Princess Charlotte to be christened at Sandringham today

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
48,340
1,650
113
Pincess Charlotte's christening is to take place on the Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk today.

The baptism, conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Reverend Justin Welby, will be held in private in the same church where Princess Diana - who would have been Princess Charlotte's grandmother - was baptised in 1961.

But members of the public will be allowed into the area outside the church - known as the paddock - to see Charlotte and other royals arrive and depart.

Like her brother, Charlotte will be christened 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 was worn by all royal babies until the christening of Prince Edward's son James, Viscount Severn in 2008.

He and all subsequent royals have worn the replica, commissioned by the Queen to protect the original and made by royal dressmaker Angela Kelly.

Charlotte will be christened using the ornate silver gilt Lily Font from Victoria's reign which is usually on show as part of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.

In the presence of her great-grandmother and, as things stand, three future kings - Charles, William and George - Princess Charlotte will be baptised with water from the River Jordan.

Prince William's cousin, Lady Laura Fellowes -
the daughter of Baroness Jane Fellowes, a sister of Princess Diana - will be one of Prince Charlotte's godparents.

Princess Charlotte to be christened at Sandringham


BBC News
5 July 2015


Prince George will attend his younger sibling's christening


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen five godparents for Princess Charlotte, including William's cousin Laura Fellowes.

The announcement was made ahead of the royal baby's christening in Norfolk.

Other godparents include Catherine's cousin Adam Middleton and Thomas van Straubenzee, a friend of the duke's.

The christening will be held on the Sandringham estate and attended by the Queen, other senior members of the Royal Family and Catherine's parents.

The duke and duchess, Prince George and the princess will appear as a family of four in public for the first time at the baptism at the Church of St Mary Magdalene in Sandringham.

The baptism, conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Reverend Justin Welby, will be held in private.

But members of the public will be allowed into the area outside the church - known as the paddock - to see Charlotte and other royals arrive and depart.


The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will both attend the ceremony


Other guests will include the Duke of Edinburgh, Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine's two siblings - Pippa and James Middleton.

Princess Charlotte has two fewer godparents than her brother George.

The final two godparents announced by the family are the duke's friend James Meade and the duchess's friend Sophie Carter.

Mr van Straubenzee, whom William met at Ludgrove Prep School, and Mr Meade, a friend from Eton, were both ushers at the duke and duchess's wedding and gave speeches at the reception.

Lady Laura Fellowes is the daughter of Baroness Jane Fellowes - a sister of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Like her brother, Charlotte will be christened 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 was worn by all royal babies until the christening of Prince Edward's son James, Viscount Severn in 2008.

He and all subsequent royals have worn the replica, commissioned by the Queen to protect the original and made by royal dressmaker Angela Kelly.

Charlotte will be christened using the ornate silver gilt Lily Font which is usually on show as part of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.


William's cousin, Lady Laura Fellowes - pictured alongside young William in 1986 - will be one of Charlotte's godparents


Norfolk police are expecting large crowds near the 16th century church and have urged people to arrive early for the opening of the paddock gates at 15:00 BST.

The ceremony is due to start at 16:30.

Superintendent Kevin Clarke said: "With this being such a special occasion we are expecting the area to be extremely busy on Sunday and encourage the public to heed our advice so they can enjoy the event safely."

'Hugely grateful'

Anyone bringing flowers will be asked to give them to representatives of East Anglia's Children's Hospices, where Catherine is a patron, who will then take them to hospices in the region.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: "The duke and duchess are hugely grateful for the warm wishes they have received since Princess Charlotte's birth - many of them from local people in Norfolk - and are delighted the paddock can be opened on the day of the christening."


Princess Diana was baptised in the church on the Sandringham estate in 1961



The Lily Font, left, is normally kept as part the Crown Jewels


Prince Harry will be among those missing from the ceremony. He is currently spending three months in Africa.

St Mary Magdalene is the church used by the Queen when she is resident on her private estate.

Archbishop Welby will give an address. He will be supported by The Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of the Sandringham group of parishes.

Mario Testino has been asked by William and Catherine to take the official photographs after the service.

Following the service, the duke and duchess will host a tea at Sandringham House where guests will be served slices of christening cake, which is a tier from their wedding cake.

Commentary: BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt

In the presence of her great-grandmother and, as things stand, three future kings - Charles, William and George - Princess Charlotte will be baptised using a font from Victoria's reign and with water from the River Jordan.

The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene is where the royals usually gather on Christmas Day and where Charlotte's late grandmother - Diana, Princess of Wales - was christened.

It's been chosen because it is close to Anmer Hall, William and Kate's second home. This Norfolk retreat is where they intend to bring up their family.

In the congregation, witnessing the start of the nine-week-old baby's spiritual journey, will be members of her family and close friends of her parents.

Babies, royal or otherwise, react differently to this moment of celebration.

The Queen cried so much during her baptism in 1926 that her nurse had to give her a dose of dill water.



Princess Charlotte to be christened at Sandringham - BBC News
 
Last edited:

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
48,340
1,650
113
What a lucky basby.

I'm not too sure if you can call a child who is born into the Royal Family, with all the cameras and paparazzi and media and public attention that she will get for probably the next 100 years, to be considered "lucky."

This child, who may very well one day be Queen, may have a lifetime of living in palaces and stately homes, but all the other trappings of being a royal aren't so fun.
 

Curious Cdn

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 22, 2015
37,070
6
36
I'm not too sure if you can call a child who is born into the Royal Family, with all the cameras and paparazzi and media and public attention that she will get for probably the next 100 years, to be considered "lucky."

This child, who may very well one day be Queen, may have a lifetime of living in palaces and stately homes, but all the other trappings of being a royal aren't so fun.

Thousands of the unlucky ones die in misery every day.

What a lucky baby.
 

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
48,340
1,650
113
Thousands of the unlucky ones die in misery every day.

What a lucky baby.


In that sense it's lucky, as are most babies born in the United Kingdom in the 21st Century, the country with the 28th-lowest infant mortality rate in the world (lower than both Canada and the USA).
 

Curious Cdn

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 22, 2015
37,070
6
36
Not my fault. Nor the fault of the Royal Family. Unlike Britain, Canada doesn't have the NHS, the best healthcare in the world.

Actually, our healthcare system is almost identical to NHS except that they do not supply free pharmaceuticals.

When your average life expectancies for men and women catch up to ours, you may make that claim.
 

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
48,340
1,650
113
Actually, our healthcare system is almost identical to NHS except that they do not supply free pharmaceuticals.

When your average life expectancies for men and women catch up to ours, you may make that claim.

Actually, the NHS has consistently ranked higher than Canada's healthcare system in global surveys.

As for life expectancy, there's little to choose between the two. Canada's is 82 for women and 80 for men and Britain's is 81 for women and 79 for men. Such a thing is also down to lifestyle choices and other such factors rather than merely the quality of the healthcare system.

The fact of the matter is, however, that a child being born in Britain has a higher chance of surviving being born and surviving infancy than a child in Canada.
 

Curious Cdn

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 22, 2015
37,070
6
36
Actually, the NHS has consistently ranked higher than Canada's healthcare system in global surveys.

As for life expectancy, there's little to choose between the two. Canada's is 82 for women and 80 for men and Britain's is 81 for women and 79 for men. Such a thing is also down to lifestyle choices and other such factors rather than merely the quality of the healthcare system.

The fact of the matter is, however, that a child being born in Britain has a higher chance of surviving being born and surviving infancy than children in Canada.

I will tell you, and this applies to just about any service supplied in Canada, we are victims of our geography. Canada is a strip of people 4000 miles long and 200 miles wide. Britain is a densly packed place where you can't throw a stone without breaking a window. You will be able to provide all services like health, transportation, communication, defence more efficiently because you don't have to go far to get or do anything and critical, profitable densities are at hand.

I still wouldn't trade places with you. There is a lot to be said for wide open places.
 

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
48,340
1,650
113
I will tell you, and this applies to just about any service supplied in Canada, we are victims of our geography. Canada is a strip of people 4000 miles long and 200 miles wide. Britain is a densly packed place where you can't throw a stone without breaking a window. You will be able to provide all services like health, transportation, communication, defence more efficiently because you don't have to go far to get or do anything and critical, profitable densities are at hand.

I still wouldn't trade places with you. There is a lot to be said for wide open places.

Nah. I've always argued that Britain being full, and getting even fuller with our uncontrolled immigration, is actually putting a strain on services like the health system.

Although being "full" here means towns and cities. The vast majority of the UK's population lives in urban areas, and just 7% of the UK's land area is urban. 93% of the UK's land surfance has hardly anybody living on it. Nearly everybody is packed onto just 7% of the country's land surface.
 

spaminator

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 26, 2009
35,667
3,004
113
so I guess the river water is blessed and then poured on princess charlotte.
 

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
48,340
1,650
113
Just over ten minutes from now until the christening starts (16:30BST).
 

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
48,340
1,650
113
so I guess the river water is blessed and then poured on princess charlotte.

I'm assuming it's blessed, probably by the Archbishop of Canterbury, beforehand.


St Mary Magdalene Church on the Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk where the christening will take place. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Princess Charlotte's baptism will take place in The Lily Font, a small, silver gilt vessel which is part of the Crown Jewels and has been used for almost all royal christenings since 1841. The font was was specially commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1840 to distance her family from what she saw as a distasteful association with the Charles II font, which was used to christen his illegitimate children.



Water from the River Jordan, where Christ was baptised by John the Baptist, has been flown to Britain for use in the ceremony, as is also traditional at royal christenings.

Otherwise the service will be largely familiar to anyone who has attended an Anglican christening service.

For Prince George's christening the Duke and Duchess chose the hymns Breathe on Me, Breath of God and Be Thou My Vision. The anthems were Blessed Jesu! Here We Stand, written by Richard Popplewell for the christening of Prince William in 1982, and The Lord Bless You And Keep You, by John Rutter.

The lessons were Luke 18;15-17, read by Pippa Middleton, and John 15;1-5, read by Prince Harry.

The service will be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who also baptised Prince George. Both William and Prince Harry were baptised by a previous archbishop, Dr Robert Runcie, and the Prince of Wales was christened by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Geoffrey Fisher, who is also famous as being the one who presided over the coronation of the Queen in 1953. The Queen was christened by the then Archbishop of York, Cosmo Gordon Lang.


Royal enthusiasts, including 80-year-old Terry Hutt, have gathered outside the chapel to catch a glimpse of the princess



American Laurie Spencer gave up a 1,200 US dollar ticket to today's British Grand Prix at Silverstone to attend
 
Last edited:

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
48,340
1,650
113
Kensington Palace has tweeted a painting of the first time the Lily Font was used, for the christening of Victoria, Princess Royal, the daughter of Queen Victoria, in 1841.

View image on Twitter



Follow

Kensington Palace ✔ @KensingtonRoyal

The Lily Font's decoration represents purity & new life. It was first used at Victoria, Princess Royal's christening.
12:33 PM - 5 Jul 2015
168 Retweets 521

********************************************************

Now here's a story. Laurie Spencer, 52, from Florida, came to Britain to attend the British Grand Prix at Silverstone with her husband.

But when she discovered the christening was on this weekend, there was only one place she wanted to be.

She and her husband had paid £770 each for their tickets, but that was no concern of Laurie's.

She said: "When I found out the christening was happening while we were here I knew I just had to be there, but there was no way my husband was. We were having dinner last night and somebody on the next table heard us talking and asked if he could have my ticket instead, so they have gone to the Grand Prix and I have come here."

Good work Laurie!



Follow
Ben Kendall @benjkendall

Laurie Spencer travelled from Florida and gave up a $1,200 Grand Prix ticket to attend the christening.

2:14 PM - 5 Jul 2015

6 Retweets 8
***************************************************

Kensington Palace has released details of the order of service.

The Duke and Duchess of have chosen two hymns, Praise to the Lord, The Almighty and Come Down, O Love Divine.

The lesson is from Matthew 18, verses 1-5, read by James Meade.

The anthems are I Will Sing With The Spirit and God Be In My Head, both by John Rutter.

Members of The Sandringham Church Choir are singing at the service.

The processional organ music is R. Vaughan Williams' Prelude on "Rhosymedre".

The recessional organ music is G. F. Handel's Overture and Allegro from Concerto VIII in A.
*****************************************

The Duchess of Cambridge, pushing Princess Charlotte in a pram, and the Duke of Cambridge, holding Prince George's hand, have just arrived.

View image on Twitter



Follow
babykokos™ @babykokos

#PrincessCharlotte
4:20 PM - 5 Jul 2015

147 Retweets 137

Go here for live commentary of the christening: Princess Charlotte christening: royal family and guests arrive - live - Telegraph
 

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
48,340
1,650
113
And here's the little girl who everyone has turned out for:



I suspect we'll see images like this reprinted for decades to come:





Prince George was on his best behaviour as he did his official handshakes...