James, son of Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie, marked his 18th birthday this week, bringing with it a key royal choice about whether to use a prince title.
The Earl of Wessex, the youngest grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II, became eligible on Dec. 17 to be styled as His Royal Highness under long-standing royal rules.
However, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have previously made it clear that they prefer that their children live more private lives.
Edward and Sophie decided not to use royal titles for James and his sister, Lady Louise Windsor, giving them the option to choose for themselves once they reached adulthood.
22-year-old Lady Louise has so far not adopted a royal title with Sophie saying that she believes it is unlikely either child will do so.
According to her, both of her kids were raised with the expectation of building careers outside full-time royal life.
She told The Sunday Times, “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,” the Duchess of Edinburgh added.
