James, Earl of Wessex, will begin university this September after achieving the A-level grades required for his chosen course, Buckingham Palace has announced.
The 18-year-old son of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, will attend the Royal Agricultural University to study Rural Land & Property Management.
After studying at Radley College in Oxfordshire, James reportedly spent the summer working as a farmhand on the Sandringham Estate. The Sun reported that he was seen driving tractors and getting involved in the estate’s day-to-day work.
Palace confirms James, Earl of Wessex’s university plans
Buckingham Palace said: “Having achieved the grades he needed, The Earl of Wessex will be going to the Royal Agricultural University to study Rural Land & Property Management. He will head straight there without taking a year out.”
James’ exact A-level results have not been made public.
However, the announcement confirms that he secured the grades needed and will go straight to university rather than taking a gap year.
That marks a different route from his older sister, Lady Louise. She recently graduated from St Andrew’s University and has reportedly decided to take a year out before moving into employment.
A largely private life
James and Louise have largely remained outside the royal spotlight. Their parents raised them with the expectation that they would eventually work and earn their own living, while neither sibling uses an HRH style.
Their mother Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, previously spoke about their futures.
She told The Times in 2020: “We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living.
“Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it’s highly unlikely.”
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The pair still join other members of the royal family for major occasions. These include Christmas, Easter and Trooping the Colour. But, otherwise, they maintain relatively private lives.
The palace announcement sets out James’ immediate educational plans, although it does not detail any longer-term role for him within the royal family. For now, his focus will be on starting university and studying land and property management.
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