All the stunning pictures of little Louis’ big day out
She charms Archbishop on little brother’s big day... but the Queen is forced to miss a royal christening for first time
LIKE all christenings, it was a happy show of togetherness enjoyed by family and friends.
Little Prince Louis was baptised in the historic Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in an intimate service to which his parents Kate and William invited 17 guests.
Louis’s big sister Charlotte – as always – was the star of the show, waving for the photographers as soon as she spotted them. At the entrance to the palace, the cheeky three-year-old even appeared to tell a television cameraman that he wasn’t ‘coming in’.
William could be heard encouraging Charlotte and her shyer brother, George, four, to shake hands with a row of clerics led by the Archbishop.
But sadly, the children’s great-grandparents were not able to be present.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh chose not to attend because of concerns over the 92-year- old monarch’s already packed official diary.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment publicly but it is understood that the decision had nothing to do with the Queen’s health, despite her cancelling a recent engagement as she was feeling ‘under the weather’.
She has attended all the previous christenings of her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren bar one – that of Isla, daughter of her grandson Peter Phillips.
Aides insisted that the decision was made ‘some time ago’ with the agreement of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Last week she undertook 11 engagements in Scotland before spending the weekend with Philip at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, returning to London yesterday. Philip, 97, who underwent a hip replacement in the spring, remained at Wood Farm, where he has been spending much of his time.
It meant William, Kate and their children were joined by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Michael and Carole Middleton, pregnant Pippa – showing the hint of a baby bump – and her husband James Matthews, and Kate’s brother, James.
There were also the six godparents, all close family friends, plus two spouses. Kate looked radiant in cream Alexander McQueen with an eye-catching hat – actually more like a heavy-embellished hair band – by Jane Taylor and gazed proudly at her baby son as she walked with him in her arms. Louis, born on April 23, could not have looked more cherubic in the Honiton lace gown, a replica of the intricate lace and satin dress made for Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter in 1841, that was commissioned by the Queen by her senior dresser Angela Kelly. It has been used by several recent royal babies including George and Charlotte.
The duchess could be heard saying how much he reminded her of George, who was christened in the same chapel.
The 40-minute service, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, included two hymns – O Jesus, I Have Promised and Lord Of All Hopefulness – two lessons and two anthems for the service.
One of the anthems was This Is The Day Which The Lord Hath Made, which was composed for their wedding. The silver baptism font commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 after the birth of their first child was used during the ceremony, along with water from the River Jordan, as is the tradition for royal christenings.
Following the service, the duchess emerged, beaming, and carrying Louis, while William was again holding Charlotte and George by the hand.
Afterwards, William and Kate hosted a private tea for the guests at Clarence House. Just as after George and Charlotte’s baptisms, slices of christening cake taken from a tier of the Cambridges’ wedding cake were served.
Several official photographs were then taken. The pictures, which will be released this week, were taken by renowned portraitist Matt Holyoak, who was responsible for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh’s 70th wedding anniversary portraits.
‘Water from the River Jordan’