A royal baby isn’t really a royal baby until they make a social debut at their own christening, and Archie Harrison is no exception.
According to The Sunday Times, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be having baby Archie Harrison christened in early July.
It will be at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, the same place where Meghan and Harry were married in 2018, and the same place where Harry was christened in 1984.
Take a trip down memory line to Prince Louis’ christening. Post continues after video.
It may be a particularly average event for a small baby to attend, but christenings are a source of serious gossip for the remainder of us. Here is all the tea we can expect to be spilled at Archie’s christening, plus everything you need to know about the event.
The godparents.
Ever since the conception of Archie, the matter of who his godparents would be has been highly contested.
Traditionally, royal babies are given several godparents. Prince George who has seven, Princess Charlotte who has five, and Prince Louis who was given six, are evidence enough of this tradition. But since Archie isn’t a prince, the baby could be given a stock standard two godparents.
But WHO I hear you ask.
According to The Sunday Times, the godparents are expected to be a “transatlantic mix” of Harry and Meghan’s closest friends.
Here are a few of the names that are floating around:
- Mark Dyer – a former equerry to the Prince of Wales and a mentor to both Prince William and Prince Harry: Mark Dyer’s son Jasper, who was a pageboy at Harry and Meghan’s wedding, is also Harry’s godson.
- Jessica Mulroney – a close friend of Meghan Markle: She is the daughter-in-law of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, and a stylist.
- Markus Anderson – a close friend of Meghan Markle: The pair have been friends since Meghan Markle’s days filming Suits in Canada. He is also rumoured to have been friends with Prince Harry and Prince William, and could be the man who first introduced the married couple.
- George and Amal Clooney – friends of the family: the couple attended the royal wedding in 2018 and are known to be close with both Harry and Meghan.
- Serena Williams – a close friend of Meghan Markle: She attended Meghan Markle’s exclusive baby shower in New York earlier this year, and the tennis star and Duchess have been close friends for almost a decade.
- Elton John – a close friend of the family: It is rumoured he offered to give Archie piano lessons (um, jealous).
His hair colour.
Okay… so it isn’t official protocol to reveal hair colour at a christening but given Meghan and Harry have such different hair and we are just so curious, we want to know. It will most likely be the young royal’s next public appearance, and water will be dripped all over his head, meaning we can expect to see Archie without a hat.
Who will christen Archie?
According to the Daily Mirror Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, will christen Archie alongside the Dean of Windsor, David Conner.
What will Archie wear?
According to The Sunday Times, Archie will be wearing a replica of the Honiton lace christening gown that Queen Victoria commissioned for Princess Victoria’s 1841 christening. The gown replicates a near identical version of the one that has been worn by 62 royal babies, including Prince Harry and Prince William. The original has become too fragile to wear.
Who will be there?
If the christenings of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are anything to go by, we can expect family members and godparents to attend the ceremony.
While it’s very likely The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend, it’s unknown whether their children will be able to miss school to attend. The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall are likewise expected to attend, as well as Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland.
However, somewhat strangely, the Queen will not be attending.
According to The Sunday Times, she has “prior commitments”, the same reason she was unable to make it to Prince Louis’ christening in 2018.
Are there any other traditions?
It’s likely Archie will be baptised with River Jordan water from a sacred silver Lily Font – which is kept in the Tower of London when it’s not being used to baptise any royal babies.
That’s the royal tea, sip carefully.
Top Comments
"However, somewhat strangely, the Queen will not be attending."
It's not strange at all. She skipped Prince Louis's christening too. It would be more strange if the grandparents or parents of the child didn't attend. The presence of the great-grandparent: not so integral.
Yeah, but they’ve gotta drum up some drama and controversy somehow!