Lady Louise Windsor, 22, and her boyfriend Felix Silva-Champ, also 22, are cultivating a relationship that royal observers note echoes the understated courtship of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The couple, who met at St Andrews University, are described as preferring quiet outings over celebrity-filled nights, drawing comparisons to a more traditional, sensible approach to romance.
Silva-Champ and Lady Louise, who met while cast in a student play at the Byre Theatre, have been together since June 2025. Their relationship has been kept largely private, with royal reporters initially referring to Silva-Champ as her "pal." Their public appearances together have increased, including a recent attendance at the Zulu ballet "Inala" at the Edinburgh International Festival with Lady Louise's parents, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Silva-Champ has also been seen supporting Lady Louise at carriage-driving competitions, a sport she took up seriously after Prince Philip's death.
According to royal author Rob Jobson, Silva-Champ's background is seen as fitting for Lady Louise, whose mother, Sophie, also hails from a middle-class background. Silva-Champ is the son of a London solicitor and an Australian doctor. He attended Melbourne Grammar School before heading to St Andrews. Both he and Lady Louise have participated in a reserve army unit and share interests such as theatre and traditional Scottish dancing.
Their low-key approach stands in contrast to the more public relationships of other royals, such as Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie in their younger years, whose social lives frequently made headlines. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams noted that Lady Louise and her younger brother James, the Earl of Wessex, "are clearly of conservative tendencies."
Jobson suggests that Lady Louise's temperament and life choices mirror those of her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. He highlights the Queen's own steadfast decision in her youth to pursue Prince Philip, despite his lack of wealth and complicated family ties. Similar to her grandmother, who was known for her unfussy approach to life and her use of clothing as a uniform, Lady Louise is described as smart but not ostentatious. She has been observed re-wearing outfits, including her coronation dress, and using her mother's coats for public events.
This practical mindset extends to Lady Louise's personal experiences. At 18, she worked at a garden center for approximately £6.60 an hour, and later worked in the university canteen while studying English literature. This mirrors the Queen's own sense of duty, demonstrated when she trained as a mechanic and driver during World War II.
Lady Louise is currently taking a gap year after graduating from St Andrews. She is considering a career in the Armed Forces while continuing with carriage driving. Her relationship with Silva-Champ, characterized by a shared pursuit of normalcy and common interests, appears to align with the grounded, private life that Jobson believes the late Queen often found most fulfilling, away from the public eye.