His mother Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, worked in public relations before joining the royal family through her marriage in 1999.

[3] James was baptised on 19 April 2008, in the private chapel of Windsor Castle by David Conner, Dean of Windsor,[4] witnessed by his godparents, Alastair Bruce, Duncan Bullivant, Thomas Hill, Denise Poulton, Jeanye Irwin,[5] and his paternal grandparents, Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

[16] On 6 May 2023, James, who then had the courtesy title Earl of Wessex, attended his uncle Charles III's coronation at Westminster Abbey, together with the rest of the royal family.

[17] On 31 March 2024, James attended the Easter Mattins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, with his mother and father.

[24] On his father being elevated as Duke of Edinburgh in March 2023, James became styled by courtesy as Earl of Wessex, now the family's senior subsidiary title.