We all know that life as a major royal means castles, overseas tours, and a whole lot of drama
But what's it like being the Earl of Wessex? In 2007, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, then the Earl and Countess of Wessex
welcomed the arrival of their son. In a press release, the palace announced the names chosen by the Earl and Countess of Wessex for their son
are James Alexander Philip Theo. In addition to those names, James was titled Viscount Seven, a so-called courtesy title
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the rise of King Charles III to the throne
a number of royal titles were shuffled around. In early 2023, Prince Edward and Sophie were made
Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, a title last held by Prince Philip. This also meant that James
Viscount VII, inherited his father's previous title. He is now known as James, Earl of Wessex
Curiously, the Earl of Wessex title hadn't been used for over a thousand years prior to Prince
Edward, having last been held by Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson. Reportedly, the late
Queen's son decided to adopt it after watching the movie Shakespeare in Love
I have an ancient name which will bring you preferment when your grandson is a Wessex
Notably, the Earldom of Wessex is a hereditary title, but the Duke of Edinburgh is not, and
it must be created each time it is used. In other words when Prince Edward dies James won automatically become Duke of Edinburgh That be up to whoever is king at the time James was raised at Bagshot Park the lavish estate held by his parents since their 1999 wedding The home has belonged to the royal family for more than 200 years It set on 51 acres of
land that includes a private lake, and the home itself has 120 rooms. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh
told the Sunday Times that her husband has been quite involved in raising their kids
She said, He is very good at barbecues, and the children love those. He takes our son fishing
does a lot of riding with our daughter. He is very engaged as a father. Importantly, Bagshot Park is not far from Windsor Castle, and James' family frequently
spend time there too. As Sophie told the Times, Though his parents have largely tried to raise him out of the public eye
the royals can't always avoid stepping into the spotlight. Along with his family
James has attended a number of high-profile royal events. In 2016, he put in an appearance
at Trooping the Colour. The yearly June event marks the reigning monarch's birthday
no matter what month they were actually born in, and it involves a massive military parade
that reportedly dates back to the 1600s. In 2016, James rode in a carriage alongside his sister
Lady Louise Windsor, waving to crowds who rarely got a chance to see this side of the family
In 2022 James and his family attended the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham The Commonwealth Games bring together teams from the UK and its territories for a series of sporting competitions The Daily Mail published photos of the family taking in the day sporting events with
James and Lady Louise looking particularly animated. They were even photographed against a step-and-repeat, a rarity for the young Earl
Then, of course, there was the coronation of King Charles III, James' uncle
God save the king! God save the king! The Daily Mail insisted that Lady Louise stole the show at the event
but James was right beside his sister throughout, wearing a black suit and burgundy tie
While royal watchers haven't been able to learn much about James' personality thanks to his
parents' insistence that he be kept away from the public eye, we have heard a bit about what
he's like behind closed doors. According to The Sun, James spent many summers at Balmoral with
Queen Elizabeth II. He was her youngest grandson, and she reportedly treasured their time together
An insider told the tabloid in 2019, the Queen loves the fact that Louise and James relish their time at Balmoral
Balmoral has been home to the royals during some of their most pivotal moments
This is where many of the royals were staying when they learned of the death of Princess Diana
for example, and it's also where Queen Elizabeth spent her final days. However, James is likely to have many happy memories of his summers spent there with his
grandmother. The sprawling estate allows for a number of outdoor activities, one of which is fishing and James is reportedly quite good at it The same insider told The Sun his enthusiasm for fly fishing delighted Her Majesty because it a sport beloved of James great the late Queen Mother The river Dee flows through the estate grounds
which is where James would fish for salmon. The source claimed, 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. James and Lady Louise are the grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II. That line in the royal family
tree includes figures like Prince William and Prince Harry. Relatively speaking, the two younger
royals have kept a much lower profile, and their mother told the Sunday Times that this was very
much intentional. She explained, "'We tried to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work for a
living.' Still, though, being a member of the royal family comes with a few perks
While they may not be raising their kids in the spotlight, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have
taken full advantage of Britain's schooling system. For a decade, James attended Eagle House
School, one of the oldest preparatory schools in the United Kingdom. In 2021, The Express reported
that the school charges £18,000 a year in tuition fees. Speaking with the Sunday Times
the Duchess of Edinburgh insisted that the school was regular, perhaps showing that
even though she wants to bring her children up away from the lavish royal life, her perspective may be a tad skewed. She said
what's normal, they go to a regular school