PRINCE Edward is the youngest son 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?
Who are Prince Edward’s children?
Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones have two children together.
The first, Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on November 8, 2003.
His younger brother, James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on December 17, 2007.
Both brothers were born at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey.
Louise’s godparents are Lady Sarah Chatto, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Lady Alexandra Etherington, Francesca Schwarzenbach and Rupert Elliott.
In 2011, at the age of seven, Louise was a bridesmaid at Prince William and Kate’s wedding.
She went to St George’s School in 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 baptized in 2008 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle and his godparents are Alastair Bruce de Crionaich, Duncan Bullivant, Thomas Hill, Denise Poulton and Jeanye Irwin.
He attended Eagle House School – a preparatory 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 at Buckingham Palace. but they also live in Bagshot Park in Surrey.
Why don’t Prince Edward’s children have official titles of prince and princess?
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 his grandchildren received hereditary titles.
When Edward married, he agreed with his mother that his children would be considered the children of an earl, rather than being called His Royal Highness.
Princess Anne’s children, Zara and Peter, also do not have royal titles, but Louise and James are the first male-line descendants of the Queen not to have them.
We try to educate them with the understanding that they will most likely have to work for a living
Sophie Rhys-Jones
They are also the first in their family to be allowed to use the Mountbatten-Windsor surname correctly.
Lady Louise is known as Louise Mountbatten-Windsor rather than Her Royal Highness Princess Louise of Wessex.
James uses his father’s subsidiary title, Earl of Wessex, as a courtesy and is not HRH Prince James of Wessex.
Sophie said her children will not officially work for the Royal Family when they turn 18.
She said Sunday times in 2020: “We try to educate them with the understanding that they are very likely going to have to work for a living.
“That’s why we made the decision not to use RHS titles.
“They have them and may decide to use them from the age of 18, but it is highly unlikely.”
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Are Prince Edward’s children in line for the throne?
Louise is 16th in line to the British throne, while James is 15th in line to the throne.
Their father, the Queen’s youngest son, is 14th in the line of succession as of May 2024.
The rules of royal succession have changed significantly since 2011.
That year, the leaders of 16 Commonwealth countries voted to amend 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 considers children born after 2011, meaning James, born in 2007, is ahead of his older sister, Louise, born in 2003.
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