James, the Earl of Wessex, is hitting a major milestone today as he celebrates his 17th birthday.
The youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh may have only made one public appearance with the rest of the royals this year, but he will undoubtedly mark his big day in a special way.
James has largely been kept out of the spotlight as he focuses on his future.
This year, he only joined the Royal Family publicly on March 31 to attend the traditional Easter Sunday Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
He was also spotted two months later when he attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show, with many hoping he’ll join the royals again on Christmas Day in Sandringham in a few weeks, just like last year.
Here, Express.co.uk takes a look at the young royal’s life in pictures as he celebrates his milestone birthday with his family.
The earl was born James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor on December 17, 2007, at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey. He was delivered by caesarean section.
Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie announced his full name on December 21.
The new royal baby was baptised on April 19, 2008, at Windsor Castle’s private chapel. His godparents are Alastair Bruce, Duncan Bullivant, Thomas Hill, Denise Poulton, and Jeanye Irwin.
(Image: Getty)
James is currently 15th in line to the throne, but he was 8th when he was born in 2007.
He was styled Viscount Severn from 2007 until 2023, when he became Earl of Wessex, following his father’s elevation to Duke of Edinburgh.
The young royal does not hold an HRH title, even though he became a prince of the UK upon his birth due to a letters patent issued in 1917, which stated that all the male grandchildren of a sovereign, who at the time of James’s birth was the late Queen Elizabeth, would be granted princely status and an HRH title.
(Image: Getty)
However, when Edward and Sophie married in 1999, Buckingham Palace announced that they were given the Earl and Countess of Wessex titles and that their children « would have courtesy titles as sons or daughters of an earl », rather than prince of princess.
Duchess Sophie previously spoke about her children bearing no HRH titles.
She told the Times in 2020: « 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. »
(Image: Getty)
From 2011 to 2021, James attended Eagle House co-educational preparatory school near Sandhurst, Berkshire, while in 2022, he enrolled at the private Radley College in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
Just last August, the young royal received his GCSE results while staying in Balmoral with his family and the rest of the royals.
His results were not made public, in a similar move to that taken when his older sister, Lady Louise Windsor, received her own marks four years earlier.
(Image: Getty)
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