Prince Louis christening: Enchanting official album

AS she gazes adoringly at her baby son, the mother’s bond with her child is unmistakable.

The Duchess of Cambridge cradles Prince Louis after his christening last Monday, in one of four images released today by Kensington Palace.

Louis, 12 weeks old today, slept through the entire ceremony but here he has opened his eyes as his mother stands in the gardens of Clarence House.

Photographer Matt Holyoak’s picture shows Kate and her son in their finery but also captures an intimacy rarely seen in royal portraiture.

Louis is wearing a replica of the royal christening robe, made of fine Honiton lace lined with white satin, which was created in 1841 for Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, Victoria, the Princess Royal.

That gown was worn for all subsequent royal baptisms, including the present Queen, her children and grandchildren. But by 2008 it was clear that the gown was becoming delicate and the Queen’s senior dresser Angela Kelly ran up a hand-made replica in order to preserve the original.

Kate wears a cream Alexander McQueen dress with a floral headpiece by Jane Taylor, with her long hair in a bun.

And might the besotted look on her face suggest she is already thinking about adding a fourth child to her brood?