Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie’s Son James, 17, Is All Grown Up During Rare Easter Appearance

Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie’s 17-year-old son, James, is all grown up and physically towering over his parents.

The Earl of Wessex made a rare public appearance alongside his parents while attending the royals’ annual Easter Mattins service on Sunday, April 20, at Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel.

James, who was bestowed the Wessex earldom after his parents inherited the Edinburgh duchy from the late Prince Philip, donned a sleek navy morning suit with a bright red tie. He was seen entering the chapel with dad Edward, 61, and mom Sophie, 60, along with cousin Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank.

While Edward wore a gray suit, Sophie made a splash in a plum-colored jacket with a matching fascinator. They were also joined by Edward’s siblings, King Charles III, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne, as well as Queen Camilla, Sir Tim Laurence and Sarah Ferguson.

Edward is the youngest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who died in 2022 and 2021, respectively. He married Sophie, a former publicist, in 1999. In addition to James, the married couple also share 21-year-old daughter Lady Louise Windsor. (Louise currently studies at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland, which likely explains her absence from the Easter festivities.)

Louise and James are the children of a prince — and the then-monarch’s grandchildren — and technically have “HRH” honorifics. Edward and Sophie, however, opted against giving their kids the formal titles of prince and princess.

“We try to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work for a living,” Sophie told The Sunday Times in June 2020. “Hence, we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but it’s highly unlikely.”

According to Sophie, she and her husband have long tried to give Louise and James “normal” upbringings.

“I guess not everyone’s grandparents live in a castle, but where you are going is not the important part, or who they are,” Sophie added to the British newspaper. “When they are with the Queen, she is their grandmother.”

Louise, for her part, particularly bonded with both Elizabeth and Philip over shared equestrian pursuits.

“[My grandfather] has been so involved in my [carriage] driving, which has been lovely but slightly scary because he invented the sport pretty much,” Louise recalled in BBC’s Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers documentary in 2021. “After a competition, he’d always ask me how it went. His eyes would light up because he just gets so excited when he talks about it.”