Rather than taking a gap year, the Earl of Wessex will head straight to university in September after leaving Radley College earlier this year. He has spent the summer working as a farmhand on the Sandringham estate, no doubt perfect preparation for his upcoming undergraduate course.
One Sandringham worker told The Sun of their shock at seeing the 17th in line for the throne mucking in: ‘Everyone is so used to only seeing James smartly turned out with his family at functions at Christmas and Easter, so I had to do a double take.’
Speaking of the long hours involved with driving tractors at Sandringham, the source added: ‘He might be the King’s nephew, but he is more than happy to get his hands dirty and muck in.’ They went on to say that ‘The King is known for his fondness of the countryside, and he couldn’t be prouder knowing the younger royals share his love.’
The 18-year-old Earl will begin studying at the Royal Agricultural University this September
Samir Hussein
It seems as though the Earl of Wessex has taken this passion further than his fellow next-gen royals. His sister, Lady Louise Windsor, has been studying English literature at the University of St Andrews since 2022. Like her brother, Lady Louise also took on a summer job before enrolling at University.
This marks a major step for the Earl of Wessex, whose royal life has largely been lived out of the spotlight. As a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, the Earl of Wessex was entitled to a princely title when he was born in 2007, but his parents, Prince Edward and Sophie, were adamant that they wanted their children to have as normal an upbringing as possible. As such, on the occasion of their wedding in 1999, Buckingham Palace announced that their future children would be styled as the offspring of an Earl.