The most famous christenings of royal heirs. Why is the Queen not in the official photos from Prince Louis' christening Kate Middleton at Prince George's christening

Prince William and Kate Middleton continue to be Britain's most talked about couple. About three months ago, the happy family celebrated a new addition: the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to her husband another son, who was named Louis. Now the time has come for the solemn baptism ceremony of the boy.

The newborn was baptized by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in London, in the royal chapel of St. James's Palace. It was here that Prince George's christening ceremony took place several years ago.

The chapel of St. James's Palace is considered the traditional place of sacred rites for all members of the royal family. For example, Meghan Markle’s private baptism ceremony took place here, which took place shortly before her wedding to Prince Harry. And for Prince William, the place has special significance - in 1961, his mother, Princess Diana, was baptized here, and on the eve of her funeral, in 1997, there was a coffin in the chapel.

British subjects are confident that the date for the baptism ceremony of the youngest heir to the throne was also not chosen by chance - it was on July 9, 1947 that young Elizabeth and her lover Philip announced their engagement.

Many were worried about the question of who would become the little prince's godparents. As a result, the parents chose six people at once, among whom were Lady Laura Mead, Lucy Middleton, Nicholas van Cutsem, Guy Pelly, Harry Aubrey-Fletcher and Mrs. Robert Carter.

Of course, numerous relatives and friends of the royal family flocked to such an important event. Curious British people also gathered around the chapel, because for them this was almost the first opportunity to see the newborn Prince Louis, who, by the way, is fifth in line of contenders for the throne.

One of the first to appear in front of the church was Kate Middleton's sister Pippa. By the way, a relative of the Duchess of Cambridge will soon become a mother too. Now Kate's younger sister is increasingly choosing dresses that highlight her rounded belly. This social outing was no exception: Pippa opted for an elegant blue dress, complementing the look with an unusual matching hat.

Of course, the main character of the evening was the young mother Kate Middleton, who appeared at her son’s christening in a beige dress and an unusual hat that looked like a crown. Fans immediately noted that the Duchess of Cambridge managed to get into perfect shape, losing extra pounds in just three months.

Fans also noted how Prince Louis has grown. The baby was baptized wearing a traditional shirt, which all royal children wear during the ceremony. This lace and brocade chemise is a replica of the one Queen Victoria's daughter was christened in in 1841.

But Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were unable to attend the important event. Fans speculate that the Queen is seriously ill. Moreover, a couple of weeks ago a secret rehearsal for the monarch’s funeral took place in London.

Shortly before this, the guests arrived at the chapel. According to tradition, only the closest relatives and godparents are present at the sacrament - and Prince Louis will have 6 of them. Little Prince Louis, who was born on April 23 this year, was carried in the arms of his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge. Her husband Prince William led their eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, by the hand. Also in front of them were Prince William's father, Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla, and William's younger brother, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle (Duke and Duchess of Sussex). - The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla) chose light outfits, and Meghan Markle chose a dark green dress and hat.

Kate Middleton's younger sister Pippa, who is expecting her first child, chose a pale blue dress with a loose waistband.

Kate Middleton wore a white dress and matching hat with faux white. Russian fans of Kate Middleton immediately saw in it a resemblance to a kokoshnik. However, the photographs show that the hat looks more like a wide hair hoop than a kokoshnik. Fans appreciated the elegant fitted dress with puff sleeves, and noted that even this unusual hat looks very appropriate for the special occasion.

Photo: Kate Middleton's hat at Prince Louis' christening.

twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal, Other

Metro previously spoke in detail about Prince Louis' outfit and the tea party that will take place after the baby's christening -

First Prince Louis christening video posted by Kensington Palace on Twitter.

Members of the Royal Family arrive at St James's Palace for the christening of Prince Louis. pic.twitter.com/3pDk4D898C

Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal)

On July 5, a significant event took place in the life of the Royal Windsor family - the christening of Princess Charlotte. 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 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 greet the 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 evening's heroine, Princess Charlotte, wore a handmade christening gown, a replica of the one Queen Victoria's eldest daughter was christened in in 1841, and which her brother, Prince George, was christened in 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 the royal family were played in the church - 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: Prince William's cousin 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, Duchess of Cambridge Catherine Middleton, chose for the ceremony an elegant cream dress from Alexander McQueen and a Jane Taylor pillbox hat, decorated with a fabric rose and mesh. 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 the 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 of an important historical event and share the joy and excitement with the royal family.

Prince William's christening

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

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 Ralph Lauren dress and a Stephen Jones hat. Camilla Parker Bowles chose a look from Fiona Clare.

A few weeks before the christening of Prince William's youngest son, it became known that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were following the royal tradition. They christened their eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, in the morning, and decided to christen their younger brother 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 53-year-old Tiggy Pettyfer, nanny to Princes William and Harry in the 1990s, then 40-year-old daughter of the Duchess of Cornwall Laura Lopez and Kate Middleton's former private secretary Rebecca Priestley, with whom she became friends. Surprisingly, none of them were included in Prince Louis' godparents. The godparents of the youngest son of Prince William and Kate Middleton are:

— 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 a close friend of Princess Diana;

— Harry Aubrey-Fletcher- close friend of 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, 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

Five photographs, several different concepts and new characters - the photo session of the royal family, held after the christening of Prince Louis of Cambridge, could reflect the best traditions of the Windsor dynasty, if not for one “but”. None of the new photographs show the head of the family, Her Majesty Elizabeth II. Its absence is immediately noticeable. It's no joke: the monarch was present in all family portraits of the Windsors taken on the occasion of any holiday - be it a royal wedding or a christening. After all, strictly speaking, without Her Majesty a family is not a family at all.

However, for the first important holiday of her sixth great-grandchild, the Queen made an unflattering exception.

We learned that neither Elizabeth nor her husband would be present at the christening of the third heir to the Dukes of Cambridge on the eve of the event itself, when Kensington Palace simply did not include the monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh on the list of expected guests. The absence of Her Majesty and Prince Philip at the christening somewhat confused observers - there were even suggestions that the Queen was unwell again. However, Buckingham Palace soon announced: “This decision was not made for health reasons. It was mutually agreed upon by the Queen and the Dukes of Cambridge some time ago." Perhaps the whole point is that that week turned out to be extremely busy for Elizabeth II: for example, the monarch attended the parade in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and even received Donald Trump at Windsor Castle.

To be fair, we note that Louis of Cambridge is not the only great-grandson of Elizabeth for whose christening the monarch did not find time ( read also: “Royal blood: all the great-grandchildren and great-granddaughters of Elizabeth II”). Earlier, Her Majesty, for example, missed the baptism ceremony of Isla Phillips. On the other hand, if Isla is raised by her parents away from protocol, then Louis is a full-fledged prince of the blood, fifth in line to the throne. The monarch regularly attended the christenings of his brother and sister. So why didn’t she like the third Cambridge heir? Especially if it's not about health at all.

1 /2

Prince George's christening portrait

State portrait from Princess Charlotte's christening

Perhaps the annoying omission could have been eliminated if the William and Kate family, as well as the christening guests, had moved not to Clarence House, but, say, to Buckingham Palace, so that Elizabeth and Philip could at least take part in a family photo shoot. However, this was not done either. In Her Majesty's absence, the front row on the couch was occupied by the five Cambridges, and the center seat of the second row was occupied by Prince Charles and Carole Middleton. It is impossible not to note the appearance of new faces: Prince Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, and Pippa Middleton's husband, James Matthews.

On the other hand, it would be naive to say that the new arrivals displaced the Queen and the Prince Consort. Or not? After all, nothing happens for nothing in the House of Windsor, and given Her Majesty’s titanic efficiency, it’s hard to escape the idea that Elizabeth is not in the photo on purpose.

Perhaps everything is really a little more complicated than it seems at first glance. In addition, the Queen has not completely forgotten about herself and is still indirectly “present” in the portraits. Take a closer look: behind Michael Middleton in the first photo and behind Prince Harry in the second. This is a portrait of Elizabeth painted by the famous artist Michael Noakes in 1972-73. Some observers are confident that in the photo the portrait hangs several inches higher than it was before. It is possible that photographer Matt Holyoke insisted on changing the location of the painting so that the image of Her Majesty would also be present in the portrait.