Fans Can't Stop Talking About This Rarely-Seen Royal's New "Confidence"—and Growth Spurt
Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie's son shocked royal watchers with his grown-up look on Easter.
The Royal Family gathered to celebrate Easter at St. George's Chapel in Windsor on Sunday, April 20, and along with the usual suspects like The King, Queen Camilla and Princess Anne, fans were treated to a rare appearance from another royal. Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie are parents to two children, 21-year-old Lady Louise and 17-year-old James, the Earl of Wessex—and one word kept coming up when it came to the teenage earl.
James—who inherited his father's title, the Earl of Wessex, after Edward was granted the title of Duke of Edinburgh—looked even taller than he did during his last royal appearance on Christmas Day. The 17-year-old towered over his roughly six-foot-tall father in photos and videos from Easter, and appears to follow in the footsteps of his cousins Prince Harry and Prince William when it comes to height.
Dressed in a navy suit and red Vineyard Vines tie featuring a tennis racket design, James joined dad Prince Edward and mom Sophie, who wore a full-skirted plum coat over a white dress. Princess Beatrice, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank rounded out their group as they walked into church.
One attendee at the Easter Sunday service tells Marie Claire that the Earl of Wessex's "confidence seems to have grown almost as much as he has physically."
The Earl of Wessex is now taller than his father, the Duke of Edinburgh.
James joined his parents for church, with cousin Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, walking behind them.
James spent time speaking with the Dean of Windsor after church.
"He was totally at ease talking alone to the Dean of Windsor for quite a while after his parents had set off back to the castle," royal fan Lauren Parkinson continues. "In fact, they had to stop half way and wait for him to catch up!" She adds that his confident behavior in Windsor was "such a contrast from the shy boy we've seen in years gone by."
Plenty of fans chimed in about James's grown-up appearance on X, like one who wrote, "He was not this tall last time I saw him 😳," and another who added, "Whoa, is James really that tall?! Holy moly. Great looking kid."
"What are they feeding that young man? He seems to have shot up and is so very tall," a third commenter wrote on X.
Big sister Lady Louise didn't attend the Easter service this year, but one family member who made an unexpected appearance on Sunday was Prince Andrew. The Duke of York arrived with Princess Anne and her husband Sir Tim Laurence, as well as Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, amid Prince William and Princess Kate's absence from the event.
