6 royal traditions that will take place at Prince Louis’ christening
The youngest member of the British royal family may only be 7 weeks old, but he will soon be the star of the show at his christening.
With the palace busy celebrating Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May, and most recently the Trooping the Colour parade on the weekend, it’s believed Prince Louis’ baptism announcement will be made by Kensington Palace any day now and is expected to take place in July, when the little prince is 3 months old.
When his older siblings were baptised, they were intimate affairs. Prince George’s christening was attended by just 22 guests and was held at the Chapel Royal at St James’ Palace in London, while Princess Charlotte’s baptism was witnessed by 21 official guests and held at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham.
While everyone awaits the palace to announce the date Prince Louis will be christened, here is a list of the traditions that usually take place at a royal christening.
1. Blessed bowl
All royal offspring are baptised in the sacred Lily Font bowl. The stunning silver bowl has been in the royal family and used at christenings since 1841. It is part of the Crown Jewels and was used at both Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s baptisms.
2. Holy water
Did you know all royal babies are christened with holy water from the River Jordan in the Middle East? For Princess Charlotte’s christening in 2015, the holy water was flown into the UK especially for her baptism. The royals use this water to acknowledge their religious beliefs.
3. Royal family christening gown
Just like his big brother and sister before him, Prince Louis will wear the same gown as his siblings (see Prince George pictured below). The royal christening gown is a replica which was created 10 years ago, after the lace garment made for Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter Victoria in 1841 became too fragile to handle and wear. The original gown was worn at royal christenings up until 2008.
4. Lots of godparents
This is not an unusual tradition in the royal household, with Prince William and Kate choosing seven godparents for Prince George, and five for Princess Charlotte. The parents-of-three tend to ask good friends over close family relatives who are already aunts and uncles through blood.
5. Archbishop of Canterbury
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is the palace’s preferred bishop for all royal weddings and christenings. It’s believed the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the most senior-ranking bishop in the Church of England and presided over Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding, will conduct the baptism service for Prince Louis.
6. New royal family photo
This special occasion will mean there will be new photos of the sweet royal family released, and the first time we will see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge photographed as a family of five, along with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.