The 18-year-old son of The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh is heading to the Royal Agricultural University, Buckingham Palace has announced.
James, who takes his father’s secondary title of the Earl of Wessex, will be studying for a Bachelor of Science in rural land and property management at the university, based in Cirencester, Gloucestershire – not far from Highgrove and Gatcombe.
His sister, Lady Louise, 22, graduated from St Andrews this summer, having read English and International Relations; she is now heading on a gap year.
The Palace has not commented on what A-Levels James studied at Radley College in Oxfordshire beforehand, or the grades he achieved; however, the university’s website shows you must obtain 104 UCAS points across three A Levels, or BCC.
The course is described as covering ‘the fundamentals of rural professional practice as well as planning and development, law, valuation, building construction and management’ and is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. It features a work experience placement of 444 hours for hands-on experience with an industry organisation, as well as a full placement year option, extending the course to four years.
The university owns farmland surrounding the campus and it is just one of three British universities to still maintain their own beagle pack, which was previously used for hunting until the ban in 2004. The other universities are of course Oxford and Cambridge.
The RAU (Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0 wikimedia commons)
The RAU was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world and its president is James’ uncle, King Charles III. He has held this role since 1982, though many Monarchs have been patron over the years, dating back to Queen Victoria.
Notable alumni from the RAU include various MPs and politicians, racehorse trainers, professional international-level sportspeople like rugby-player Tim Payne, hockey player Lisa Wooding and cricketer Nigel Gadsby, and TV’s Johnathan Dimbleby – along with Diana, Princess of Wales’ father.
On the website, the RAU notes that graduates enter employment in rural practice surveying, as well potential fit within land and property consultancy, estate management, town and country planning, and residential sales and lettings.
