We all know that life as a major royal means castles, overseas tours, and a whole lot of drama — but what's it like being the Earl of Wessex?
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00:00We all know that life as a major royal means castles, overseas tours, and a whole lot of
00:05drama. But what's it like being the Earl of Wessex?
00:09In 2007, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, then the Earl and Countess of Wessex, welcomed
00:14the arrival of their son. In a press release, the palace announced, the names chosen by
00:18the Earl and Countess of Wessex for their son are James Alexander Philip Theo. In addition
00:23to those names, James was titled Viscount VII, a so-called courtesy title, after the
00:27death of Queen Elizabeth II and the rise of King Charles III to the throne, a number
00:32of royal titles were shuffled around.
00:34In early 2023, Prince Edward and Sophie were made Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, a title
00:39last held by Prince Philip. This also meant that James, Viscount VII, inherited his father's
00:43previous title. He is now known as James Earl of Wessex.
00:47Curiously, the Earl of Wessex title hadn't been used for over a thousand years prior
00:51to Prince Edward, having last been held by Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson. Reportedly,
00:56the late queen's son decided to adopt it after watching the movie Shakespeare in Love.
01:00I have an ancient name which will bring you to a firm end when your grandson is a Wessex.
01:05Notably, the Earldom of Wessex is a hereditary title, but the Duke of Edinburgh is not, and
01:10it must be created each time it is used. In other words, when Prince Edward dies, James
01:14won't automatically become Duke of Edinburgh. That'll be up to whoever is king at the time.
01:19James was raised at Bagshot Park, the lavish estate held by his parents since their 1999
01:24wedding. The home has belonged to the royal family for more than 200 years. It's set on
01:2851 acres of land that includes a private lake, and the home itself has 120 rooms.
01:34Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, told the Sunday Times that her husband has been quite involved
01:38in raising their kids. She said,
01:40"'He is very good at barbecues, and the children love those. He takes our son fishing, does
01:44a lot of riding with our daughter. He is very engaged as a father."
01:47Importantly, Bagshot Park is not far from Windsor Castle, and James' family frequently
01:52spend time there, too. As Sophie told the Times,
01:54"'I guess not everyone's grandparents live in a castle, but where you are going is not
01:58the important part. When they are with the Queen, she is their grandmother.'"
02:01Though his parents have largely tried to raise him out of the public eye, the royals can't
02:05always avoid stepping into the spotlight. Along with his family, James has attended
02:09a number of high-profile royal events. In 2016, he put in an appearance at Trooping
02:14the Colour. The yearly June event marks the reigning monarch's birthday, no matter what
02:18month they were actually born in, and it involves a massive military parade that reportedly
02:22dates back to the 1600s. In 2016, James rode in a carriage alongside his sister, Lady Louise
02:28Windsor, waving to crowds who rarely got a chance to see this side of the family.
02:32In 2022, James and his family attended the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The Commonwealth
02:37Games bring together teams from the UK and its territories for a series of sporting competitions.
02:42The Daily Mail published photos of the family taking in the day's sporting events, with
02:46James and Lady Louise looking particularly animated. They were even photographed against
02:50a step-and-repeat, a rarity for the young earl.
02:53Then, of course, there was the coronation of King Charles III, James' uncle.
02:57"'God save the king!'
02:59"'God save the king!''
03:02The Daily Mail insisted that Lady Louise stole the show at the event, but James was right
03:07beside his sister throughout, wearing a black suit and burgundy tie.
03:12While royal watchers haven't been able to learn much about James' personality thanks
03:15to his parents' insistence that he be kept away from the public eye, we have heard a
03:19bit about what he's like behind closed doors. According to The Sun, James spent many summers
03:24at Balmoral with Queen Elizabeth II. He was her youngest grandson, and she reportedly
03:28treasured their time together. An insider told the tabloid in 2019,
03:31"...the Queen loves the fact that Louise and James relish their time at Balmoral."
03:36Balmoral has been home to the royals during some of their most pivotal moments. This is
03:40where many of the royals were staying when they learned of the death of Princess Diana,
03:43for example, and it's also where Queen Elizabeth spent her final days. However, James is likely
03:48to have many happy memories of his summers spent there with his grandmother.
03:51The sprawling estate allows for a number of outdoor activities, one of which is fishing,
03:56and James is reportedly quite good at it. The same insider told The Sun,
04:00"...his enthusiasm for fly-fishing delighted Her Majesty because it's a sport beloved of
04:04James' great-granny, the late Queen Mother."
04:06The River Dee flows through the estate grounds, which is where James would fish for salmon.
04:10The source claimed,
04:11"...James was in the Dee as often as possible, waders up to his armpits. His mother, Sophie,
04:16who is a keen fisherwoman herself, liked to stand with him."
04:20James and Lady Louise are the grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II. That line in the royal
04:24family tree includes figures like Prince William and Prince Harry. Relatively speaking, the
04:28two younger royals have kept a much lower profile, and their mother told The Sunday
04:32Times that this was very much intentional. She explained,
04:35"...we tried to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work
04:39for a living."
04:40Still, though, being a member of the royal family comes with a few perks. While they
04:43may not be raising their kids in the spotlight, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have taken
04:47full advantage of Britain's schooling system. For a decade, James attended Eagle House School,
04:52one of the oldest preparatory schools in the United Kingdom. In 2021, The Express reported
04:57that the school charges £18,000 a year in tuition fees.
05:02Speaking with The Sunday Times, the Duchess of Edinburgh insisted that the school was
05:06Perhaps showing that, even though she wants to bring her children up away from the lavish
05:10royal life, her perspective may be a tad skewed. She said,
05:13"...what's normal? They go to a regular school."