Princess Charlotte to be christened in same church as Diana

Princess Charlotte gets a name in low-key affair at a country estate in Norfolk

London: Today, Britain’s royal family will christen Princess Charlotte, daughter of Prince William and his wife Kate. This will be her second public appearance.

Prince William and Kate with princess, Charlotte, wave out to the media. Pic/AFP

The two-month-old will be christened in a low-key ceremony in a church on her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s country estate of Sandringham in Norfolk, eastern England. The Church of St Mary Magdalene is also a short walk from Anmer Hall, the secluded mansion to which William and Kate have relocated to bring up their children.

Guests at the christening will include the 89-year-old queen and her husband Prince Philip, William’s father Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, and Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.
William and Kate’s first child, Prince George, who has his second birthday on July 22, will also be present to see his sister being christened with water flown in from the River Jordan.

But William’s brother Prince Harry will not be present as he is on a three-month trip to Africa working on conservation projects. While the ceremony, conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, is private, members of the public will be allowed to stand outside the church to see the royals going arrive.

A royal spokesman said William and Kate were “hugely grateful for the warm wishes they have received since Princess Charlotte’s birth and are delighted the paddock can be opened on the day of the christening.”

The christening will have several links to William’s late mother, Diana, princess of Wales, who died aged 36 in a Paris car crash in 1997. Charlotte’s middle names are Elizabeth and Diana, while the 16th century church is the same one where Diana was christened.

The photographs of the christening will be taken by celebrity photographer Mario Testino, who was close to Diana and took some of the most famous shots of her in 1997, months before her death. The queen of Sandringham will host the christening party.

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