On April 23rd of this year, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton happily welcomed their third child, Prince Louis, into this world. Several hours after his birth, Louis was presented to the public when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stepped out of the Lindo Wing and allowed the press to photograph the newborn as he slept.
Afterwards, Kate returned to her home at Kensington Palace with Louis to rest and recover. When Louis was just over a week old, Kate snapped some photos of him and posted them to her Instagram account. One of the best showed little Louis being held by his sister, Princess Charlotte.
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Since this impromptu photo shoot, Louis has been kept out of the public eye. He didn’t attend his uncle Prince Harry’s wedding and he was missing-in-action at his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s birthday celebration. Predictably, royal watchers were saddened by Louis’s absence at these events, which is why they were overjoyed to learn that they will see him again on July 9th for his christening!
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However, mom Kate Middleton is making this ceremony very different from the baptism of Charlotte. “She’s determined to not make the same mistake twice,” said BBC reporter Ashley Winslow.
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So what mistake did Kate make with Charlotte?
Prince William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, announced they were expecting their second child in September of 2014. On May 2, 2015, the Duchess went into labor and was taken to Saint Mary’s Hospital in London.
Princess Charlotte was born at 8:34 am that morning, weighing 8 pounds 3 ounces. Later that day, she met big brother Prince George for the first time when William brought him to the hospital for a visit.
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Princess Charlotte made her first public appearance on the day of her birth with her parents on the steps outside the hospital. They soon left to go stay at their residence at London’s Kensington Palace. Before long, the infant princess received visits from other members of the royal family, including her grandfather Prince Charles and her great-grandmother, the reigning queen Elizabeth II. “But the mistake that Kate Middleton was weary of repeating was just around the corner,” said BBC reporter Ashley Winslow. “It was all about Charlotte’s christening.”
On July 5, 2015, Princess Charlotte was christened in the church at St. Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, Norfolk, the church where her late grandmother Diana was also christened.
The princess wore a royal christening robe — a replica of a gown made for Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, Victoria, in 1841 — and arrived in a pram pushed by her mother, with her father and big brother walking next to her.
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The ceremony was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. In a gesture of inclusiveness, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge invited the public onto a field outside the church to participate in the special day. So what was all the fuss about?
When Charlotte was baptized, Kate and William’s family of four travelled three hours to reach Sandringham’s St. Mary Magdalene church in Norfolk.
“The choice of location was an obvious homage to the late Princess of Wales,” said Winslow. “The full name of the newborn princess is actually Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. And while the first two names reference Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth, the last reflects the royal couple’s desire to remember William’s late mother, Princess Diana. Her presence and influence is still felt tremendously at Kensington Palace.”
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And while Wills and Kate enjoyed Charlotte’s christening, the pair has no interest in traveling almost three hours with three children under the age of five. So where, instead, have they selected for Louis’ christening? The answer might just surprise you…
Prince Louis is set to be christened in The Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace on Monday, July 9th, when he will be 11 weeks old.
The date of the christening actually holds special Royal significance and coincides with the anniversary of the Queen and Prince Philip’s engagement announcement.
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The Monarch announced her engagement to the Duke of Edinburgh on July 9, 1947, and the couple married later that year on November 20, 1947. The Royal couple will celebrate their 71st wedding anniversary on the momentous date in November. But, according to sources at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth is actually not too pleased with this date selection…
“Queen Elizabeth was happy that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose a date that honored her engagement. That wasn’t the problem,” said Ashley Winslow. “You see, the Queen feels that children should be christened soon after their birth.”
While Elizabeth is in fact the head of the Church of England, which is a Protestant Anglican church, her personal feelings are more in line with Catholic custom.
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“A literal interpretation of the Bible equates baptism with salvation,” said Father John Draddock. “So it makes sense to baptize children just a few weeks after their birth in accordance with Catholic tradition.” But this isn’t the only conflict the Duke and Duchess have had with the reigning monarch over religion…
“By all accounts, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are Christians and attend church services on holidays and for family functions,” said Winslow. “However, their personal leanings are more liberal and secular.”
Religion in the United Kingdom, and in the countries that preceded it, has been dominated for over 1,400 years by various forms of Christianity.
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While the United Kingdom as a whole lacks an official religion, the Church of England remains the state church of its largest constituent country, England. “But William and Kate are of the new generation,” said Winslow. “They view church teachings in metaphorical terms and are skeptical of what they see as the judgement and hypocrisy inherent in organized religion. In the United Kingdom, the rancor between progressives and conservatives is less than in the States, though.” Sources at Buckingham Palace confirm that Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middleton came to a “ladies agreement” over the young couple’s religious observance…
“The Queen insisted that Kate and Wills attend church services on all holidays and for family events,” said the source. “In the media and for all public purposes, the pair will continue to tow the line. But with regard to the children’s instruction and education, they are free to do as they please.”
This arrangement harkens back to feelings that Diana, the late Princess of Wales, had with her own children.
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“Charles has never been that religious and Diana was something of an iconoclast,” said the source. “Remember when her friendship with Elton John was called into question? She’s always been critical of what she saw as the failings of the church.” This sentiment was inherited by her son Prince William and is also shared by his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge.
What are your personal feelings about religion?
Do you attend church services?