Meghan and Harry: We’ll never reveal Archie’s godparents
Backlash at couple’s plan for ‘secret’ christening
‘You can’t have it both ways’
THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex are refusing to reveal the identity of baby Archie’s godparents before his christening on Saturday.
The couple, who are denying any public access to the proceedings at Windsor Castle, have also decided not to allow TV cameras in to record the royal family arriving.
They will release a small number of images taken by their own photographer later in the day.
Their decision comes days after the couple were criticised for using £2.4million of public money to refurbish Frogmore Cottage, their new official residence on the Queen’s Berkshire estate.
Earlier this year they refused to announce where the duchess had given birth to their son, which the Mail revealed to be the Portland Hospital in London.
However, it was confirmed yesterday that Archie will be baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby.
The fact that the Queen’s greatgrandson and seventh in line to the throne is being welcomed into the Church of England by its second most senior figure, after the Queen, may raise questions over Harry and Meghan’s demands for privacy.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: ‘Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor will be christened in a small private ceremony by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday July 6. The godparents, in keeping with their wishes, will remain private.’
The couple’s photographer on the day will be Chris Allerton, who took their wedding photos.
A royal source said last night the godparents are ‘friends of theirs, close and old friends, who are private citizens and the couple want to honour that’.
They are likely to include, on Meghan’s side, Benita Litt, an old friend from Los Angeles whose daughters Remi and Rylan – both Meghan’s goddaughters – were bridesmaids at the couple’s wedding.
Another is Lindsay Roth, who met Meghan at Northwestern University in the US and is one of her oldest friends. Meghan was her bridesmaid and the two spend a lot of time together as she also lives in London.
The Mail has been told the godmothers definitely do not include her Canadian friend Jessica Mulroney or tennis star Serena Williams.
Among those Harry is likely to choose are his childhood friend Jake Warren, son of the Queen’s bloodstock manager, whose daughter, Zalie, two, was also a bridesmaid last year.
Also in the frame is Mark Dyer, Harry’s childhood mentor and confidante, whose son Jasper is the prince’s godson and was a pageboy at the wedding, as well his former nanny Tiggy Pettifer.
The fact that many of them were involved publicly in the Sussexes’ wedding may lead to further criticism of the decision not to reveal the godparents’ identities.
A senior royal source said last night: ‘People are largely sympathetic about their clear desire to bring Archie up out of the public spotlight as much as possible.
‘But a christening is something very different. Archie’s great-grandmother is head of the Church of England and he is still very high up in the line of succession.
‘They are also senior working royals who are funded by the Sovereign Grant. You can’t have it both ways. There is a feeling that this doesn’t look very good at all.
‘Harry feels very defensive and very protective of his family. But the feeling is that he needs to put this to one side in certain instances, and this is one.’
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, who has written about royal children for several decades, said she could not remember details of a senior royal’s godparents ever being withheld.
‘The trouble is that they [Harry and Meghan] want it every which way they can,’ she added.
Harry’s biographer Penny Junor said: ‘Not allowing any media access is denying a lot of people a very innocent pleasure.’
Under the Parochial Registers and Records Measure 1978, all Church of England baptisms are a matter of public record, including the godparents and officiating minister. Anyone willing to pay the required fee can look up the details.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge allowed the media to cover each of their children’s christenings.
Robert Hardman – Page 17