Queen Elizabeth II's grandson James to study rural land management, shuns royal life

James, Earl of Wessex, grandson of the late Queen Elizabeth II, is set to begin university this autumn, pursuing a degree in rural land and property management. This choice signals a departure from active royal life, following a similar path to his older sister, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor.

The 18-year-old, youngest child of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, will attend the Royal Agricultural University in Gloucestershire. Unlike some royal family members, James will enter directly into his studies without taking a gap year. Buckingham Palace's official communication referred to him simply as "Earl of Wessex," omitting the "His Royal Highness" title he is entitled to as a grandchild of the monarch.

This decision appears to echo his sister Lady Louise, 22, who also opted not to use a royal title upon reaching adulthood. Louise recently graduated from the University of St Andrews using her civil name. Both siblings had the option to use their titles at 18, a choice their parents had anticipated they would likely forgo in favor of pursuing their own careers.

"We try to bring them up with the idea that they are very likely to have to work for a living," Sophie explained in 2020. "That is why we don’t use HRH titles. They have been born into it and they are part of it, and they will grow up and understand it, and hopefully find their own way of contributing."

James has already begun immersing himself in rural work, currently employed as a farmhand at Sandringham, one of King Charles III's estates in Norfolk. He has been observed operating tractors and participating in daily farm tasks, demonstrating a willingness to engage in hands-on labor.

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We try to bring them up with the idea that they are very likely to have to work for a living. That is why we don’t use HRH titles. They have been born into it and they are part of it, and they will grow up and understand it, and hopefully find their own way of contributing.