Lady Louise's Big Decision Has Everyone Thinking Of Queen Elizabeth

A member of the royal family may be planning on having a similar career to the late Queen Elizabeth II's. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, one of Elizabeth's grandchildren, is reportedly interested in joining the military as the queen did before inheriting the crown. As a college student at St. Andrews University, Louise decided to join the Officers' Training Corps. A friend of hers told The Sun: "She talks about being very keen on a career in the military, serving the King and country. She is all about the Army Cadets and has fallen in love with it."

The University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC) is an organization with societies at many universities in the U.K., and the branch involving St. Andrews' students is the Tayforth UOTC. The UOTC website explains that joining the Army after graduating is not a requirement for UOTC members, but being a part of it should help students grow as people and learn skills that will be helpful no matter what career they choose to pursue. The UOTC also pays its members.

If Louise does pursue a military career after her time at school and in the UOTC, she would be the first woman of the British royal family to do so since Elizabeth. Before Elizabeth was queen, she enlisted in the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

Although many members of the British royal family have served in the military, the late Queen Elizabeth II was the first woman in the family to take on such an active role. Then-Princess Elizabeth was a teenager when World War II began. When children were evacuated from London, she and her sister Princess Margaret were moved to Windsor Castle to get out of the city as well. Elizabeth also was the poster child for the "Dig for Victory" movement to motivate people to garden and grow more food when food could not be delivered to the U.K.

Before stepping into full-time military service, Elizabeth was given a symbolic role when she was named an honorary colonel for the Grenadier Guards. At 18, she officially joined the Army through the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). The ATS was an all-women branch. Many jobs were available, and Elizabeth ended up learning to drive and to work as a mechanic. In the media she was called "Princess Auto Mechanic," and she eventually earned the title of Junior Commander after starting as a second subaltern. 

One exciting moment in Elizabeth's military career was when the war in Europe ended, and she and Margaret snuck out of Buckingham Palace to celebrate with the people of London. Elizabeth's relationship with the military changed after she became queen.

As queen, Elizabeth was the Head of the Armed Forces. (That title is passed to whoever is on the throne, meaning that, after Queen Elizabeth's death, it was passed to King Charles III.)

There is also a special military medal that Elizabeth created and named after herself called the Elizabeth Cross, which she unveiled in 2009. The medal is for the families of military members who died in action or due to an act of terrorism, starting post-World War II. At the time, Elizabeth broadcast a speech to the Armed Forces and said (via the royal family's website): "I greatly hope that the Elizabeth Cross will give further meaning to the nation's debt of gratitude to the families and loved ones of those who have died in the service of our country. We will remember them all."

If Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor joins the military as well, it wouldn't be the first time she showed an interest in common with a grandparent. Louise's grandfather Prince Philip (who was in the Royal Navy) was a big fan of driving carriages, which Louise also enjoys.