When The Queen's Daughter-In-Law Almost Died Giving Birth to the 'Secret Weapon' of Royal Family

Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones wed on 19 June 1999 in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, the royal couple are blessed with two children - Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor. Lady Louise, who turned 21 on November 8th, known as the royal family's "secret weapon" due to her superior scholastic standing, refined manners, and desire to serve in the military. However, due to a severe medical problem, the young royal nearly died at birth. According to the Daily Mail, the Duchess of Wessex experienced an acute placental abruption which turned "fatal for both mother and baby due to extreme blood loss."  

The Duchess started having "crippling abdominal pains" on November 8, 2003. She was brought to Frimley Hospital, which was close to her home in Surrey, England. Sophie "was reportedly just 15 minutes away from dying in the emergency room" and lost "nine pints of blood through internal bleeding." Since Prince Edward was on an official visit to Mauritius, he was unable to attend to the family. After an emergency C-section, Lady Louise, who weighed only 4 pounds 9 ounces, had to be taken away from Sophie almost immediately to get specialized care. The mother and daughter were separated from each other for almost a month due to medical complications. 

Because of the seriousness of the situation, the late Queen chose to defy royal tradition and pay her close daughter-in-law a covert visit to the hospital. Sophie told a friend after leaving the hospital that it had been the scariest period of her life. Following the safe discharge of his wife and daughter from the hospital, Prince Edward gave a briefing to the media at the time: "The important thing is that this has been a fantastic day in our lives, a day of great relief and joy, and it's difficult to explain what it is to be together as a family for the first time." 

Due to her premature birth, Lady Louise suffered from esotropia, a rare disorder that conditioned her eyes to stare in different directions. She had to undergo numerous operations to correct her vision. "Her squint was quite profound when she was tiny and it takes time to correct it. You've got to make sure one eye doesn't become more dominant than the other but she's fine now – her eyesight is perfect," the Duchess explained after the successful surgery in 2013.  

As per InStyle, the Duchess was so shaken by the near-death incident that she sobbed when she returned to Frimley Park Hospital in 2014 to inaugurate its brand-new, cutting-edge neonatal ward. "I want to say well done to everyone for your fundraising and for all the work you do to help thousands of families – your service is the difference between life and death. It has been something really important in my life, and so I thank you again for inviting me here today," Sophie said while honoring the staff and the unit. In the meantime, Lady Louise intends to enlist in the military, making her the first female royal to do so since her late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.