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FeaturesPrince & Princess of Wales

A look back at the christening of Prince George

Prince George, elder son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and third in line to the throne, was christened in October 2013. We take a look back at the special day.

On 23rd October 2013, three months after his birth, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took their firstborn child to the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London to be christened. Prince George was baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

The christening was a private family event with only senior royals and four members of the Middleton family (the Duchess of Cambridge’s family) in attendance. The senior royals were the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry. As well as family, the seven godparents and their spouses were invited, taking the total number of guests to 22.

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Prince George’s godparents are Oliver Baker, Emilia Jardine-Paterson, the Earl Grosvenor (now Duke of Westminster), Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, Julia Samuel, William Van Cutsem and Zara Tindall. The first six godparents are all friends of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, with Zara Tindall being the only family member.

The Duke of Cambridge carried his son, Prince George, into the Chapel Royal for the ceremony. Prince George was baptised in a replica of the lace and satin christening gown made for Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, Victoria, the Princess Royal, in 1841. The original Honiton lace royal christening gown was worn by William himself when he was christened.

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose two hymns for the ceremony: Breathe on Me, Breathe of God and Be Thou My Vision. They also selected two lessons and two anthems. The lessons were from St Luke and St John, read by Pippa Middleton and Prince Harry, the siblings of the royal couple. The anthems were performed by the Choir of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, who also performed at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge back in 2011.

The ceremony lasted around 45 minutes, and afterwards, the Duchess of Cambridge carried Prince George out of the chapel. The Royal Family and their guests left the chapel and headed for tea at Clarence House which was hosted by Prince George’s grandfather, the Prince of Wales. Later, the Royal Family shared the first photo of George with his great grandmother, the Queen. The historic image of four generations underlined the secured succession to the throne.