elizabeth Cross, to honour the families of those who were killed after World War II in the course of military action or as the result of terrorism.