James Viscount Severn Joins Royal Family in Emotional Vigil for Late Queen Elizabeth II

The youngest of Queen Elizabeth II's grandsons, James Viscount Severn, showed his maturity beyond his 14 years as he stood solemnly behind his grandmother's casket at Westminster Hall on Saturday night.

James, who is the younger son of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, joined his older sister Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and his cousins Prince William and Prince Harry for a poignant and moving vigil around the late monarch's coffin.

As members of the public filed past Her Majesty's casket to pay their respects, the 14-year-old was seen with his head bowed as he looked towards the ground during the vigil, which lasted around 10 minutes.

Throughout this ceremony, the Queen's youngest grandson remained composed, showing a maturity far beyond his years.

For James, the public display of mourning is particularly significant because Edward and Sophie opted not to give their children prince and princess titles at birth and have largely kept them out of the royal spotlight.

The grandchildren, at the King's invitation, are very keen to pay their respects, a royal source says about James' decision to publicly honour his late grandmother alongside his cousins inside the historic hall.

During the procession, Queen Elizabeth was accompanied by her four children, King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward, as well as several of her grandchildren, including Peter, William, and Harry, who walked side by side.

James, Prince William, and their other cousins were in attendance at the event.

It was possible to see Princess Eugenie dabbing away tears as she posed with members of her family in one of the photographs.

Jack Brooksbank, her husband, accompanied her at the event.

Additionally present were Beatrice's husband, Eduardo Mapelli-Mozzi, as well as Zara's husband, Mike Tindall.

Over the last few months, James has made several high-profile appearances such as at the Commonwealth Games and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

He was born in December 2007 at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey, close to his parents' home of Bagshot Park.

His full name is James Alexander Philip Theo, with the middle name Philip clearly a nod to his late grandfather Prince Philip.

Proud dad Edward described his newborn son as, very cute and very cuddly, and at the time of his birth, he was eighth in line to the throne, although he has now slipped to fourteenth.

When his parents Edward and Sophie married at St. George's Chapel in Windsor in 1999, they were granted the title Earl and Countess of Wessex.

And at the time, Buckingham Palace also announced that any of their future children would not be styled as Prince or Princess.

This means that James and his older sister Louise are titled as children of an Earl and don't use the HRH style.

James' title is Viscount Severn, one of his dad Edward's subsidiary titles.

James' mother has previously explained the reasons why she and Edward decided not to give their children royal titles at birth, which they were entitled to as grandchildren of the Queen.

“We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living,” the Countess told The Times.

Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles.

Despite this, both James and his sister Louise can choose to use the titles when they turn eighteen, according to the 1917 letters patent issued by King George V. Their mother, however, told The Times that this is “highly unlikely.”

At fourteen years old, James is firmly still in school, with him believed to be educated close to the family home.

Both James and sister Louise have often been described as among the Queen's favourite grandchildren and shared a close relationship with her.

Each summer, they would spend quality time with their grandmother on her Balmoral estate, where James is said to be “rather good at flipping burgers” during family barbecues.

During his moving tribute to his mother, James' dad Edward touched on the teenager's shared loves and passions with the Queen and the late Philip.

He said, “The Queen's passing has left an unimaginable void in all our lives.

Sophie and I have taken huge pleasure in seeing our James and Louise enjoying the places and activities that their grandparents loved so much.

Given that my mama let us spend so much time with her, I think she also rather enjoyed watching those passions blossom.

Those times together, those happy memories, have now become massively precious to each and every one of us.”

Meanwhile, one of James' major interests was once revealed by the Queen herself several years ago as she talked proudly about the youngster.

During a ceremony in Windsor Castle in 2017, she was introduced to an 8-year-old boy, who was around the same age as James at the time.

She told him, “My grandson is 9 and he does nothing else but tries to drive a car, mostly mine.”

In conclusion, James Viscount Severn has shown his maturity and composure beyond his years as he joined his family members in paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.

Despite being largely kept out of the royal spotlight, James has made several high-profile appearances in recent months and has been described as one of the Queen's favourite grandchildren.

His decision to publicly honour his late grandmother alongside his cousins inside the historic hall is particularly significant given his parents' decision not to give their children prince and princess titles at birth.