LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: As the Queen of England is buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel on Monday September 19, her youngest grandchild was seen attending the funeral service at Westminster Abbey. James, Viscount Severn came to the church to say goodbye to his grandmother along with his elder sister, Lady Louise Windsor.
According to The Daily Mail, both the children of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Forfar, were spotted side by side as they joined their cousin Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozz. It has been said that both James and Louise lived closer to their grandparents during their childhood than any of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s other grandchildren. The Wessexes have reportedly lived at Bagshot Park, which is just 11 miles from Windsor.
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Both siblings have no prince and princess titles. Her mother reportedly said in 2020, “We try to raise them with the understanding that they very likely have to work for a living… So we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can choose to use them over the age of 18, but it’s highly unlikely.”
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The Countess also told the BBC in 2016: “When they were very young we certainly tried to keep them out of it. Just because we thought it was very important for them to grow up as normally as possible. And they need to go out and get a job and earn a living later in life, and if they’ve had a normal start in life that they can possibly get, then hopefully that will stand them in good stead.”
It has since been said that although James largely stays away from the public spotlight, he loves attending the family’s annual summer holiday in Balmoral. The teenager is reportedly “good at flipping burgers and loved getting involved when there was a family cookout in Balmoral.”
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A source apparently shared in 2019: “His enthusiasm for fly fishing delighted Her Majesty as it is a sport loved by James’ great-grandmother, the late Queen Mother. James was in the Dee as much as possible, waders up to his armpits. His mother Sophie, herself an enthusiastic fisherman, was happy to stand with him. The Balmoral Ghillies [gamekeepers] were impressed with both.”
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The sighting of James and his 18-year-old sister came after Her Majesty blew them out for the last time on September 8. A statement from Buckingham Palace on her funeral read: “The state funeral of Her Majesty The Queen will be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19 September at 11am BST. Before the state funeral, the Queen will lie in state at Westminster Hall for four days to allow the public to pay her respects.”
“After the state funeral, the coffin will travel in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. From Wellington Arch the coffin travels to Windsor, and there the State hearse travels in procession down the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. A commitment service will follow at St George’s Chapel,” he added.
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