But royal experts have increasingly suggested that Prince William might eventually look to the younger generation, particularly Prince Edward’s children, to bolster the monarchy.
James’s understated character is thought to be an asset, offering William an option that is both dependable and uncontroversial.
Growing up three decades behind his eldest cousin, Peter Phillips, James had a very different childhood than that of his cousins; one shaped more by fishing in the country, sleepovers with friends and normal school runs than red carpets or balcony appearances.
‘What’s normal? They go to a regular school,’ Sophie shared.
‘They go to friends for sleepovers and parties. At weekends we do lots of dog walking and stay with friends.
‘I guess not everyone’s grandparents live in a castle, but where you are going is not the important part, or who they are.’
Edward and Sophie’s decision to keep their children largely out of the public eye was made long before they were born.
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Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George and the Princess of Wales standing next to James at the Easter service
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Joining his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, James was captured joyfully chatting with the Princess of Wales outside the chapel before entering the Easter Matins service led by the King and Queen
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Following his 18th birthday in December, much speculation emerged over the Earl’s future as a royal, with both he and his sister growing up without HRH titles
When they married, they chose, with permission from the Queen, that their future children would not have prince and princess titles.
Upon his birth, James was named Viscount Severn, after the River Severn in Wales as a nod to his mother’s Welsh heritage, and then became Earl of Wessex when Edward and Sophie were made the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
The Duke of Edinburgh title itself will not pass down to James, leaving his long-term role undefined.
The move was made in an effort to relieve Louise and James of the burdens that come with royal titles.
Sophie spoke in 2016 about her attempts to keep her son and daughter out of the public spotlight while they are children.
She told the BBC: ‘Certainly when they were very young we tried to keep them out of it. Only because for their sakes, to grow up as normally as possible we felt was quite important.
‘And they’re going to have to go out and get a job and earn a living later on in life and if they’ve had a normal start in life they possibly can get, then hopefully that will stand them in good stead.’
Yet the lack of HRH title hasn’t stopped James from being honoured – and a Canadian lake has already been named after him.
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James (pictured), who is 16th in line to the throne, falling from eighth after Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie expanded their families, is currently completing his studies at the prestigious Radley College in Oxfordshire
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