James, Earl of Wessex receives A-Level results and heads to Royal Agricultural University
James, Earl of Wessex received his A-Level results on Thursday 13 August 2026, and with them a confirmed place at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, where he is expected to enrol in autumn 2026 to study rural land and property management (Royal Central).
The 18-year-old, seventeenth in line to the British throne, completed his A-Level studies at Radley College, an independent boarding school in Oxfordshire (GB News). The grades he achieved have not been publicly disclosed.
While awaiting his results over the summer, James took a summer job at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, the private estate owned by his uncle, King Charles (Hello!). The work on the 20,000-acre estate gave him a close-up view of the kind of rural land management he is now set to study.
His chosen university sits in the heart of the Cotswolds, surrounded by royal connections. Princess Anne's home at Gatcombe Park is nearby, and her children Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall also have homes on the estate. King Charles spends weekends at Highgrove, his Gloucestershire residence, which is also a short distance from the Cirencester campus (Royal Central).
The agricultural thread runs through the family on his mother's side. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, is patron of several agricultural and farming shows around the country. His father, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, took a different academic route — A-Levels in History, English Literature and Economic and Political Studies, followed by a History degree at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating in 1986 (royal.uk).
James's older sister, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, 22, graduated from St Andrews University earlier in summer 2026. The day after her graduation, she was presented with her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award by their father. Lady Louise is believed to be planning a gap year, with her boyfriend Felix da Campo Silva expected to travel with her for part of it (Royal Central).
The Royal Agricultural University, founded in 1845, is one of the specialist institutions in the sector and counts members of landed families among its alumni. For a young earl whose mother champions farming shows and whose uncle's estate he spent the summer working on, the choice places him firmly in territory the family already knows well.
James holds the title Earl of Wessex, a courtesy title used by the eldest son of the Duke of Edinburgh. He was styled Viscount Severn from birth until March 2023, when his father was created Duke of Edinburgh and James took the earldom as his father's heir apparent.
