He’s the youngest of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchildren, but James, Earl of Wessex is no longer a child. The son of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, previously known as Viscount Severn, turned 18 on December 17 – the same age his late grandfather, Prince Philip, was when Queen Elizabeth is said to have immediately “clocked” him and “never thought of anyone else”.
Born in 2007 at Frimley Park NHS Hospital in Surrey, James Alexander Philip Theo was eighth in line to the throne at the time of his birth. Following his arrival, proud dad Prince Edward described his newborn son as “very cute and very cuddly”.
While he is younger than his sister, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, James precedes his older sibling in the line of succession because male-preference primogeniture applied at the time of their births.
A low-profile royal
Although he’s a member of one of the most talked-about families, and currently 16th in line to the throne, James tends to fly under the radar, occasionally attending royal family events with his parents, including his uncle King Charles‘ coronation.
In 2022, James stepped into the spotlight, joining his sister and cousins – Prince William, Prince Harry, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie – as they held a vigil beside their grandmother’s coffin at Westminster Hall. It’s a moment that was “incredibly moving” for his mother, Sophie.
“I suppose there was a part of me initially that thought, ‘Would it be appropriate for James, perhaps, to do it?’ because he was younger than the others, but he was really keen to do it. And I think it was really important for him to do it, and obviously for Louise as well,” the Duchess told The Telegraph in January 2025. “But they did it so well, each and every one of them. I was slightly holding my breath, wanting them to feel that they’d done it well more than anything else. I wasn’t worried about anything happening; it was more that I wanted them to feel that they’d done their bit for their grandmother.”
© Getty Images“It was incredibly moving, and lovely to see her surrounded by them,” Sophie added.
A normal upbringing
Despite being members of the royal family, James and Louise have had a relatively normal upbringing. “What’s normal? They go to a regular school [they both attend top independent schools],” Sophie told The Sunday Times in 2020. “They go to friends for sleepovers and parties. At weekends we do lots of dog walking and stay with friends. I guess not everyone’s grandparents live in a castle, but where you are going is not the important part, or who they are. When they are with the Queen, she is their grandmother.”
Having their children grow up “as normally as possible” was important for both the Duke and Duchess. The mom of two once told the BBC: “Certainly when they were very young we tried to keep them out of it. Only because for their sakes, to grow up as normally as possible we felt was quite important”.
© Getty Images“And they’re going to have to go out and get a job and earn a living later on in life and if they’ve had a normal a start in life they possibly can get, then hopefully that will stand them in good stead,” Sophie continued.
It was the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s decision to not use their son and daughter’s HRH styles. Sophie previously explained to The Sunday Times: “We try to bring them up with the understanding they will very likely have to work for a living. Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it’s highly unlikely.”
A title for James?
With James now 18, the decision is entirely his to make. “It now looks likely that he will follow his elder sister’s example and decline to use it, as she did in 2021,” royal author Robert Jobson tells HELLO!.
“When Louise turned 18 in 2021, she had the right to adopt the style of HRH and the title of Princess. She declined. She has continued to be known as Lady Louise Windsor and has lived firmly as a private individual rather than a working royal,” Robert adds.
“James remains legally entitled to be HRH Prince James, despite currently using the courtesy title Earl of Wessex. But Louise’s decision makes the family’s preference clear: titles may exist on paper, but they need not be used.“
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