It looks like the late Queen Elizabeth II‘s grandson James, Earl of Wessex, won’t have a royal title after all.
The son of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh — who turned 18 in December — will attend the Royal Agricultural University in England this fall, People confirmed on Thursday, August 13.
In a statement to the publication, Buckingham Palace said, “The Earl of Wessex will be going to the Royal Agricultural University to study Rural Land & Property Management. He will head straight there without taking a year out.”
By referring to James as just the “Earl of Wessex,” it appears that he is opting out of having an HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) styling.
Under the terms of the 1917 Letters Patent, James was assigned princely status and the HRH styling at birth. However, his parents agreed that he and his sister, Lady Louise, could decide whether or not they wanted to use the title when they turned 18.
In a 1999 announcement from the Queen (that has been archived online), it stated: “The Queen has also decided, with the agreement of The Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones, that any children they might have should not be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.”
Sophie explained her and the Duke of Edinburgh’s decision of letting their children decide to The Sunday Times in 2020, saying, “We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to 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.”
James has not confirmed himself whether or not he will be using the HRH styling. Louise, 22, seems to not be using the official royal title either.
When asked about giving James and Louise a normal life, Sophie told the Times, “What’s normal? They go to a regular school [they both attend top independent schools]. 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,” she added. “When they are with the Queen, she is their grandmother.”
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