Prince George will be christened on 23 October by The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby in the Chapel Royal, St. James' Palace
Prince George will be christened on 23 October by The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby in the Chapel Royal, St. James' Palace.
Prince George will be christened just after he turns three-months-old, in the Chapel Royal, built by Henry VIII and decorated by Hans Holbein, where Princess Diana's coffin lay for family and friends to pay their respects before her funeral in 1997.
Kate Middleton and Prince William have chosen the venue over Buckingham Palace's Music Room (where Prince William, Prince Charles and the Queen were all baptised), because they prefer the 'historic, quite intimate chapel,' with a source telling the Mail:
'It is something they have been thinking about for some time and they just very much liked personally.'
Kensington Palace confirmed that in addition to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry are all expected to attend the royal baby's christening, which will be a private ceremony in keeping with royal tradition.
Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, as well as Prince George's godparents (who have yet to be confirmed, although it is believed there will be six in line with royal tradition), will also attend.
Excitingly for us, the christening - aka Prince George's first public appearance since his birth - will involve official portraits of the royal family, which will be released after the event and will include a photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their infant son.
There is also likely to be a portrait of the Queen and England's future monarchs: her son Prince Charles, her grandson Prince William and her great-grandson Prince George, which will no doubt call to mind an image of Queen Victoria with her son Edward VII, grandson George V and great-grandson Edward VIII, taken in 1894.
Prince George will be dressed splendidly for the occasion, and is rumoured to be christened in a replica Honiton lace gown, originally designed for Queen Victoria and worn by her eldest daughter in 1841.
Prince George will be christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, who said:
'I am delighted to be invited to conduct the baptism of His Royal Highness Prince George. It is a great privilege and honour and will without doubt be an occasion of immense joy and celebration.
'I am looking forward to welcoming him into the family of the Church.'
The Royal Mint has also announced that three special coins will be made to mark Prince George's christening, including a gold kilo coin, a silver £5 coin and a 'more affordable' £5 coin, which have been approved by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Queen and the Chancellor.
This occasion marks the first time new coins have been produced to mark the christening of a royal family member.
We can hardly wait.
Kate Middleton prepares to take Prince George on world tour
Is this Prince George’s new country pad?
Got a tablet? You can now download Marie Claire magazine straight to your iPad, Kindle (just search the store for 'marie claire magazine'), Nook or Google Nexus.
