James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex (born 17 December 2007), styled Viscount Severn from 2007 until 2023, is the younger child and only son of

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British royal family. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibling of King ...

, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. He is the youngest nephew of King Charles III. He was born during the reign of his paternal grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, at which time he was 8th in line to the British throne. He is currently 16th.

Infancy

James was born on 17 December 2007 at 16:20 GMT at Frimley Park Hospital in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

by caesarean section. His father

, is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His mother Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, worked in public relations before joining the royal family through her marriage in 1999. His full name, James Alexander Philip Theo, was announced on 21 December. He has one older sister, Louise. James was baptised on 19 April 2008, in the private chapel of

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

by David Conner, Dean of Windsor, witnessed by his godparents, Alastair Bruce, Duncan Bullivant, Thomas Hill, Denise Poulton, Jeanye Irwin, and his paternal grandparents, Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Education

James attended Eagle House School, a coeducational preparatory school near Sandhurst, Berkshire from 2011 to 2021, before joining the private Radley College in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

Official appearances

James made his first official appearance in the carriage procession at Trooping the Colour in 2016 and also appeared at the 2022 Trooping the Colour. In September 2020, he joined his parents to help the Great British Beach Clean at Southsea Beach in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, in support of the Marine Conservation Society. Following the thanksgiving memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip on 29 March 2022, James attended the Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving and the Platinum Party at the Palace in June 2022. On 17 September 2022, during the period of official mourning for his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, James joined his sister Louise and six cousins to mount a 15-minute vigil around Elizabeth II's coffin, as it lay in state at Westminster Hall. On 19 September he joined other family members at the state funeral. On 6 May 2023, James, who then had the courtesy title Earl of Wessex, attended his uncle Charles III's coronation at Westminster Abbey, together with the rest of the royal family. The next day they attended the Coronation Concert at

. On 31 March 2024, James attended the

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

Mattins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, with his mother and father. He was the only member of the younger generation of royals to attend.

Titles, styles, and honours

Titles and styles

The title Viscount Severn alludes to the Welsh ancestry of Sophie's family. James was accorded this courtesy title at birth, as heir apparent to his father's earldom. At birth James automatically became a prince of the United Kingdom (Prince James of Wessex, now Prince James of Edinburgh) due to

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

issued in 1917 which assigned princely status and the style of '' Royal Highness'' to all male-line grandchildren of a sovereign. However, when his parents married, Buckingham Palace announced that their children would be styled as the children of an

earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

, rather than as

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

. In 2020, James's mother reaffirmed that James and his sister retained the right to their royal titles and styles and could make a choice on whether to use them from the age of 18. On his father being elevated as

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

in March 2023, James became styled by courtesy as Earl of Wessex, now the family's senior subsidiary title. The Dukedom of Edinburgh, being created as a

life peerage In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

, will become extinct upon his father's death, but as heir apparent to his father's hereditary peerages of Earl of Wessex, Earl of Forfar and Viscount Severn, James is expected to succeed to them in due course.

Honours and decorations

In June 2008, to recognise Prince Edward's visit to the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, a lake in the north of the province was called Lake James. James's sister was similarly honoured by Lake Louise in the same province.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wessex, James, Earl of 2007 births Living people People from Frimley 21st-century English people English Anglicans James, Earl of Wessex English people of Danish descent English people of German descent English people of Greek descent English people of Russian descent English people of Scottish descent Courtesy earls James James People educated at Eagle House School People educated at Radley College James, Earl of Wessex James Sons of life peers