An Intimate Christening for Prince George

     Three months following the world’s most anticipated birth, there came the world’s most anticipated christening – the christening of the future king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 

     Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was baptized yesterday by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, in a private ceremony in the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace in London. The ceremony marked the reception of Prince George into the Church of England, the Anglican state church of which he will one day be Supreme Governor. In attendance from the royal family were the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry. The Middleton family was also in attendance, with Kate’s father Michael, her mother Carole, her brother James and sister Philippa (Pippa) all on hand for the occasion. Uncle Harry and Aunt Pippa both read biblical lessons before the actual christening took place under Archbishop Welby.

     The Archbishop of Canterbury is responsible for crowning the British monarch at the coronation service in Westminster Abbey. Welby, the 105th Archbishop - assisted by the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres - baptized the baby prince with water from the River Jordan poured from a silver gilt font. From all accounts, George was on his best behavior throughout the ceremony, and appeared unfazed by the water being sprinkled him by Archbishop Welby. As part of his sermon to the parents and Godparents, Welby instructed them to “help [George] to grow and flourish into the person God has created and has called him to be.” 

     Before the christening, Welby stated that this moment was “hugely important” for George and his family, and remarked that he was joining a world-wide Christian family of over 2 billion people -  about a third of humanity.

     With regard to royal christenings, in recent times, they have usually (though not always) taken place in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace, including those of Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince William himself. Such occasions often had large guest lists that included far-flung royalty and extended family members. They were also sometimes media events, with cameras on hand to record the gathering of the royal family, along with their guests and friends following the actual event. This time, live camera’s recorded the arrival and departure of William and Kate (with George) and their guests, but the couple, already known for not always sticking with royal traditions, opted for a smaller, more intimate and personal affair with 22 guests within the confines of the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace with no live photo session inside.

St. James's Palace is just down the road from
Buckingham Palace. Its Chapel Royal is
graced by the windows to the right.

     St. James’s Palace (including the Chapel Royal within it) was built by Henry VIII of England and Ireland in the 16^th Century. To this day, it is the official residence of the British monarch, although no reigning monarch has actually lived there in nearly 200 years when George III of the United Kingdom was the last to use it as a primary residence. Nevertheless, it remains the royal court for the British monarch (the Court of St. James), and it where foreign ambassadors and high commissioners (for Commonwealth countries) are accredited. The Palace houses office space and apartments for royal staff and members of the royal family, and it is where the Accession Council convenes upon the death of a monarch and proclaims the succession of a new monarch, which will one day be Prince George. 

     The Chapel Royal is a place of much significance to the royal family of more recent times, and to the monarchy in centuries past. Technically speaking, a “Chapel Royal” is not a place, but a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of the reigning monarch, and there are several of them in royal palaces throughout Britain. It was in this particular Chapel Royal that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were married in February 1840 (with their signed marriage certificate still hanging in the vestry of the chapel). In 1988, Princess Beatrice of York, the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and his former wife Sarah, was the last royal baby to be baptized there until Prince George. Two years ago, the Chapel played host to Kate’s formal confirmation into the Church of England before her wedding to Prince William. But probably most significant is that this was the place where the coffin of William’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales was kept for a couple of days before her funeral in September 1997, and where William and Harry paid their last respects in private before the public gathering at Westminster Abbey. In William’s own way, the choice of this venue may perhaps have been way of allowing his mother to be there for the occasion.

     Much ink has been spilled about the fact that other members of the royal family were not invited to the ceremony. The Daily Mail in particular made it seem as though such members were being snubbed, or somehow demoted.  The reality is that many of them already had long-standing engagements today, including Princess Anne, who was carrying out engagements in Canada, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex (wife of Prince Edward), who was busy in the county of Somerset, England. The Queen herself had two engagements on her schedule on this day aside from the baptism (which is why the ceremony was in the afternoon). But more importantly, for William and Kate, they likely wanted a  this moment was one to be shared only by people of immediate importance to them: immediate family, close friends, and guests such as William's former nanny Jessie Webb, who is now a part-time nanny for Prince George. Like William asking for a review of the wedding guest list two years ago when it contained 700 names of people he did not know, this ceremony showed a determination of the couple to provide a sense of normality and closeness. It also shows a determination to keep a low-profile for Prince George, and to protect him from the pressures of being royal for as long as possible, which is something that Diana would have wanted.

     Part of this determination also extends to the choice of Godparents, who have usually and almost exclusively have been members of the family or other royalty and aristocracy, with almost no practical connection to the child or the child’s parents. For example, William’s six Godparents included the former king of Greece, Constantine II (a cousin of Prince Philip); Princess Alexandra, Lady Ogilvy (a cousin of the Queen); the Duchess of Westminster; and Lady Susan Hussey (Lady-in Waiting to the Queen). William and Kate choice of Godparents reflects a closer band of family and friends who may be called on to help care for Prince George and play a role in his upbringing. The Godparents for selected for Prince George are:

• Oliver Baker (who attended the University of St. Andrews with the Duke and Duchess)

• Emilia Jardine-Paterson (who attended Marlborough College* with the Duchess)

• Hugh Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor (who is the son of Gerald Grosvenor, 6^th Duke of Westminster)

• Jamie Lowther Pinkterton (who served as Private Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry from 2005-2012, and remains as a part time secretary and equerry)

• Julia Samuel (a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales)

• Zara Tindall (who is a first cousin of Prince William)

• William van Custem (who is a childhood friend of Prince William)

     It is a bit surprising that Prince Harry and Kate’s sister Pippa were not selected as Godparents, and ink has already been spilled about another perceived "snub", but nothing can change the fact that Harry and Pippa are George's uncle and aunt, and they will be important in his upbringing. It is therefore more likely that William and Kate wanted to grant a special status to people who are (for the most part) not family members. Such people may have been especially important at critical points in their lives, such as Mr. Lowther-Pinkerton, who as Private Secretary to William and Harry, has been somewhat of a mentor and father figure, as well as Julia Samuel, who was a close friend of Diana and helped William through the period following his mother’s tragic death. Also represented here are friends from school days. The aristocracy was chiefly represented by Earl Grosvenor, whose father is a close friend of Prince Charles and whose mother is a Godparent to Prince William. The extended royal family was represented by Zara Tindall, the only daughter of Princess Anne, who is pregnant with her first child.

     For the ceremony, Prince George wore a replica of the christening gown worn by virtually every royal baby beginning with Queen Victoria’s first child, Victoria. The original christening gown of 1841 was made by Janet Sutherland from Falkirk, Scotland, who received the title “Embroiderer to the Queen”. Made of white Spitalfields silk-satin with Honiton cotton lace overlay, it was used for the christening of over 60 babies, including Charles and William. After its use for the baptism of Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor (daughter of Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie) in 2004, it was deemed too fragile and was retired. The replica was created by the Queen’s dress designer Angela Kelly in time for the baptism of Lady Louise’s brother, James, Viscount Severn in 2008.

     The historical significance of this moment is not to be underplayed. For the first time since 1901, a reigning British

Queen Victoria with her three heirs in 1894.

monarch has lived to see three generations of heirs in direct succession. Back then, Queen Victoria could take comfort in knowing that the monarchy would be secure through her son Albert Edward (the future Edward VII), her grandson George (the future George V), and her great-grandson Edward (the future Edward VIII). Today, Elizabeth II can take similar comfort in the survival of the Windsor dynasty through her son Charles, her grandson William, and her great-grandson George. Following the birth of the future Edward VIII in 1894, a photograph was taken of Queen Victoria and her three heirs at the event of his baptism. A similar – and much anticipated – photograph of Queen Elizabeth II with her three heirs, along with other photographs from the christening, are expected to be released today. 

     Yesterday was indeed a personal and special day for the royal family, like any Christian family. Indeed, it represents the determination to provide normality to Prince George's life ahead of the duties, obligations, and pressures he will face. However, it was also a day of importance to the British nation, as well as the nations of the Commonwealth because it is a rite of passage that has been celebrated by peoples of these countries for generations. It represents the reception of the Prince into the faith a majority of Britons share, even in the face of an increasingly secularist and materialist society, where outward expressions of faith are now seen as fuddy-duddy. But even the non-religious can find something happy about an occasion that brings people together. The monarchy is an institution that brings people together, and creates a sense of common nationhood and solidarity as a result. It also provides continuity and stability, which most partisan politicians cannot do, and it now has a secure succession into the 22^nd Century. The christening represents the next chapter of this storied institution and the people it represents.


*In this context, a "college" in the United Kingdom is equivalent to the last two years of high school in the United States.