She Has Been Christened!

Yesterday marked the day of HRH Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana’s  christening!  Hers was slightly different from George’s, 2 years ago.

Firstly, Princess Charlotte’s christening took place in the little church, St. Mary Magdalene Church. near the country home of Catherine and William, Amner Hall, which is on the Queen’s Sandringham estate.  (The Church of St. Mary Magdalene was where a less-than-2-month-old Diana was christened in 1961.)  George’s, on the other hand,  was at the chapel at St. James’ Palace in bustling London.

They were both very small, intimate affairs but Catherine, William and George walked over to the church from their home, pushing Charlotte’s pram.  They allowed the general public to stand along the walk and take photos, a wonderful gesture.   Apparently, it is their way of thanking everyone for their well wishes.  (After starting the video, click on the diagonal arrows in the lower right corner to enlarge the video to a full screen)

George and Charlotte wore the same dress, a replica of a 172-year-old christening gown first worn by Queen Victoria’s oldest daughter in 1841. Angela Kelly, the Queen’s personal assistant and senior dresser created the new version in 2004 after Her Majesty deemed the original too delicate. The replica, made of Honiton lace and white satin, has only been worn by Prince George for his 2013 baptism and in 2008 by James, Viscount Severn, son of Prince Edward and Sophie, Earl and Countess of Wessex.

Following George’s 45-minute ceremony, all 22 guests attended a private champagne party hosted by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at Clarence House. But this time, the reception will be given by William and Kate. In both cases, a tier of cake from William and Kate’s wedding plays a role.  An English tradition among upper-class families, during their wedding, the top tier of the cake was whisked away to be preserved for the baby’s baptism.

The godparents!  Ah yes, who are the godparents?  Well, there is no set rule as to how many there should be.  Prince William has six, as does Prince Harry.  Prince George, on the other hand, has seven.  Little Princess Charlotte has five.  They are (drum roll)…….Charlotte’s five chosen godparents, a mix of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s closest confidants:  Sophie Carter (Kate’s friend), James Meade (William’s friend), Adam Middleton (Kate’s first cousin), The Hon. Laura Fellowes (Princess Diana’s niece), and Thomas van Straubenzee (an old classmate of William’s).

And yes, there was another difference.  Uncle Harry could not attend Charlotte’s baptism as he is away in Africa working with rhino and elephant conservation charities.  Phooey!  Nonetheless, we feel sure that he adores this little girl and will love going to visit her on his return.

So sweet – so, so sweet!

PS  Look at these two photos!

The first, of course, is Prince George on on his way to his sister’s christening.  The second one is of Prince William, on his way to visit his brother, Prince Harry, for the first time!  The beauty of these traditional clothes is that they are absolutely timeless!  Oh how we love them!