James, Earl of Wessex, receives his A-Level results today, joining thousands of students across the UK. The 18-year-old, who is 17th in line to the throne, recently finished studying at Radley College, an independent boarding school in Oxfordshire.
Royal Title Decision
James has held the title of Earl of Wessex since 2023, having been elevated from Viscount Severn after his father took on the dukedom. Despite his royal links, his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, were determined to give him as normal an upbringing as possible, leaving the decision on titles up to their children.
Since James and his older sister Louise became adults, neither has decided to use HRH titles, preferring to live as private citizens. “They’ve both grown up very grounded and fully aware that they will need to earn a living,” a royal source said. “Neither of them want to be working royals or have titles, they value their privacy and want to live ordinary lives.”
Summer Job on Sandringham Estate
The insider added that they will continue to support their parents and attend set piece events when they can. “They just don’t want to be known simply as the King’s niece and nephew, and James doesn’t want things to change now he’s left school.”
Edward and Sophie have raised them with the understanding that they will need to secure jobs rather than rely on their family name. This is why today is crucial for James’s future, as he collects his final A-Level results.
Instead of spending the summer at the family’s Surrey mansion, Bagshot Park, James secured a summer job as a farmhand on the Sandringham Estate, working long hours driving tractors, the Sun reported last weekend.
Future Plans
Louise, now 22, also had a summer job before university, working in a garden centre before heading to the University of St Andrews to study English and International Relations. She has also worked part time during her studies, including at the Royal Windsor Horse Show and serving as an official during the International Carriage Driving Competition.
James is expected to follow a similar path, spending the next few years at university before deciding on a career. Some sources have suggested he may take a gap year, as his sister is doing after finishing her degree, before heading to university next year.
“You wouldn’t know he was royal,” an insider said, and that is exactly what his parents intended.
