James, Earl Of Wessex, Lives A Lavish Life
For the most part, the royal family of the United Kingdom are some of the most famous people in the world. Royal watchers obsessively track the intrigue and movements of high-profile family members like Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Prince William is directly in line for the throne, so it makes sense that he's more famous than some of his cousins, who include Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Less well known is his cousin James, Earl of Wessex, son of Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Though James' father is a prince, James is not. When Prince Edward married Sophie in 1999, the palace issued a press release explaining, "The Queen has also decided, with the agreement of The Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones, that any children they might have should not be given the style His or Her Royal Highness, but would have courtesy titles as sons or daughters of an Earl."
Accordingly, Sophie told The Sunday Times that she and her husband have tried to raise their children with some sense of normalcy. "[W]e made the decision not to use HRH titles," she explained. "They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it's highly unlikely." Still, while James may or may not decide to be Prince James someday, he's grown up as a member of the royal family anyway, living a lavish life with all of the luxuries one might expect.
James, Earl of Wessex inherited his father's prestigious title
Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, then the Earl and Countess of Wessex, welcomed the arrival of their son in late 2007. In a press release, the palace announced, "The names chosen by The Earl and Countess of Wessex for their son are James Alexander Philip Theo." In addition to those names, James was titled Viscount Severn, which the
BBC describes as a "courtesy title."
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the rise of King Charles III to the throne, a number of royal titles were shuffled around. In early 2023, Prince Edward and Sophie were made Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, a title last held by Prince Philip. "The title will be held by Prince Edward for His Royal Highness's lifetime," the palace wrote.
This had an important side effect: James, Viscount Severn, inherited his father's previous title, and he is now known as James, Earl of Wessex. According to Hello!, the Earl of Wessex is a hereditary title, but the Duke of Edinburgh is not, and it must be created each time it is used. In other words, when Prince Edward dies, James won't become Duke of Edinburgh. Still, an earldom is no laughing matter, and the title is sure to increase the young royal's access to wealth and prestige as he grows up.
James, Earl of Wessex, was the first to wear an important christening gown
The lavish life of James, Earl of Wessex, began from almost the moment he was born. For centuries, new members of the royal family have been baptized in an iconic christening gown originally commissioned by Queen Victoria. The gown was "a white Honiton point lace robe and mantle over white satin," Queen Victoria wrote in her diary (via The Telegraph). The gown would go on to be worn by every royal baby, including everyone from Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III all the way through Prince William and various others. The final baby to wear the gown was Lady Louise Windsor, in 2004. At that point, something needed to change.
When he was baptized in 2008, James was the first royal to wear a replica of the original gown. Queen Elizabeth II commissioned the replacement from Angela Kelly, the queen's dresser. The baptism was well attended, including by the queen herself, and it seems James had quite the family ready to welcome him to royal life. "His sister Lady Louise absolutely dotes on her little brother," an insider told the Daily Mail. "She kisses him and cuddles him and is a real little mother to him. It's lovely."
There's a lake named after him in Canada
A few months after he was born, Prince Edward, father of James, Earl of Wessex, made a royal visit to Canada. Prince Edward was primarily in Manitoba to meet with the families of people who were serving in the Canadian military as part of the war in Afghanistan. According to The Vancouver Sun, Prince Edward told them, "I want you to know how much the Canadian servicemen and women are respected in theatre." According to CTV News, he added, "I know very much some of the feelings you're going through as families."
Manitoba Premier Gary Doer decided to return the favor, supporting Prince Edward's family too. As a gesture of thanks, he presented the prince with official proclamations naming two lakes after his children, Louise and James. In addition to the proclamations, Doer invited local children to give the royal some stuffed animals to take back to his children. Stuffed polar bears were chosen to commemorate the occasion. One girl who handed a stuffed animal to the prince told The Vancouver Sun, "It was fun. He said thank you."
There's no word as to whether James has ever visited the lake that bears his name. After all, as one Reddit discussion revealed, where the lakes actually are is unclear. Still, what a lavish gift for a months-old child! Though, on second thought, we're sure he appreciated the stuffed polar bear more.
He grew up near Windsor Castle
James, Earl of Wessex, has been raised at Bagshot Park, the lavish estate currently in the care of his parents since their 1999 wedding. According to Express, the home has belonged to the royal family for more than 200 years. It's set on 51 acres of land that includes a private lake, and the home itself has 120 rooms.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, told The Sunday Times that her husband, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, is involved with raising the kids too. "He is very good at barbecues, and the children love those," she said. "He takes our son fishing, does a lot of riding with our daughter, he is very engaged as a father."
Importantly, Bagshot Park is not far from Windsor Castle, and James' family frequently spent time there, too. "I guess not everyone's grandparents live in a castle, but where you are going is not the important part," Sophie insisted to the newspaper. "When they are with the queen, she is their grandmother."
James, Earl of Wessex, has been able to travel the world
In addition to his lavish life at home in the United Kingdom, James, Earl of Wessex, has also had the chance to travel the world with his family. In 2015, when he was only 7 years old, he and his family went on an Easter holiday to South Africa. They made time for a stop at the Ubunye Foundation, a charity for which James's mother, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, is a patron.
"It's very important for my children to see immediately from the moment that they come to South Africa that it's not just about wonderful, beautiful animals and beautiful scenery," she told the group. "That there is a huge need to support, protect, and nurture the communities that live around and within these beautiful surroundings." According to Express, the royals stayed at a massive private safari resort that takes up 54,000 acres.
In 2020, weeks before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, James accompanied his family on a skiing trip to St. Moritz. The Daily Mail published numerous photos of the family on the slopes, including highlighting the fact that James was wearing a Spyder ski jacket. Two years later, in 2022, the family was back at it, shredding the powder in St. Moritz once more. The newspaper noted that James seemed as comfortable on his skis as his parents did; not so tough when you're skiing in one of the most lavish destinations in the world!
His status as a royal gives him access to lavish events
Though his parents have largely tried to raise him out of the public eye, sometimes the royals can't avoid stepping into the spotlight. Along with his family, James, Earl of Wessex, has attended a number of high-profile royal events. In 2016, he put in an appearance at Trooping the Colour. The yearly June event marks the reigning monarch's birthday, no matter what month they were actually born in, and it involves a massive military parade that reportedly dates back to the 1600s. In 2016, James rode in a carriage alongside his sister, Lady Louise Windsor, waving to royal-watching crowds who rarely got a chance to see the young member of the family.
In 2022, James and his family attended the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The Commonwealth Games bring together teams from the U.K. and its territories, including Australia and Canada, for competitions in sports as varied as basketball, rugby, powerlifting, and judo. The Daily Mail published photos of the family taking in the day's sporting events, with James and Lady Louise looking particularly animated. They were even pictured on a step and repeat, a rarity for the young earl.
Then, of course, there was the coronation of King Charles III, James' uncle. The Daily Mail wrote that Lady Louise stole the show, but James was right beside his sister throughout the expensive shindig, wearing a black suit and burgundy tie.
He spent his summers at Balmoral with the queen
While royal watchers haven't been able to learn much about James, Earl of Wessex's personality thanks to all his time away from the public eye, we have heard a bit about what he's like behind closed doors. According to The Sun, James spent many summers at Balmoral with Queen Elizabeth II. He was her youngest grandson, and she reportedly treasured their time together. "The queen loves the fact that Louise and James relish their time at Balmoral," an insider told the newspaper in 2019.
As any watcher of "The Crown" knows, Balmoral has played home to the royals at some of their most pivotal moments. It's where many of the royals were staying when they learned of the death of Princess Diana, for example. James, though, is likely to have many happy memories of his summers there with his grandmother.
The sprawling estate allows for a number of outdoor activities, one of which is fishing, and James is reportedly quite good at it. "His enthusiasm for fly fishing delighted Her Majesty because it's a sport beloved of James' great-granny, the late Queen Mother," the insider reported. The River Dee flows through the estate grounds, which is where James would fish for salmon. "James was in the Dee as often as possible, waders up to his armpits," the source said. "His mother Sophie, who is a keen fisherwoman herself, liked to stand with him."
James, Earl of Wessex, attended Eagle House School
James, Earl of Wessex, and Lady Louise Windsor are the grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II; that line in the royal family tree includes figures like Prince William and Prince Harry. Relatively speaking, James and Lady Louise have kept a much lower profile, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, told The Sunday Times that this was very much intentional. "We try to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work for a living," she explained.
Still, though, being a member of the royal family comes with a few perks. Mainly, of course, we're talking about money and prestige, and while they may not be raising their kids in the spotlight, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have chosen to set their children up for success anyway. For a decade, James attended Eagle House School, one of the oldest preparatory schools in the United Kingdom. In 2021, Express reported that the school charges £18,000 a year in tuition.
Speaking with The Sunday Times, the Duchess of Edinburgh said that the school was "regular," perhaps showing that even though she wants to bring her children up away from the lavish royal life, her perspective may be a bit skewed. "What's normal? They go to a regular school," she insisted.