'Little-known' Royal prepares to make huge life change
A royal family member you may not know much about is preparing to step into an exciting new chapter.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s son, James, Earl of Wessex, is now an undergraduate as of this month.
The Royal Agricultural University has a a royal new student. Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, James will study Rural Land & Property Management with induction classes beginning today (21 September) and lasting until Friday.
Buckingham Palace previously shared a statement in August confirming James’ university plans after achieving the necessary grades for his course. The statement also revealed he would not be taking a gap year.
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James is the son of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and his wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones, Duchess of Edinburgh. Prince Edward is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II’s four children which makes him the youngest sibling of King Charles III, Princess Anne, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
James is the youngest grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He has an older sister, Lady Louise Windsor.
Before embarking on a degree course, the young Earl studied at Radley College in Oxfordshire. It is a boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 located on a rural 800-acre campus.
He received his A-level results on the same day as thousands of other students in the UK last month.
His course is described by the university on its website as teaching “the fundamentals of rural professional practice as well as planning and development, law, valuation, building construction and management”.
When James left Radley college, he was the last of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren to finish schooling. He is currently 17th in line of succession.
Earlier this year, fans of the royal family were delighted to see Kate, Princess of Wales welcoming James at the family's Easter service.
As he tends to stay out of the spotlight, fans were over the moon seeing James interact with Kate. Photos of the families arriving for the service showed James keeping his gaze toward the ground.
He is the first cousin of Prince William and Prince Harry. James' sister, Lady Louise Windsor, 22 was not in attendance as she is believed to be busy finishing her studies at St Andrews.
His mother Sophie was not at the service due to being unwell, reports later confirmed.
Given that half of his immediate family was not at the Easter service, fans Kate noticed how she stepped in to make him feel welcome and at ease. James was last seen at the Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham last year when he was in his final year of A-Levels at Radley College.
"A lovely interaction between the Princess of Wales and James, Earl of Wessex," wrote one.
"The Princess of Wales will be a good guide for the young royals. She’s so down to earth, I think they will feel at ease in her presence," said another.
Elsewhere, onlookers thought it was "nice to see Catherine making him feel at ease," as another praised "Love how close Wales and Edinburgh families are."
Topics: Royal Family, News, UK News
Greg Harris