Prince William and Duchess of Edinburgh tipped to clash over Lady Louise's future

Throughout her academic career, it has been speculated that Louise may soon take up some official duties amid fears the Firm is "running out of royals" up to the task.

Prince William has been said to understand the situation and is carefully weighing who he plans to include in his vision of a "slimmed down" Royal Family.

"Public demand for the attendance of a royals to mark major and minor events up and down the country remains as high as ever," royal commentator Christopher Wilson observed.

As a result, William is apparently eyeing Lady Louise as a "dark-horse contender" for the role as a working royal.

Mr Wilson suggested there was wisdom behind the decision, noting that the 21-year-old: "Charms all who meet her and could be a decorative and useful asset to the royal team."

However, he added that any move in that direction could bring the future King into conflict with the Duchess of Edinburgh.

The commentator observed that Sophie remains "vastly protective of her daughter" throughout her time at St Andrews.

He felt that the duchess was: "Just as likely to want her to stay out of the spotlight".

While it is currently unknown what role Louise has planned for herself, she has hinted at potential ambitions in the past.

In a post to the career networking site, LinkedIn, the young royal expressed an interest in pursuing a career in the military, diplomacy or law.

Louise has generally maintained a relatively low profile during her studies. However, one of her vocations has been in the St Andrews University Officers' Training Corps - in which she received basic weapons training and leadership lessons.

If the 21-year-old was to pursue a career in the armed forces, she would be the first female royal to serve since her late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

Regarding a future in royal service, Mr Wilson suggested there also remained questions on the status of Louise’s younger brother James, Earl of Wessex.

The 17-year-old, Edward and Sophie’s youngest child, is currently a pupil at Radley school in Berkshire.

"Little is known of his character and personality or whether he'd wish to serve as a front-rank royal – even if William wished it," he observed while speaking with the Daily Mail.

The discussion comes as the number of engagements undertaken by the Royal Family has declined rapidly over the last decade and a half.

In 2011, there were 12 working royals who covered 3,874 engagements both across the UK and abroad.

There are now only 10 working royals and in 2024, they made a total of 2,168 public engagements, a drop of almost half from the 2011 total.