PRINCE Edward is the youngest child of the late Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip.
He and his wife Sophie Wessex, Duchess of Edinburgh, tend to stay out of the spotlight – but why don’t their children have titles?
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Who are Prince Edward’s children?
Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones have two children together.
Their first, Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on November 8, 2003.
Her younger brother, James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on December 17, 2007.
Both siblings were both born at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey.
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Louise’s godparents are Lady Sarah Chatto, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Lady Alexandra Etherington, Francesca Schwarzenbach and Rupert Elliott.
In 2011, at age seven, Louise was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince William and Kate.
She went to St George’s School, Windsor Castle before moving to St Mary’s School Ascot in 2017.
Lady Louise then went on to study English at the University of St Andrews in September 2022.
James was baptised in 2008 in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle and his godparents are Alastair Bruce of Crionaich, Duncan Bullivant, Thomas Hill, Denise Poulton and Jeanye Irwin.
He attended Eagle House School – a prep school near Sandhurst in Berkshire.
Louise and James accompanied their parents on a trip to South Africa in April 2015, their first overseas engagement.
The family’s official London residence is based at Buckingham Palace. but they also live in Bagshot Park in Surrey.
Why do Prince Edward’s children not have official prince and princess titles?
The late Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh had eight grandchildren.
Along with Louise and James, they were grandparents to Peter and Zara Phillips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Princes William and Harry.
Not all of their grandkids were given hereditary titles.
When Edward got married, he agreed with his mother that his children would be regarded as the offspring of an Earl rather than being called His or Her Royal Highness.
Princess Anne‘s children, Zara and Peter, also don’t have royal titles but Louise and James are the Queen‘s first male-line descendants not to have them.
We try to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work for a living
Sophie Rhys-Jones
They are also the first in the family to be allowed the proper use of the Mountbatten-Windsor family name.
Lady Louise is known as Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, instead of HRH Princess Louise of Wessex.
James uses his father’s subsidiary title of Earl of Wessex as a courtesy and is not HRH Prince James of Wessex.
Sophie has said her children will not work in an official capacity for the Royal Family when they turn 18.
She told The Sunday Times in 2020: “We try to bring them up with the understanding that 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 it’s highly unlikely.”
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Are Prince Edward’s children in line to the throne?
Louise is 16th in the line of succession to the British throne, while James is 15th in line to the throne.
Their father, the Queen’s youngest child, is 14th in line as of May 2024.
The rules of royal succession have changed significantly since 2011.
That year the leaders of 16 British Commonwealth countries voted to alter the centuries-old tradition to include daughters as well as sons.
Previously, daughters could only inherit the throne if there were no sons.
The new rule only takes into account children born after 2011, meaning James, born in 2007, is ahead of his older sister, Louise, born in 2003.
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