The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge show off their son, Prince George of Cambridge, to the world’s media
In just a few short months, probably September or October, His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge will be christened into the Anglican Church of England. As future king, this is a pivotal and important event in the life of the young prince because he will become Head of the Church of England at his accession to the throne. At the time of his christening, his parents, Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will have the important task of choosing godparents for Prince George. Normally, six people, both male and female, are chosen. These chosen people will be responsible for guiding Prince George throughout his lifetime.
A royal godparent is typically a person who has had a special relationship with the baby’s parents, with a foreign royal thrown into the mix. When the Prince and Princess of Wales chose godparents for their sons, they followed the same formula.
For their first son, Prince William, they chose:
Former King Constantine II of Greece is first cousin to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Being a foreign royal, King Constantine II could share invaluable lessons with Prince William.
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is first cousin to Her Majesty the Queen.
The Duchess of Westminster is distantly related to Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip and has been a close friend to the Royal Family since before her marriage to the sixth Duke of Westminster.
Lady Susan Hussey is a lady-in-waiting to Her Majesty.
Lord Romsey, grandson of Lord Louis Mountbatten, is a godson of Prince Philip, making him the perfect godfather candidate.
Sir Laurens van der Post was a close friend of Prince Charles; they shared a passion for farming.
TRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales with a baby Prince Harry
Prince Harry, their second son, also has six godparents. They include:
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, I believe, was chosen to guide Prince Harry through the life of a “spare.” Nobody understood the life that young Harry was embarking on quite like His uncle.
Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones is first cousins with Prince Charles, as she is Prince Margaret’s daughter. At her birth, she was seventh in line to the throne. She was also a close friend of Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Lady Celia Vestey, along with her husband Sam, were neighbors of the Prince and Princess of Wales in Gloucestershire. Lord Sam Vestey and Prince Charles were close friends.
Mrs. William Bartholomew (Carolyn) was a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales, even sharing a flat together.
Bryan Organ is an artist whose work is featured in the National Portrait Gallery in London. He has painted a portrait of Prince Charles, but his most famous work is an acrylic painting of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Gerald Ward is former officer in the Household Calvary and a close friend and polo teammate of Prince Charles. Throughout Prince Harry’s life, Mr. Ward followed his schooling and especially his military careers closely, even commenting that he “worried” about Harry fighting in Iraq. He died in 2008. Prince Harry attended the memorial service where Prince Charles gave a moving tribute.
For Prince George, I predict Prince William and Catherine will make their godparent choices more personal to their family of three. I do not believe they will break the “six godparent” tradition that seems to be in place but I don’t necessarily see them giving Prince George three godmothers and three godfathers. Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton are set in stone, in my opinion. I also see either Peter Phillips or Zara Tindall as a godparent to Prince George, with Peter edging Mrs Tindall out ever so slightly.
Prince Harry, a likely contender for being one of the godparents.
Because Prince William is godfather to Grace van Cutsem, a Royal Wedding bridesmaid, I envisage her father, Hugh van Cutsem will be repaid. Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, royal aid to William and Harry for countless years and Catherine upon her marriage also, in my opinion, has a fantastic chance of becoming a royal godfather. His son was a pageboy in the 2011 wedding of Prince George’s parents and has stepped down as royal aid to work in a private firm.
This leads us to one more option, a foreign royal option, I do believe. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, sent a personal, private, congratulatory message to the Duke and Duchess soon after the birth of Prince George, leading me to infer they have some sort of relationship with the couple; leaving my last godparent prediction for Crown Prince Frederik. Other options that didn’t make my top 6 include: Lady Sarah McCorquodale or Baroness Jane Fellows (Diana, Princess of Wales’s sisters, great-aunt to Prince George), James Middleton, Thomas van Straubenzee (just slightly edged out by Hugh van Cutsem,) Tom “Skippy” Inskip, and Guy Pelly. Although The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a huge decision on their hands, they have a large number of close friends and family to choose from; all of which would make terrific godparents to Prince George Alexander Louis, future King of the UK!
Photo Credits: olebrat and The Prime Minister’s Office via photopin cc
Typo at the very end. There is no “King” of the Commonwealth. There is also no promise at this point that Prince George will be head of the Commonwealth.