Buckingham Palace Reveals What’s Next for King Charles’ 18-Year-Old Nephew

Simon PerryThu, August 13, 2026 at 4:14 PM UTC

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James, Earl of Wessex at the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Windsor on May 4, 2024Credit: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty -

James, Earl of Wessex, has reached a major school milestone — and Buckingham Palace is revealing what’s next for King Charles’ 18-year-old nephew

Buckingham Palace confirms to PEOPLE that the son of Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, has chosen a future that’s close to King Charles’ heart

James’ next chapter comes just weeks after his sister, Lady Louise, celebrated a milestone of her own with her graduation from the University of St. Andrews, where Prince William famously met Kate Middleton

King Charles’ nephew James, Earl of Wessex, is taking the next big step toward his future.

The 18-year-old son of Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, is heading off to university this fall after finishing secondary school — the British equivalent of high school — this summer, setting him on a path that reflects one of his longtime interests.

Like hundreds of thousands of students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, James— the youngest grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth — received his A-level results on Aug. 13. A-levels are rigorous subject-based exams taken at the end of secondary school, roughly equivalent to the college preparatory coursework and final exams that American students complete during their senior year of high school. Universities in the U.K. typically base admissions offers on students achieving specific A-level grades.

Buckingham Palace confirmed to PEOPLE that James will attend the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, just a few miles from King Charles’ country residence, Highgrove House. There, he will study Rural Land & Property Management, preparing for a career centered on the countryside and land stewardship.

And he can’t wait to get started. Unlike many British students — including his cousin Prince William, who took a gap year after graduating from Eton College in 2000 before attending the University of St. Andrews — James will head straight to campus.

“The Earl of Wessex will be going to the Royal Agricultural University to study Rural Land & Property Management. He will head straight there without taking a year out,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

James, right, with his parents, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Edward at Windsor Castle in April 2023Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

In fact, James has already been getting a head start on his studies. Since leaving Radley College in Oxfordshire earlier this summer, he has reportedly been picking up some real-life experience and learning the ins-and-outs of farming, reportedly helping out on the King’s Sandringham estate this summer.

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“He might be the King’s nephew but he is more than happy to get his hands dirty and muck in,” a source told The Sun, which first reported the story. “Driving tractors around Sandringham is not an easy task and it can mean long hours.”

The Royal Agricultural University is widely regarded as one of Britain’s leading farming colleges. Among its notable alumni is Guy Pelly, a longtime friend of Prince William and Prince Harry, who studied there before going on to a career in hospitality. Pelly, who now lives in the U.S., reunited with Queen Camilla when she visited a Virginia farm during her trip to America in April.

James’s sister Lady Louise Windsor as she graduated from the University of St. Andrews in July 2026Credit: University of St Andrews/Buckingham Palace via Getty

The royal family’s latest milestone comes just weeks after James’ sister, Lady Louise, 22, graduated from the University of St. Andrews. Louise followed in the footsteps of her cousin Prince William by attending the Scottish university, where the Prince of Wales famously met and fell in love with his future wife, Kate Middleton, while studying in the early 2000s.

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Louise has since spent some of her summer competing in carriage riding competitions — a sport she took up after being inspired by her late grandfather Prince Philip. In one outing at the Glebe Estate Carriage Driving Trials in West Sussex on Sunday, Aug. 2, she was supported by her long-rumored boyfriend, Felix da Silva-Clamp.

Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, U.K.Credit: GeographyPhotos/Universal Images Group via Getty

Lady Louise is not expected to become a working member of the royal family, unlike her cousin Prince William or her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Although, as a grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth through the male line, she has been legally entitled to use the title of Her Royal Highness and be known as Princess Louise since birth under King George V’s 1917 letters patent, her parents instead chose to style her as the daughter of an earl to give her a more private upbringing. When she turned 18, the decision became her own, and she opted to continue using the title Lady Louise. James has likewise continued to use his courtesy title, Earl of Wessex, rather than publicly adopting the style of His Royal Highness Prince James.

She and James are likely to visit the King at Balmoral Castle over the coming weeks, as the royal family spends time together at the estate in the Scottish highlands.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”