Reason why the Queen's grandson James, Viscount Severn isn't a prince
The Queen's grandson James, Viscount Severn is celebrating his 14th birthday.
However, despite being a direct grandchild of the monarch, the young royal is unlikely to serve as a member of the royal family and is not given the title of prince.
James, who was born in 2007 to parents Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, is the youngest of the Queen's eight grandchildren.
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James, Viscount Severn is celebrating his 14th birthday. Getty
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He is 15th in the line of succession to the throne, behind his father Prince Edward, who is the Queen's youngest child.
His older sister, Lady Louise Windsor, is 16th in line to the throne.
When James' parents Edward and Sophie married in 1999, it was announced the couple's future children would be awarded the title of an Earl rather than a Prince.
The young royal was born James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor and is known as the title Viscount Severn.
None of Prince Edward's children have the title of His/Her Royal Highness either.
In an interview with The Sunday Times in 2020, the Countess of Wessex said the decision to not give her children official royal titles was to ensure they had a relatively normal childhood.
James, Viscount Severn, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Lady Louise Windsor and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Getty
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"We try to educate them with the understanding that they will most likely have to work for a living," she told the publication.
"That is why we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them after 18, but I think it is very unlikely."
James and his sister Louise are both technically eligible for titles under a Letters Patent issued by King George V in 1917, which outlines who is awarded the title of Prince or Princess within the royal family.
Lady Louise also celebrated her 18th birthday on 8 November and is currently studying for her A-Levels.
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