It was been three months since the birth of Prince George of Cambridge, and with the exception of the photo that was taken as the Duke and Duchess left the hospital and the photo that the Duchess’s father snapped, there has been on official photo released. That will change on Wednesday, October 23, when the newest heir to the throne will be christened.
Prince George’s first appearance in public. © mirror.co.ukHaving shown that they aren’t a couple to be bound by traditions, the Duke and Duchess appear to be throwing out the royal rule book with this christening as well. For starters, the christening will be taking place at the Chapel Royal at St. James Palace instead of the traditional Music Room at Buckingham Palace where the Duke was christened. The Duke and Duchess have indicated that they want to have a more intimate ceremony as opposed to the more traditional, larger ceremony.
The chapel is where Diana, Princess of Wales laid in state prior to her funeral and is where the Duchess was confirmed into the Church of England shortly before her wedding in 2011. The last member of the Royal family to be christened there was Princess Beatrice in 1988.
One tradition that is almost certain to continue is the wearing of the replica of the christening gown that was originally made for Queen Victoria’s oldest daughter. The original was delicately made with lace and satin and was worn by nearly every royal baby within the Windsor family until 2004 when Lady Louise Windsor, the daughter of Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex became the last baby to wear it. Shortly thereafter, the Queen retired the original and had her dressmaker, Angela Kelly, make a replica in order to preserve the 172 year old gown.
Prince William in the original 172 year old christening gown.As this will be an intimate ceremony, the Duke and Duchess have opted to keep the guest list to close friends and family. It has been widely reported that several senior members of the Royal family have not been invited to the ceremony, and the rumor is that the couple is looking to their close friends to stand in as godparents instead of choosing from within the family. It remained to be seen if this is the Duke’s preparation for a more pared down Royal family, or if this is truly a decision to keep this ceremony as private as it can be before a lifetime in front of the cameras.
The christening of Prince George will offer a rare opportunity for the Queen and the next three kings to be photographed together, and for the rest of us, a glimpse into the future.
Christy Clark is a mom, teacher, knitter and freelance writer who has been “Smitten by Britain” ever since her mother got her up in the wee hours of 29 July 1981 to watch Lady Diana Spencer marry Prince Charles. In 2011 she got her own daughter up to watch Prince William marry Catherine Middleton. Christy lives in Florida and can be found on Twitter @christybelle
