prince edward children

Why Prince Edward's children aren't a Prince and Princess

The Queen's youngest son has two children

Homes Editor
September 20, 2022

The Earl and Countess of Wessex and Farfar have two children, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn, but here's why they aren't aren't a princess or prince.

MORE: The Queen's funeral as it happened: George & Charlotte's bravery & most moving royal moments

It's normal protocol for children of male descendants of the monarch to automatically get a royal title, however Prince Edward and Countess Wessex decided against it.

WATCH: The Queen's corgis watch on at funeral procession 

This would have been partially due to the plans to streamline the monarch, having fewer working royals but mainly to allow the children to have relatively normal upbringing.

Sophie Wessex once explained to The Sunday Times: "We try to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work for a living.

The Wessex's haven't given their kids a royal title 

MORE: Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie spark confusion at the Queen's funeral: Details

"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."

So there is a chance they could be Princess Louise and Prince James in the future, but considering Louise is already 18 and that’s not happened it does appear not to be likely.

Edward also rejected the chance to have a Duke title when he married in 1999, opting to be an Earl instead.

Princess Anne’s children also don’t possess royal titles, in a bid to give them as normal a life as possible.

MORE: How Prince William & Princess Kate are helping their children cope with grief at home

SEE: Prince William and Kate make way for Harry and Meghan in rare funeral interaction

Sophie Wessex wants her children to have a 'normal' life 

Speaking to The Times in 2015, Anne's only daughter Zara revealed why she’s glad she wasn’t given a royal title: “I'm very lucky that both my parents decided to not use the title and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do."

Prince Andrew’s daughters Beatrice and Eugenie are Princesses, however, they are not working royals and have their own jobs.

Princess Eugenie has a full-time job at Hauser & Wirth, an art venue and Princess Beatrice works for a US-based technology company called Afiniti.

Like this story? Sign up to The Royal Life newsletter to get your weekly dose of royal lifestyle inspiration, from the must-see fashion moments to sneak peeks into royal homes and wellness news.

Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Parenting

See more