The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are preparing to present their son Prince George to be christened on Wednesday, and while the palace has been reluctant to share details of the private ceremony, news of the planned proceedings are beginning to emerge.
The three-month-old royal’s christening will be celebrated by an exclusive party of fewer than 50 guests, who will be treated with his parents’ royal wedding cake at a champagne reception according toUs Magazine.
While even some senior royals have reportedly missed out on an invite, midwives who delivered the royal baby in July are said to have made the cut.
As previously reported, Prince William and Kate have bucked tradition choosing the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London, rather than Buckingham Palace for the christening venue.
The chapel is “a special place for William,” a source toldUs, as it is the where the body of his late mother Princess Diana was kept before her 1997 funeral.
“Having the service there is a way of involving his mother, who he so wishes could be here for all of this,” the source said.
Loved ones expected to attend the ceremony include George’s great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, and of course Kate’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton, and her siblings Pippa and James.
Following the 45-minute ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, which is expected to run on “a pretty tight schedule”, guests will gather at Clarence House for a reception hosted by Charles and Camilla.
“It will just be a small champagne reception,” a source tellsUs, with wedding cake saved from Kate and William’s 2011 ceremony expected to be on the menu.
Instead of presenting gifts, the Duke and Duchess have asked for well-wishers to donate to charity.
“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are incredibly grateful for the support and goodwill being expressed at this happy time. Their Royal Highnesses are grateful, too, for the many gifts they have already received,” the Palace says.
“To harness this extraordinary generosity of spirit, they suggest people might at this time look to support those more in need; perhaps a children’s charity local to them.
“Alternatively, you could look to support Imperial College Healthcare Charity, which is the charity of the hospital where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s baby was born.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury has described welcoming Prince George to the Church as “hugely important”.
“As a nation we’re celebrating the birth of someone who in due course will be the head of state,” he said.
“That’s extraordinary. It gives you this sense of forward looking, of the forwardness of history as well as the backwardness of history, and what a gift to have this new life and to look forward.”
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