Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who have christened their youngest child, Lilibet Diana, at their home in Montecito, California.
A spokesperson for the royal couple confirmed the exciting news on Wednesday, referring to Harry and Meghan’s daughter as “Princess Lilibet Diana”, and the baptism breaks royal tradition in several ways.
WATCH: Archie and Lilibet’s sweetest moments together
The Duke and Duchess’ spokesperson told PEOPLE: “I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor.”
Meghan with her daughter Lilibet
Lilibet’s christening was held at her family home in America, which is in contrast to her brother Archie’s baptism in July 2019, at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, with the royal family present.
PEOPLE reported that there were 20-30 guests at Lilibet’s christening ceremony, including Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland and Lilibet’s godfather, Tyler Perry, who jetted in for the happy occasion. There was no sign of other members of the royal family attending.
The adorable Lilibet Diana
The Sussexes have also broken royal tradition with their daughter’s age at her baptism.
Their son Archie was christened at just two months of age, in keeping with previous royal christening, while Lilibet was baptised at 21 months.
The royal family has a tradition of christening their babies at a very young age, usually under six months old. The Prince and Princess of Wales christened Prince George at three months old, Princess Charlotte at two months and Prince Louis at three months of age.
The US publication also revealed that guests at Lilibet’s christening enjoyed an afternoon of food and dancing, which appears to be a much more casual affair to the more structured format of a traditional royal occasion such as this.
Lilibet as a baby
Given that the ceremony was at home, we imagine Lilibet was dressed in a relaxed outfit like a summery dress, in keeping with the family’s new style in California. We very much doubt that Lilibet wore the royal christening gown as her brother Archie did, which is made to fit a small baby.
The last royal baby we know to have worn the special gown was Princess Eugenie’s son August in November 2021, who was jointly christened with Zara Tindall’s son Lucas. It’s not known if Princess Beatrice’s daughter Sienna wore the gown at her christening.
LISTEN: King Charles’ adventures from the cockpit while piloting planes
The royal christening gown is a replica of the original Spitalfields silk and Honiton lace one made in 1841 for Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter. It was worn by 62 royal babies in total, including the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The Wessexes’ son, James, Viscount Severn, was the first royal baby to wear the replica gown at his christening in 2008. Since then, the likes of Princess Kate’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well as Harry and Meghan’s son Archie, have all worn the outfit to their baptisms.
MORE: Prince Harry and Prince William to reunite ahead of coronation after sad family death?
Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to The Royal Explainer newsletter to receive your weekly dose of royal features and other exclusive content straight to your inbox.
Source: Read Full Article
