The Christening of Prince Louis: guests and godparents
Published
The following guests will today attend the christening of Prince Louis at The Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace:
- The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall
- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
- Mr. and Mrs. Michael Middleton, Mr. and Mrs. James Matthews, and Mr. James Middleton
- The godparents of Prince Louis and their spouses
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have asked the following people to be godparents to Prince Louis, all of whom are friends or family of Their Royal Highnesses:
- Mr. Nicholas van Cutsem
- Mr. Guy Pelly
- Mr. Harry Aubrey-Fletcher
- The Lady Laura Meade
- Mrs. Robert Carter
- Miss Lucy Middleton
Prince Louis will wear the handmade replica of the Royal Christening Robe, made by Angela Kelly, Dressmaker to The Queen.
The Lily Font and water from the River Jordan will be used during the baptism.
Following the service, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will give a private tea at Clarence House. Guests will be served slices of christening cake, which is a tier taken from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding cake.
The Royal Christening Robe
The Royal Christening Robe, of fine Honiton lace lined with white satin, was made in 1841 for the christening of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Victoria, Princess Royal.
The original gown was subsequently worn for all Royal christenings, including The Queen, her children and her grandchildren, until the youngest of The Queen's eight grandchildren, James, Viscount Severn.
The Queen commissioned Angela Kelly to make a hand-made replica of the Royal Christening Robe in order to preserve the original. James, Viscount Severn, was the first member of the Royal Family to wear this replica gown at his christening at the private chapel at Windsor Castle on 19th April 2008.
The Lily Font
The Lily Font is a silver baptismal font which was commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 after the birth of their first child, Victoria, Princess Royal. It was first used at The Princess Royal’s christening in 1841 and has been a feature of Royal christenings since then.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Wedding Cake
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding cake, designed by Fiona Cairns, was made from 17 individual fruit cakes and had eight tiers. The cake was decorated with cream and white icing using the Joseph Lambeth technique. There were up to 900 individually iced flowers and leaves of 17 different varieties decorated on the cake. A garland design around the middle of the cake matched the architectural garlands decorated around the top of the Picture Gallery in Buckingham Palace, the room in which the cake was displayed during the wedding.