James, Earl of Wessex starts at Royal Agricultural University
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that James, Earl of Wessex has the grades he needed and will go straight to university. No gap year.
The 18-year-old son of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will start undergraduate studies at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, this month, according to the Palace confirmation reported by HELLO!.
James will read Rural Land & Property Management. It is a three-year degree centred on estate management, rural business and consultancy work.
The timing is tight. New students moved into campus accommodation on 20 September. Induction runs from 21 to 25 September, with teaching due to begin on 28 September and run until December.
The university, founded in 1845, specialises in agriculture, land and the rural economy. Its Cirencester campus mixes historic buildings with working farmland nearby. Students learn valuation and land law alongside farm and estate visits.
James follows his elder sister into higher education. Lady Louise Windsor graduated from the University of St Andrews with a degree in English. James is a nephew of King Charles III.
What makes this stand out for royal-watchers is the subject choice. It points directly to land, farming and country estates rather than the history, geography or art history courses chosen by other young royals. For fans, this means expect Cirencester, not London, as his base for the next three terms a year.
