James, Earl of Wessex

Lord (Prince) James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor

b. 17 December 2007

Lord James is a member of the British Royal Family.
He is the second child and only son of Prince Edward 2nd Duke of Edinburgh, and his wife Sophie Duchess-Consort of Edinburgh.
He is also the youngest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Philip the Prince-Consort 1st Duke of Edinburgh.
Before James' birth, his father Prince Edward was the Earl of Wessex and Earl of Forfar and Viscount Severn.
After James was born, his parents denied his right to the title of Prince (until his 18th birthday) and was allowed as a courtesy to use his father's title of Viscount Severn, which indicated that he is his father's heir.
Upon the death of James' grandfather Prince-Consort Philip 1st Duke of Edinburgh, his father Edward became 2nd Duke of Edinburgh, and James was then allowed as a courtesy to use his father's title of Earl of Wessex - but not Earl of Forfar - and he is no longer addressed by the lower title of Viscount Severn.
According to Buckingham Palace, while James will formally inherit the Earldom of Wessex and Earldom of Forfar upon the death of his father, he will not inherit the Dukedom of Edinburgh, which would revert back to the Crown (the reigning monarch).

Though his sister Lady Louise was born first (in 2003) and James second (in 2007), James is the first son of Prince Edward and therefore in line of succession to the British Crown before his sister. If Louise had been born after the passing of the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013 (in which Queen Elizabeth II scrapped the old sexist male-priority succession to allow all succession children to take the throne in order of birth regardless of gender), she would have had precedence before her brother. As it stands, as of February 2024, Lord James and Lady Louise fall in line of succession to the British Crown as follows:

1st - William Prince of Wales - 1st child of King Charles III son of Queen Elizabeth II
2nd - Prince George - 1st child of William Prince of Wales
3rd - Princess Charlotte - 2nd child of William Prince of Wales
4th - Prince Louis - 3rd child of William Prince of Wales

5th - Prince Harry - 2nd child of King Charles III
6th - Prince Archie - 1st child of Prince Harry son of King Charles III
7th - Princess Lilibet - 2nd child of Prince Harry son of King Charles III

8th - Prince Andrew - 3rd child of Queen Elizabeth II
9th - Princess Beatrice - 1st child of Prince Andrew
10th - Sienna Mapelli Mozzi - 1st child of Princess Beatrice
11th - Princess Eugenie - 2nd child of Prince Andrew
12th - August Brooksbank - 1st child of Princess Eugenie
13th - Ernest Brooksbank - 2nd child of Princess Eugenie

14th - Prince Edward - 4th child of Queen Elizabeth II
15th - Lord James - 2nd child of Prince Edward
16th - Lady Louise - 1st child of Prince Edward

17th - Anne the Princess Royal - 2nd child of Queen Elizabeth II
18th - Peter Philliips - 1st child of Anne the Princess Royal
19th - Savannah Philliips - 1st child of Peter Phillips
20th - Isla Philliips - 2nd child of Peter Philliips
21st - Zara Philliips Tindall - 2nd child of Anne the Princess Royal
22nd - Mia Tindall - 1st child of Zara Philliips Tindall
23rd - Lena Tindall - 2nd child of Zara Philliips Tindall
24th - Lucas Tindall - 3rd child of Zara Philliips Tindall

25th - David Armstrong-Jones - child of Princess Margaret daughter of King George VI

James' place in the line will move further away from succession with each new birth by anyone in line ahead of him. His place in line will move closer to succession with each death of anyone in the line ahead of him.

Early life

Lord James was born by caesarean section at 16:20 UTC on 17 December 2007 at Frimley Park Hospital.
At birth he weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces (2.8 kg).[2] Prince Edward, who was present for the birth of his second child, remarked that the birth was "a lot calmer than last time" (a reference to the emergency delivery of their first child, Lady Louise), that his wife was "doing very well," and that his son was "like most babies, rather small, very cute and very cuddly."[2] The baby and his mother were released from hospital on 20 December, and the following day his names were announced as James Alexander Philip Theo.[3]

His sister, Lady Louise Windsor, is four years his senior.
The siblings lived with their parents at Bagshot Park in Surrey.

Lord James was admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London on 24 January 2008 with what Buckingham Palace called a "minor allergic reaction."[4] He was released from hospital within days.

Lord James was christened on 19 April 2008 in the private chapel of Windsor Castle by the Dean of Windsor, Bishop David Conner.[5][6] His christening gown was a newly made replica of the gown originally used by his great-great-great-grandaunt Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, in 1840. It has been worn for most royal christenings since then, and the old gown has now been preserved.[5] Severn's godparents are Denise Poulton, Jeanye Irwin, Alastair Bruce, Duncan Bullivant and Tom Hill.[6]

Titles and styles

In June 2008, to recognise a visit by his father to the province of Manitoba, the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba-in-Council named a lake in the north of the province after Viscount Severn.[9]

Notes ans Sources

1. ^ Given his proper title under the 1917 Letters Patent, HRH Prince James of Wessex holds no surname.
2. ^ a b "Countess gives birth to baby boy". BBC. 17 December 2007.
3. ^ "Edward and Sophie name baby James". BBC. 21 December 2007.
4. ^ "Royal baby has allergic reaction". BBC. 25 January 2008.
5. ^ a b "Announcement of the Arrangement for the Christening of Viscount Severn". royal.gov.uk. 15 April 2008.
6. ^ a b "Queen sees grandson's christening". BBC News. 19 April 2008.
7. ^ Francois Velde. "Royal Styles and Titles – 1917 Letters Patent". Heraldica.org. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
8. ^ "Special Report | 1999 | 06/99 | royal wedding | Wessex titles for Edward and Sophie". BBC News. 1999-06-19. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
9. ^ "Prince Edward begins Winnipeg visit" (in English). The Vancouver Sun. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 30 March 2010.

Links

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