The most famous christenings of royal heirs. The christening of Prince George of Cambridge took place in London When the christening of Kate Middleton's youngest son

After almost a week of waiting, official photos Prince Louis's christening has finally been published. The series of four portraits were taken by Matt Holeak at Clarence House, Prince Charles's official residence, following the baby prince's christening on July 9 at the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace in London.

Kate Middleton poses with her youngest son in the garden of Clarence House:

The following photo shows the royal family with the youngest prince:

All five Cambridges:

While these portraits are very similar to those taken for George and Charlotte's christenings, one of the main differences is the number of people in the photographs. Since Charlotte was christened in 2015, Meghan Markle has joined the royal family. She and Prince Harry married in May and became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

On the Middleton side, Kate's sister Pippa married in 2017, and her husband James Matthews joined the family portrait.

Missing from the photographs are the Queen and Prince Philip, likely due to the busy schedule of events over the past week.

In addition, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose a different photographer. Photos of Prince George's christening were taken by Jason Bell on 23 October 2013 in the morning room at Clarence House. Princess Charlotte's christening photographs were taken by Mario Testino on July 5, 2015 at Sandringham – country house queens.

Let's see group photos of the royal babies' christenings:

Prince Louis's christening on June 9, 2018

CHAPTERING OF PRINCESS CHARLOTTE, JULY 5, 2015:

At Princess Charlotte's christening family photo Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles were represented, as well as Kate's family: her parents Carole and Michael Middleton, and her sister Pippa and brother James Middleton.

The Queen, sitting next to Kate, is dressed in pink, possibly to welcome the new baby girl. And proud grandparents Prince Charles and Carole Middleton stand in the center, behind the Duke and Duchess and their two young children.

PRINCE GEORGE'S CHRISTMAS, OCTOBER 23, 2013:

Jason Bell / Photo Press / Redux

At Prince George's christening, the family photo featured the same group of people with the addition of his uncle, Prince Harry, standing in the center with aunt Pippa Middleton. Harry missed Princess Charlotte's christening because he was on a trip to Namibia while working on an animal rescue project. The Queen, sitting next to Kate, is dressed in blue, as a possible symbol of the birth of a boy.

PRINCE HARRY'S BAPTISM, DECEMBER 21, 1984:

Getty Images/Anwar Hussein

At Prince Harry's 1984 christening at Windsor Castle, the official portrait shows Princess Diana seated next to the Queen, the Queen Mother, Prince Charles and Prince Philip posing with several other relatives, including Diana's mother Frances Shand Kydd (front row) right), one of Harry's godmothers, Lady Sarah Chatto (back row, left), and his godfather Prince Andrew (center back row) among other godparents. As seen here, Harry's brash older brother Prince William ended up stealing the show. But just look at the queen’s tender face - she is delighted with her grandson.

0 July 9, 2018, 20:27

Prince Louis

Today, July 9 (this date was not chosen by chance - it was on this day in 1947 that then Princess Elizabeth and her fiancé Prince Philip announced their engagement), the solemn christening ceremony of Prince Louis took place on April 23. The baby appeared in public for the second time in his life and became the main character of British (and not only) news feeds. The event became significant for the whole family, because in this composition, five of them, she appeared in public for the first time: Kate Middleton and Prince William came to the christening of their third child together with their eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Prince Louis, not yet three months old, wore a traditional christening gown made of satin and Honiton lace, a longtime staple of the British royal family. Louis was the eighth baby to be christened wearing this white shirt, made according to the 1841 pattern (the original was made for Queen Victoria's daughter, and was passed on 62 times after the girl's christening). Louis received a copy of this famous christening outfit: before the youngest heir of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, two of their other children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as Viscount Severn James, Lord Frederick Windsor's daughter Maude, Zara Phillips' daughter Mia, were christened in this shirt.

Speaking of clothes. Kate Middleton came to her son's christening in a white Alexander McQueen outfit and a Jane Taylor hat. The Duchess of Sussex wore a dress Ralph Lauren and a Stephen Jones hat. Camilla Parker Bowles chose a look from Fiona Clare.

A few weeks before the christening youngest son Prince William and it became known that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a royal tradition. They had their eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, christened in the morning, and younger brother they decided to baptize at 16:00 London time.

The sacrament, as announced, took place in the Royal Chapel of St. James's Palace. Prince George was also baptized there in 2013. But Princess Charlotte was baptized in 2014 at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Sandringham in Norfolk, where Princess Diana was baptized in 1961.

Little Louis was baptized by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who shared his joyful emotions on Twitter even before the ceremony.

I am happy and privileged to baptize Prince Louis today, a beautiful child created in the image of God, just like the rest of us. Please join me in praying for him and his family on this special day,

- he wrote.

The British public began to wonder who would become Prince Louis' godfather several weeks before the ceremony, and bookmakers willingly accepted bets. The main candidate for this role was Prince William's personal secretary Miguel Head. Next came Tiggy Pettyfer, 53, nanny to Princes William and Harry in the 1990s, then the Duchess of Cornwall's 40-year-old daughter Laura Lopez and ex personal secretary Kate Middleton Rebecca Priestley, with whom she became friends. Surprisingly, none of them were included in Prince Louis' godparents. Godparents Prince William and Kate Middleton's youngest son is:

— Nicholas van Cutsem- a family friend, his brother is Prince George's godfather;

— Guy Pelly- family friend, best man at Prince William's wedding, his mother was close friend Princess Diana;

— Harry Aubrey-Fletcher — close friend Prince William;

— Lady Laura Miade- the wife of Prince James Miade's friend, who, in turn, is Princess Charlotte's godfather;

— Mrs Carter- wife of Robert Carter, friend of the royal family and godfather of Princess Charlotte;

— Lucy Middleton- Kate Middleton's cousin.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Kate Middleton, Prince Louis

Prince George, by the way, has seven godparents, and Princess Charlotte has five.

The ceremony lasted 40 minutes. After her, the members of the royal family left the church and went home, where they celebrated the solemn event in a narrow circle.

At Prince Louis's christening there were two sermons and two hymns (the latter sung by the chapel choir). The sounds of the organ announced the beginning of the ceremony, during which a concert by Johann Ernst IV of Saxe-Weimar was performed.

After the church ceremony, all participants went to Clarence House, where Prince Louis's parents organized a small festive reception.

Photo Gettyimages.ru

July 5th happened in the life of the Royal Windsor family significant event- Princess Charlotte's christening. And they took place in accordance with the traditions that have been adhered to by members of the royal dynasty for many years.

It is curious that at the gala reception after the christening of Princess Charlotte's father, Prince William, guests enjoyed almost the same cake as at the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and Charlotte's great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, had to be calmed down during the sacrament of baptism... with dill water. We decided to recall other details of the christenings of members of the British royal family.

Princess Charlotte's christening

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the excitement surrounding the christening of Kate Middleton's daughter and Prince William gripped the whole of Britain, long before the sacrament itself. Who will become godfather, what the Duchess of Cambridge will wear, whether Prince Harry will come - everyone appeared in the press every day. It is not surprising that on X-Day, hundreds of people gathered near the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Norfolk, where baby Charlotte was baptized, to welcome royal family. The monarchs did not interfere with the wishes of their subjects and did not limit access to the church territory, so everyone who managed to take a place in the first row of the huge queue could see Princess Charlotte on the street before and after the baptism. It is noteworthy that everyone who came to congratulate the young heiress automatically became participants in the charity event: it was decided to donate all the flowers and gifts brought for the baby to the children's hospice, which is patronized by Kate Middleton.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, Charlotte and little George, arrived at the church at 4:30 p.m. and were greeted by a cheering crowd.

On this special day, the happy mother chose a snow-white coat from her favorite brand Alexander McQueen (Kate preferred this brand at her son’s christening in 2013) and a matching hat from Jane Taylor.

Prince William was dressed in a sharp dark blue suit, and the young heir, Prince George, appeared before the public in red shorts and a white shirt - the same one his father wore as a child.

The main character of the evening, Princess Charlotte, was dressed in a christening shirt self made, a copy of the one in which Queen Victoria's eldest daughter was christened in 1841, and in which her brother, Prince George, was christened two years earlier.

True, it was difficult to see the girl’s outfit, since she was lying in a stroller (a vintage one - both Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were carried in it). Despite the camera flashes and the noise of the crowd, Charlotte behaved very calmly, so the royal family managed to get to the church without incident. The Church of St. Mary Magdalene, by the way, was not chosen by chance: Charlotte’s grandmother, Princess Diana, was baptized here in 1961.

Alas, the latter did not live to see her granddaughter’s christening, but her relative, Laura Fellows, became one of Charlotte’s godmothers.

In total, the girl had 5 godparents: William's school friends, Thomas van Straubensee and James Mead, Kate's childhood friend, Sophie Carter, the prince's cousin, Laura Fellowes, and Kate Middleton's cousin, Adam.

In addition to them, only family members were present at the ceremony: Queen Elizabeth II with her husband Philip, Prince Charles with his wife Camilla Parker-Bowles, Kate Middleton's parents, her sister Pippa and brother James. The only one missing was the baby's uncle, Prince Harry, who is in Namibia on a charitable mission.

The press was not allowed into the church, but the details of the ceremony are known: water from the Jordan River and a lily-shaped cup that once belonged to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were used for baptism. The princess was baptized by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and during the sacrament, hymns chosen by royal family- Praise to the Lord, The Almighty and Come Down, O Love Divine.

The whole ceremony took a little more than half an hour, after which those gathered went to a festive dinner.

Prince George's christening

The list of godfathers and godmothers of Kate Middleton and Prince William's first child, Prince George, was kept secret until the last moment. And when the first photos from the christening appeared on the Internet, the secret was revealed - 7 people became godparents: cousin Prince William Zara Phillips, Kate Middleton's school friend Emilia Jardine-Paterson, William's friends Oliver Baker and William Van Cutsem, Prince William and Harry's personal secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the young son of the Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor and a friend of William's mother, Princess Diana Julia Samuel.

The proud mother of the hero of the occasion, Prince George, is the Duchess Cambridge Catherine Middleton chose an elegant cream dress from Alexander McQueen and a Jane Taylor pillbox hat, decorated with a fabric rose and mesh, for the ceremony. Kate's outfit was almost tone-on-tone with George's lace christening gown.

According to eyewitnesses, the 3-month-old son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge behaved calmly and did not cry at all during the sacrament of baptism, sitting comfortably in the arms of his mother and father. Prince George was baptized by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. He gave the baby official name George Alexander Louis.

Hundreds of British fans of the royal family gathered around St. James's Palace, but, unfortunately, their curiosity was not fully satisfied: William and Kate, who stated that the christening was a "family event", did not go out to the crowd, but greeted guests in the inner courtyard of St James's Palace. But many British subjects, in their own words, were happy just to be within a kilometer radius of an important historical event and share the joy and excitement with the royal family.

Prince William's christening

Date and place: August 4, 1982, Music Room Buckingham Palace in London

Little Prince William was christened on the 82nd birthday of his great-grandmother, Queen Mother Elizabeth. At baptism, the prince received the name William Arthur Philip Louis. The baby's mother, Princess Diana, who chose a bright pink dress and a matching hat for the celebration, could not stop admiring her son - in almost all the touching photographs of this memorable event, Lady Di looked only at the boy.

It is worth noting that since 1841, every newborn member of the British Royal Family has been christened wearing the same silk christening gown. For the first time, a shirt passed from generation to generation was made for Queen Victoria's son, the future King Edward VII. Almost two centuries later, two-month-old Prince William was baptized in it.

William's godparents were the former King of Greece and his father Prince Charles' cousin Constantine II, another Charles cousin Norton Knatchbull, South African writer and explorer Sir Lawrence Jan van der Post (a close friend of Prince Charles), Queen Elizabeth's cousin Princess Alexandra, great-great-great-granddaughter Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin - Duchess of Westminster Natalie, and lady-in-waiting of Elizabeth II, Lady Susan Hussey.

In addition to the large cake being created by the same bakers who worked on William's parents' wedding sweet treat, 182 pieces of the dessert were sent to soldiers of the Welsh Guards and the Parachute Regiment who were injured in the Falkland Islands.

Prince Charles christening

Date and place: November 15, 1948, Music Room, Buckingham Palace, London

Prince Charles's christening took place in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace, as the palace chapel was destroyed during the Second World War. Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son was christened Charles Philip Arthur George.

Prince Charles's grandmother, Queen Mary, was very happy about the birth of her great-grandson. As a gift, she presented the baby with a gilded silver cup and blanket, which King George III gave to his godson back in 1780.

A reception for family members on the occasion of Prince Charles's christening took place in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace. Desserts prepared in honor of the celebration deserve special attention.

Little Louis' godparents were Prince William's friend Nicholas van Cutsem and Lady Laura Mead, the wife of Prince William's longtime friend and Princess Charlotte's godfather. They were also joined by: the Duchess of Cambridge's cousin Lucy Middleton, the Duke of Cambridge's longtime school friend Harry Aubrey-Fletcher; a mutual friend of Princes William and Harry, Guy Pelly, and an old college friend of Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, Hannah Carter.

Princes Harry and William, Princess Charlotte and Prince George, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton with Prince Louis go to the christening

Kate Middleton wore a snow-white dress from her favorite designer Alexander McQueen: she also chose his outfits for two previous baptism ceremonies. Meghan Markle opted for a khaki dress from Ralph Lauren.

Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh Philip did not attend the event: last week The royal couple's visit was full of events, and it is rumored that the queen has caught a cold and wants to take care of her health before the visit of the US President, which will take place this Friday. But at the christening ceremony were Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

Baptism symbolizes the fact that the child is accepted Christian Church. By the way, in the Protestant faith, as in the Catholic faith, there is a rite of confirmation, which a person, if desired, undergoes adolescence. In this way, he seems to confirm the decision that his parents made for him at a time when he himself was a baby. The confirmation ceremony for Louis' mother, Kate Middleton, took place in the chapel of St. James's Palace. Meghan was baptized in it before her wedding to Prince Harry.

Kate Middleton with Prince Louis

According to the tradition of the royal court, Louis's christening took place two and a half months after his birth, but not in the morning, as is usually the case, but at 16:00 British time.

Prince Louis

Interesting fact: for many years all royal babies were baptized wearing the same shirt, originally made for eldest daughter Queen Victoria in 1841. It is believed that 62 babies were baptized in it, and it was in use until 2008. Then it was decided to replace it with exact copy due to wear and tear. All of Prince William's children were baptized wearing a new shirt.

Since 1841, the baby bath has also been passed down from generation to generation. The gold container in the shape of a lily is kept in the Tower in normal times and remembers the christening of Elizabeth II herself.

Click on the photo to view the gallery

Following the service and ceremony, there will be lunch at Clarence House, where all the guests and the royal family will eat another slice of wedding cake from William and Catherine's wedding. And then - the traditional official photographic portraits, which this time Matt Holyoak will take; he previously photographed the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh for their 70th wedding anniversary.

LONDON, October 23 – RIA Novosti, Maria Tabak. The baptism ceremony of the heir to the British throne, Prince George of Cambridge, took place in the Royal Chapel of St. James's Palace in London.

The ceremony was attended by immediate family and friends of the parents of the three-month-old Prince, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The last to arrive at the palace, in accordance with protocol, was George's great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, with her husband, Duke of Edinburgh Philip.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge greeted the royal couple and Prince Charles with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, at the entrance to the church.

Three-month-old Prince George, dressed in a traditional lace dress, also greeted the Queen with a wave. He delighted the correspondents on duty at the palace with his calmness and plump cheeks.

The ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Prince George, according to tradition, will be wearing a lace dress - a copy of the dress made for Queen Victoria's eldest daughter in 1841.

Closer to the start of the christening, the press service of Prince William and Kate published the final list of godparents. Children from the royal family may have several godfathers and mothers, most often six.

Kate and William chose seven, and of these, only William's cousin Zara Philips is part of the royal family, while the rest are personal friends of the Duke and Duchess. In addition to Zara Phillips, who will soon become a mother herself, the godparents will be Kate's school friend Emilia d'Erlanger, William's childhood friend Hugh van Cutsem, William and Kate's university friend Olivier Baker, the couple's personal secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the Duke of Westminster's son Earl Hugh Grosvenor and friend of William's mother, Princess Diana Julia Samuel.

Contrary to expectations, neither Kate's sister Pippa nor William's brother Harry became godparents.

The ceremony, held at the Royal Chapel at St. James's Palace, lasted just over half an hour.

The three-month-old prince, dressed in a traditional lace dress and half asleep, was carried out of the church by his mother, Duchess of Cambridge Kate.

Photos from the ceremony, including a historic photograph of Queen Elizabeth II with three future monarchs - her son, grandson and great-grandson - will be released on Thursday.

How and to whom does the British throne pass by law?

The Act of Succession to the Throne was passed by the English Parliament in 1701 and provides that the throne passes to male heirs first. However, over time, the rules of succession to the British throne were changed.