NEED TO KNOW
- James Wessex is the son of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.
- James will turn 18 on December 17, 2025, when he can adopt the title of Prince.
- James and his sister, Lady Louise, have not been raised as full-time working royals.
- They can use their HRH titles as adults, but are not expected to do so.
Prince Edward’s son James is set to turn 18 on December 17.
His current royal title is the Earl of Wessex, but he will be entitled to take up his official title as HRH Prince James of Edinburgh if he so desires.
Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and his wife, Sophie, decided not to give their children, James and Lady Louise, 22, official HRH titles.
Their children are both technically a prince and a princess, respectively, by birthright, but Edward and Sophie decided to raise them “as the children of an earl” to support a more “normal” upbringing.
Both children are entitled to use their full titles as adults, but Lady Louise chose not to become an official princess, continuing to be known as Lady Louise Windsor.
It is widely assumed that James will follow in his sister’s footsteps and will choose to remain the Earl of Wessex, rather than adopting a princely title.
However, insiders have told New Idea that there will be pressure from Prince William to reconsider when he becomes King.
“William and Kate both think Louise and James would be incredible assets to the working roster,” a source told us.
Sophie, 60, previously hinted that she didn’t think either of her children would decide to adopt their formal royal titles.
“They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it’s highly unlikely,” she told The Times in 2020.
Who is James Wessex?
James is the youngest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth’s younger brother, Edward, and his wife, Sophie.
He was born on December 17, 2007, and his full name is James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor.
James was styled as Viscount Severn until 2023, when he adopted his father’s lesser title of Earl of Wessex.
He is currently 16th in line to the British throne and is the nephew of King Charles.
Along with his sister, Louise, James was raised at Bagshot Park in Surrey by his parents.
Is James Wessex a working royal?
James has mostly lived out of the public eye, much like his older sister.
However, he has attended major royal events, including the Coronation and the Queen’s Jubilee, and Trooping the Colour.
He also joined his cousins for a 15-minute vigil for Queen Elizabeth upon her death in September 2022.
Edward and Sophie have intended for James and Louise to have private careers, rather than becoming full-time working royals.
“We try to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work for a living, hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles,” Sophie explained in 2020.
Though he may not take up his royal title, he could work with his parents’ charitable foundations, such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
He currently attends Radley College, a prestigious UK boarding school, and is expected to go to university, though his choices have been kept private.
It has been speculated that he might complete his further studies abroad or follow in his sister Louise’s footsteps and attend St Andrews in Scotland.
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