Earl of Wessex, 18, finally steps into the spotlight at Easter service

He’s previously been dubbed the ‘hidden royal’ – having missed occasions with his wider family in the past while concentrating on his schooling. But on Sunday, the Earl of Wessex proved he’s firmly in the royal fold.

James Mountbatten-Windsor, 18, was handed a more prominent role at the Royal Family’s traditional Easter service, beaming alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales during his rare outing.

Prince Edward and Sophie’s son walked closely behind William, Kate and their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, ten, and Prince Louis, seven, as they arrived with other royals for the service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Joining his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, James was captured joyfully chatting with the Princess of Wales outside the chapel before entering the Easter Matins service led by the King and Queen.  

His sister, Lady Louise Windsor, 22, remained at St Andrews University to concentrate on her studies, while their mother, the Duchess of Edinburgh was reportedly set to attend the Easter service but was forced to pull out due to feeling ‘under the weather’.

Following his 18th birthday in December, much speculation emerged over the Earl’s future as a royal, with both he and his sister growing up without HRH titles.

The youngest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II is viewed as one of the most enigmatic members of the royal family, largely because his parents went to great lengths to give both their children a ‘normal’ upbringing. 

Last year, writing in his Palace Confidential newsletter, the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden expressed how the growing contribution from Edward and Sophie’s children could be of great value to the Royal Family. 

He wrote: ‘When Prince William becomes King, I hope that he will follow the example of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and ask his cousins, including Lady Louise and James, to share royal duties with him.

‘Hopefully, William will realise that a “slimmed-down” monarchy wouldn’t safeguard the institution, as some claim, but would lead to its irrelevance and eventual death.

‘What better way to build on its strengths than with an injection of energy from young people who have had values of public service and duty instilled in them from birth?’

James, who is 16th in line to the throne, falling from eighth after Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie expanded their families, is currently completing his studies at the prestigious Radley College in Oxfordshire.

And while his sister has started stepping out at royal events more often, James has kept rather a low profile – until now. 

Yet royal commentators know little about whether James will follow the footsteps of his older sister and attend the University of St Andrews, or step into the public arena as a working royal after his A-levels.

His mother’s own words echo that uncertainty, with Sophie once admitting she could clearly see the path her daughter was taking but remained unsure what her son might ultimately choose.

‘Louise is working hard and will do A-levels. I hope she goes to university. I wouldn’t force her, but if she wants to. She’s quite clever, so I think probably,’ Sophie told The Times in 2020. ‘Whereas James I don’t know,’ she added. 

Sophie also told the newspaper that the siblings are free to adopt HRH titles once they turn 18, but noted it was ‘highly unlikely’ they would do so, in what has been an accurate prediction for Lady Louise. 

But royal experts have increasingly suggested that Prince William might eventually look to the younger generation, particularly Prince Edward’s children, to bolster the monarchy.

James’s understated character is thought to be an asset, offering William an option that is both dependable and uncontroversial.

Growing up three decades behind his eldest cousin, Peter Phillips, James had a very different childhood than that of his cousins; one shaped more by fishing in the country, sleepovers with friends and normal school runs than red carpets or balcony appearances.

‘What’s normal? They go to a regular school,’ Sophie shared.

‘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.’

Edward and Sophie’s decision to keep their children largely out of the public eye was made long before they were born.

When they married, they chose, with permission from the Queen, that their future children would not have prince and princess titles.

Upon his birth, James was named Viscount Severn, after the River Severn in Wales as a nod to his mother’s Welsh heritage, and then became Earl of Wessex when Edward and Sophie were made the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

The Duke of Edinburgh title itself will not pass down to James, leaving his long-term role undefined.

The move was made in an effort to relieve Louise and James of the burdens that come with royal titles.

Sophie spoke in 2016 about her attempts to keep her son and daughter out of the public spotlight while they are children. 

She told the BBC: ‘Certainly when they were very young we tried to keep them out of it. Only because for their sakes, to grow up as normally as possible we felt was quite important.

‘And they’re going to have to go out and get a job and earn a living later on in life and if they’ve had a normal start in life they possibly can get, then hopefully that will stand them in good stead.’

Yet the lack of HRH title hasn’t stopped James from being honoured – and a Canadian lake has already been named after him.

His father Prince Edward was presented with a pair of framed notices naming two Northwestern Manitoba lakes after his two children during his visit to the Canadian province of Manitoba in 2008, reported the Vancouver Sun.

James, full name James Alexander Philip Theo, was born at Frimley Park Hospital on 17 December 2007. Prince Edward described his newborn son at the time as ‘like most babies, rather small, very cute and very cuddly’, reported the BBC.

He appeared on his first overseas engagement in April 2015, aged just seven, with his then 11-year-old sister, as they joined their parents on a visit to the Ubunye Foundation in Grahamstown, South Africa.

Sophie acts as patron for the non-profit organisation, which helps rural communities become self-reliant, and said at the time: ‘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.

‘That there is a huge need to support, protect and nurture the communities that live around and within these beautiful surroundings,’ she added, reported The Express.

But the strategy to give the Earl as ‘normal’ a childhood as possible has meant that, unlike many heirs of his generation, James has been able to pass unnoticed through day-to-day life, blending in amongst his peers.

Radley College, where he is currently studying, has provided a structured but relatively sheltered environment, allowing him to grow up without any expectation to perform for the cameras.

James’s heritage still carries lasting significance since he and Lady Louise became the first royal grandchildren to use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor in a tribute to their grandfather, the late Prince Philip. 

The Earl further delighted his grandparents with his love for fly fishing, an activity he regularly enjoys while summering with his relatives in Scotland and one famously beloved by his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother. 

James is said to be ‘rather good at flipping burgers and liked to get fully involved whenever there was a family barbecue at Balmoral’, claimed a source.

The insider also told The Sun in 2019: ‘His enthusiasm for fly fishing delighted Her late Majesty because it’s a sport beloved of James’s great-granny, the late Queen Mother.

‘James was in the Dee as often as possible, waders up to his armpits. His mother Sophie, who is a keen fisherwoman herself, liked to stand with him. The Balmoral ghillies [gamekeepers] were impressed with both of them.’

Growing up living with his parents at the family home of Bagshot Park in Surrey, just 11 miles from Windsor Castle, meant James and his sister spent a significant amount of time with the late Queen and Philip. 

Lady Louise has even been referred to as Prince Philip’s ‘favourite grandchild’, while James was said to be among the late Queen’s favourites, according to Tatler.

James has made few public appearances throughout his life, including his grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, at her state funeral, as well as Prince Philip’s memorial service in Scotland.

Whether he chooses university or immediate work, a private life or a semi-public one, will reveal much about the direction the monarchy expects its younger members to take.

If St Andrews becomes his next stop, the choice would be read not just as an academic decision but as a signal he could be steering towards his sister’s growing sense of duty.

If he opts for an entirely different route, the independence could reflect the ethos his parents championed since his birth: that he should be free from expectation, pressure, and the weight of titles he never asked for.