James is celebrating his 18th birthday today

James, Earl of Wessex, is celebrating a big day today as he turns 18. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's son will no doubt be spending his big day with his nearest and dearest, just over a week before Christmas.

Although a member of the Royal Family, James lives a fairly ordinary life. Splitting his time between boarding school and his family home, Bagshot Park, in Surrey, the royal is not often seen on the royal stage.

Despite this, here at the Express.co.uk we have looked at some of his best moments...

James was born on December 17, 2007 at 4.20pm, at Frimley Park NHS Hospital in Surrey. At birth, the royal weighed 6lbs 2oz. He was the late Queen Elizabeth II's eighth grandchild, and was the youngest of all her grandchildren. At the time of his birth, James was eighth in line to the throne. His full name was chosen as James Alexander Philip Theo.

James became the Earl of Wessex when his father became the Duke of Edinburgh in 2023. He will not be entitled to succeed his father to the Dukedom as it will go back to the Crown.

James was Queen Elizabeth II's youngest grandson and has a close relationship with many of his cousins. There is a 30 year age gap between him and the late monarch's eldest grandchild, Peter Phillips.

James has been at various royal events over the years and appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony a number of times. While he is rarely in the public eye, James is close with his royal relatives. It is believed he had a particularly special bond with the late Queen, with him and his sister Lady Louise Windsor spending plenty of time with her.

The royal was so close to the late Queen that he even developed some hobbies that are close to her heart. A source once told The Sun that one of these hobbies is fly fishing, which he did at Balmoral Castle one summer. The source said: "His enthusiasm for fly fishing delighted Her Majesty because it's a sport beloved of James's great-granny, the late Queen Mother. James was in the Dee as often as possible, waders up to his armpits. His mother Sophie, who is a keen fisherwoman herself, liked to stand with him. The Balmoral ghillies [gamekeepers] were impressed with both of them."

James is also believed to be very close to his parents Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie. Over the years he has shared various sweet moments with them caught on camera, including when he gave his mum a big congratulatory hug back in 2016 after Sophie completed a 445 mile bike ride.

James most poignant moment on the royal stage was in 2022 following the death of his grandmother the late Queen. The royal broke hearts across the country when he stood vigil with his older cousins as the late Queen's coffin was lying-in-state. Sophie once told The Telegraph: "He was really keen to do it. And I think it was really important for him to do it, and obviously for Louise as well. I was slightly holding my breath, wanting them to feel that they'd done it well more than anything else. I wasn't worried about anything happening; it was more that I wanted them to feel that they'd done their bit for their grandmother."

Despite being the nephew of King Charles, James lives a very ordinary life and always has done. His mum Duchess Sophie once revealed that when they aren't at big royal events, they live a life similar to most across the UK. When talking about her children, she once revealed: "They go to friends for sleepovers and parties. At weekends we do lots of dog walking and stay with friends."

James was last pictured with his family attending the Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel, Windsor earlier this year.