Prince Edward misses son James big moment as he rushes for royal duty

Prince Edward missed out on a major milestone of his son, James Wessex, as he departed for an important royal engagement in the Middle East.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who has been carrying out the work of his late father Prince Philip after inheriting his title, departed for Bahrain on Sunday and is set to visit Kuwait on Tuesday, December 17th.

It is unclear what the royal engagement is but it is expected to be surrounding The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (DofE).

Meanwhile, James will be marking his 17th birthday on Tuesday without his dad in UK. Though, he is understood to be with his mother Duchess Sophie at their family residence in Bagshot Park, Surrey.

Lady Louise, James’ elder sister, is away in Scotland as she is her final year at University of St Andrews. It is uncertain if Louise would be able to join her brother for the special day.

However, the family is expected to reunite at Sandringham for the annual royal Christmas gathering.

James, on the other hand, is also set to make some big decision about his future as he will be pursuing his A-Levels next year, following the GCSE results in August.

Following the promotion of his parents’ titles to Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, James was dubbed the Earl of Wessex in 2023.

It remains to be seen if the young royal will be following in his parents’ footsteps when it comes to a prominent role in the monarchy.