| Earl of Wessex | |
| Birth Name: | James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn |
| Birth Date: | 17 December 2007 |
| Birth Place: | Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey, England |
| Family: | House of Windsor |
| Father: | Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh |
| Mother: | Sophie Rhys-Jones |
James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex (born 17 December 2007), styled Viscount Severn from 2007 until 2023, is the younger child and son of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. He is the youngest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest nephew of King Charles III. At the time of his birth, he was 8th in line to the British throne. He is now 15th in line.
James was born on 17 December 2007 at 16:20 GMT at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey by caesarean section.[1] [2] His full name, James Alexander Philip Theo, was announced on 21 December.[3]
James was baptised on 19 April 2008, in the private chapel of Windsor Castle by David Conner, Dean of Windsor,[4] witnessed by his godparents, Alastair Bruce, Duncan Bullivant, Thomas Hill, Denise Poulton and Jeanye Irwin,[5] and his grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.[6]
James attended Eagle House School, a coeducational preparatory school near Sandhurst, Berkshire from 2011 to 2021, before joining the private Radley College in Oxfordshire.[7]
James made his first appearance in the carriage procession at Trooping the Colour in 2016[8] and has appeared in several more since.
In September 2020, he joined his parents to help the Great British Beach Clean at Southsea Beach in Hampshire, in support of the Marine Conservation Society.[9] [10]
Following the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip on 29 March 2022, Viscount Severn attended the Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving[11] [12] and the Platinum Party at the Palace in June 2022.[13]
On 17 September 2022, during the period of official mourning for his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, James joined his sister Louise and six cousins to mount a 15-minute vigil around the coffin of the late Queen, as it lay in state at Westminster Hall.[14] On 19 September, Lord Severn joined other family members at the state funeral.[15]
On 6 May 2023, James (now Earl of Wessex) attended his uncle Charles III's coronation at Westminster Abbey, together with the rest of the royal family. The next day they attended the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle.[16]
On 31 March 2024, James attended the Easter Mattins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, with his mother and father. He was the only member of the younger generation of royals to attend.[17]
The title Viscount Severn alludes to the Welsh roots of Sophie's family.[18] James was accorded this courtesy title at birth, as heir apparent to his father's earldom.[19]
At birth, James automatically became a prince of the United Kingdom (Prince James of Wessex, now Prince James of Edinburgh) due to letters patent issued in 1917 which assigned princely status and the style of Royal Highness to all male-line grandchildren of a sovereign.[20] However, when his parents married, Buckingham Palace announced that their children would be styled as the children of an earl, rather than as prince or princess.[21] In 2020, James's mother reaffirmed that James and his sister retained the right to their royal titles and styles and could make a choice on whether to use them from the age of 18.[22]
On his father being elevated as Duke of Edinburgh in March 2023, James became styled by courtesy as Earl of Wessex, now the family's senior subsidiary title.[23] [24] The Dukedom of Edinburgh, being created as a life peerage, will become extinct upon his father's death, but as heir apparent to his father's hereditary peerages of Earl of Wessex, Earl of Forfar and Viscount Severn, James is expected to succeed to them in due course.[25]
See also: List of honours of the British royal family by country.
In June 2008, to recognise Prince Edward's visit to the Canadian province of Manitoba, a lake in the north of the province was called Lake James. James's sister was similarly honoured by Lake Louise in the same province.[27]