In one historic photo, Baby Archie, Meghan’s mum and Diana’s sisters
Can you see a resemblance?
ARCHIE Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, seventh in line to the Throne, was – finally – presented to the world at his christening yesterday.
Exactly two months after he was born, he was pictured sitting on the lap of his mother, the Duchess of Sussex, as she nestled into the shoulder of his father, the Duke of Sussex.
The image, shot against the opulence of Windsor Castle’s Green Drawing Room, was one of warmth and family joy.
Archie will not be taking an HRH title at the request of his parents but he did, however, enjoy all the trappings of a Royal christening.
He was wearing the cascading ivory Honiton lace and satin gown used for all Royal babies’ baptisms since the reign of Queen Victoria. The one Archie wore is a 2008 copy of the 1841 original, and was handmade by the Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly.
The ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, using the silver gilt Lily Font. Commissioned in 1840 by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for the birth of their first child, it is part of the Crown Jewels and had been brought from the Tower of London for the occasion.
The water which filled the font was taken from the River Jordan. The brief service took place in the Queen’s own private chapel in the Upper Ward of Windsor Chapel.
Since the arrival of Archie, the country has had only tantalising glimpses of his feet and part of his face. But yesterday afternoon, his proud parents uploaded two photos to mark his baptism to their Instagram account.
In the main picture, Archie is flanked by three of his proud grandparents, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland. At the centre of the image the world can, for the first time, see Archie’s face clearly and discover how much he resembles his father at the same age.
Archie’s uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are in the forefront of the shot with the Duchess wearing a scene-stealing, coral-coloured Stella McCartney dress. Its demure pussy cat bow does little to divert attention from her above-the-knee skirt and the ruby-red stiletto heels which match her fashionable satin headband.
The Duchess of Sussex chose bespoke Dior for the day, reaching for white, the statement colour she favours. The final two members of the formal Green Room line-up are there in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales: they are her sisters, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, who Harry sees as equal keepers of his mother’s memory. The second christening photograph released by Meghan and Harry is the kind of arty, black-and-white shot on which they have built their Instagram empire of 8.8million followers.
Taken in the Rose Garden at Windsor moments after the religious ceremony, it is the work of Chris Allerton, the former soldier who was also the couple’s wedding photographer. The release of both pictures marks a softening of the stance of the Duke and Duchess, who had hoped to keep details of the day private. They have chosen not to release the names of Archie’s godparents.
They made their way with their son from Frogmore Cottage, their
home in the grounds of the Queen’s Windsor estate, shortly before noon for the low-key ceremony.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall had arrived on helicopter of the Queen’s Flight at 10am, while the Cambridges left Kensington Palace and drove themselves, William at the wheel, and in through the back gates of the castle. The Queen had wished to attend but was headed to a prior engagement at Sandringham after a trip to Scotland, where she had been celebrating Holyrood Week.
The Royals were joined by guests from the couple’s close circle of friends, including Harry and William’s former nanny Tiggy LeggeBourke, Meghan’s old university friend Genevieve Hills, and the Duchess’s great confidante, the fashion designer Misha Nonoo. The choir of St George’s Chapel who sang at Harry and Meghan’s wedding, also sang at Archie’s christening, and then the party, believed to number around 25, celebrated with tea and a slice of the couple’s wedding cake – made by fashionable East London baker Claire Ptak – which had been frozen and saved for the occasion.