Prince Louis has been christened in a private ceremony at St James’s Palace.
The two-month-old baby was spotted in public for the first time since his birth when he was taken to the Chapel Royal by his mother and father, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
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His elder siblings, George and Charlotte, were also in attendance, alongside the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall and the Middleton family.
Members of the Royal Family arrive at St James's Palace for the christening of Prince Louis. pic.twitter.com/3pDk4D898C
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) July 9, 2018
Kate and William’s youngest child was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Here’s how his special day compared to that of his siblings:
The venue
Kate and William chose the Chapel Royal at St James’ Palace in central London for the location of Louis’ christening. The venue has a historical connection with the royal family as it is the where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were married. It is also where the Queen’s grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, tied-the-knot in 1893.
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Photo: Getty
Prince George’s 2013 christening was also held there. However, Charlotte was baptised at the Church of St Mary Magdalene in the royal residence of Sandringham in Norfolk where the Cambridge family were based before moving back to London last year.
The christening robe
As expected, Prince Louis was christened in the same royal gown his elder siblings were. Contrary to popular opinion, the robe is actually a replica of the original robe which was made in 1841 for Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter. The Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William and Harry were also christened in the original gown.
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Photo: Getty
However, as the gown decayed through time, the Queen commissioned her dresser Angela Kelly to make a replica so that the original could be preserved. This was first worn by Prince Edward’s son James, Viscount Severn, in 2008 and is the same one George and Charlotte were baptised in.
The guests
A key difference to Prince Louis’ christening is that his great grandmother and grandfather, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh did not attend. The news was confirmed on Monday morning and, while no official reason has been provided, Buckingham Palace said the decision was not due to health grounds and was decided some time ago. Some royal reporters suggested it is because the Queen has a very busy week planned.
Photo: Getty
Since Charlotte was christened in 2015, there have been some important marriages within the Cambridge’s inner circle, meaning the guest list has been slightly tweaked for Prince Louis’ service. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, accompanied Prince Harry to the christening before they set off for a royal visit to Ireland. Harry had attended George’s christening, but he was unable to make Charlotte’s in 2015 because he was in Africa. The Duchess of Sussex wore a khaki dress by Ralph Lauren and hat by Stephen Jones.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s sister Pippa also married in 2017, so she was joined by her husband James Matthews this time.
Godparents
All three Cambridge children have a different number of godparents. Prince George has seven, Charlotte has five and Louis has six. The godparents have been at each of the respective christenings and Louis’ (Mr Nicholas van Cutsem, Mr Guy Pelly, Mr Harry Aubrey-Fletcher, The Lady Laura Meade, Mrs Robert Carter and Miss Lucy Middleton) were all at the church with their spouses on Monday.
The godparents and Middleton family exit after the service for a slice of fruit cake and photographs pic.twitter.com/mkK2y9FHy9
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) July 9, 2018
What Kate wore
In 2013, for her first child’s christening, the Duchess of Cambridge opted for a cream coat from one of her favourite fashion houses Alexander McQueen. She later recycled the classic outfit at one of the Queen’s summer garden parties in 2016.
Photo: Getty
For Charlotte’s service, Kate chose another cream custom-made tailored Alexander McQueen coat, which she paired with a Jane Taylor fascinator worn with an up-do. Again, Kate re-wore the coat a few years later to a memorial service in Ypres, Belgium in 2017.
Photo: Getty
Although Kate is known for experimenting with a variety of labels at other events, it seems she likes to stick with what she knows when it comes to her children’s christenings. So again, she wore a cream Alexander McQueen coat, accessorising with a beaded hat by Jane Taylor and pearl earrings, for Louis’ baptism.
George and Charlotte
Little George melted hearts everywhere when he was photographed peering into the pram to see his new sister at her christening in 2015.
Photo: Getty
He wore his trademark shorts, this time in red, which was reminiscent to an outfit his father Prince William wore as a child when he arrived at St Mary’s hospital to meet Prince Harry for the first time back in 1984.
Photo: Getty
At Prince Louis’ christening, it was three-year-old Princess Charlotte who stole the show while the shy George cowered behind his father. After adorably waving to photographers when she went to meet her new little brother at the hospital to beaming on her uncle Prince Harry’s wedding day, Charlotte was as polite as ever shaking the hands of the bishops.
Photo: Getty
Four-year-old George was dressed smartly in a white shirt with navy shorts and black shoes for his younger brother’s christening.
The pram
The pram Charlotte was transported to her Sandringham christening in was actually a hand-me-down from the Queen. The traditional Millson Prince pram was used by Her Majesty to move Prince Andrew and Prince Edward around when they were babies in the 1960s.
Photo: Getty
However, neither George nor Louis were escorted into their special service via pram. Louis looked to be sleeping as his mother carried him into the Chapel.
Photo: Getty
The cake
In keeping with tradition, the cake served at all three christenings was a fruit cake tier from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding cake, Kensington Palace has confirmed.
Photo: Getty
This article originally appeared on Harper’s BAZAAR UK.
