Prince George made his first public appearance in
three months Wednesday, as he arrived with his
parents, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of
Cambridge, for his christening at St. James's Palace.
The baby prince smiled as he was shown off to
family members including his great-grandparents,
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, before the royals
entered the Chapel Royal.
George was dressed in an elaborate lace and satin
christening gown that's a replica of one made in 1841
for the christening of Queen Victoria's eldest
daughter.
Being baptized into the church is more significant for
George than for most people, since he is in line to
become king, which would also make him the
supreme governor of the Church of England.
The occasion was kept uncharacteristically small, in
a shift away from the larger ceremonies that his
father and grandfather enjoyed at Buckingham
Palace.
His grandfather Prince Charles and uncle, Prince
Harry, were among the select few invited to the
ceremony, along with Catherine's parents, Carole and
Michael Middleton, and her siblings, James and Pippa.
New photos of Prince George released
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin
Welby, greeted the guests as they arrived at the
chapel.
The royal baby, who was born in July, has seven
godparents, among them Prince William's cousin
Zara Tindall, daughter of Princess Anne, and close
friends of the couple.
They include Oliver Baker, who got to know William
and Catherine at St. Andrew's University, Emilia
Jardine-Paterson, who went to school with Catherine,
and William van Cutsem, a childhood friend of
William.The other godparents are Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, a
former private secretary to the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge and Prince Harry; Julia Samuel, who was a
good friend of William's mother, Diana, Princess of
Wales; and Earl Grosvenor, son of the Duke of
Westminster.
The replica christening gown was brought into use in
2008 to help preserve the 170-year-old original, used
until then for every royal christening, including those
of Prince William and his father, Charles.
The venue for the christening also has a special
significance for Prince William. The body of his
mother, Diana, rested in the Chapel Royal for five
days before her funeral in 1997.
After the service, Prince Charles and Camilla,
Duchess of Cornwall, held a private tea at Clarence
House. The guests were served slices of christening
cake, which is a tier taken from William and
Catherine's 2011 wedding cake.
Prince William interview: Future king talks
fatherhood, baby George
'What a gift'
In a short video posted on his website, Welby spoke
of the significance of the baby prince's baptism,
which will see him "join the family of the church,"
numbering almost 2 billion people around the world.
Welby said any christening was a moment for the
parents to celebrate the birth of their child, royal or
not.
"All babies are unbelievably special, not only royal
babies," he said.
But Prince George's christening does carry an extra
significance, he said."As a nation we are celebrating the birth of someone
who in due course will be the head of state. That's
extraordinary. It gives you this sense of forward
looking, of the forwardness of history as well as the
backwardness of history, and what a gift to have this
new life and to look forward."
As with any other infant's baptism, Welby marked
the Prince with the sign of the cross on his forehead
and splash water on his head.
The silver font used for George's baptism has been
used for every royal christening since 1841 and will
be filled with water from the River Jordan.
The 3-month-old boy has already made history. He's
the first royal baby to be honored with a christening
coin from the Royal Mint.
The design of the coins, produced by the mint in a
range of sizes and materials, has been approved by
his parents and the Queen, the Royal Mint said.
The public can buy the keepsakes, which start at 13
pounds ($21) for the simplest type but rise to a
whopping 50,000 pounds ($80,000) for a version
containing a kilogram of gold.
A historic look at royal baby clothes
Service details
Prince George's christening ceremony included two
hymns, two lessons and two anthems, according to
Kensington Palace.
Prince Harry read him a lesson form John 15:1-5, and
his aunt Pippa Middleton read Luke 18:15-17The music started with a processional, Bach's
"Fantasia in G," played on organ.
The Choir of Her Majesty's Chapel Royal, made up of
six men and 10 boys, sang the anthem "Blessed
Jesu! Here we Stand," which was written for the
baptism of baby George's father, Prince William, in
1982.
The second anthem was "The Lord Bless You and
Keep You" by John Rutter.
The newest royal also heard the hymns "Breathe on
Me, Breathe on God" and "Be Thou My Vision" before
the organ played the recessional, which was C.W.
Widor's Toccata from Symphony No. 5.
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