Yvonne's Royalty Home Page: Royal Christenings

Yvonne's Royalty Home Page

© 1998-2006 Yvonne Demoskoff

"Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and
wayward youngsters and of family disagreements." - Queen Elizabeth II

Vital Statistics

Royal Christenings (aka Christening Information of the Royal Family since King George I)

Table of Contents:

Author's Note
Introduction
Christening Robes
Baptismal Fonts
Christening Cakes
Christening Locations
Christenings of the Royal Family
Appendix 1: "Churching" and Royal Mothers
Appendix 2: Christening Trivia
Appendix 3: The Royal Christening Robe
Sources
Acknowledgements

Author's Note

This document consists of the christening details of the Royal Family from King George I in 1660 including Queen Victoria in 1819 to their present-day male-line descendants (who were titled Prince or Princess of Great Britain with the style Royal Highness) who received the Rite of Baptism. These are the following exceptions:

√ included:

• the spouses of selected sovereigns (Prince Albert, Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and the Duke of Edinburgh)
• the spouses of the current Prince of Wales (Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall)
• the spouses of selected royal peers (the Duchesses of Gloucester: Alice and her daughter-in-law Birgitte; the Duchesses of Kent: Marina and her daughter-in-law Katharine)
• the only child of HRH Prince Arthur of Great Britain (Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught)
• the children of HRH Prince William Great Britain, Duke of Gloucester (Sophia Matilda, Caroline and William, Duke of Gloucester)

not included:

• the descendants of George V, King of Hanover (son of Prince Ernest Augustus of Great Britain, Duke of Cumberland, later Ernst August, King of Hanover)
• the descendants of Prince Charles Edward of Great Britain, Duke of Albany (later the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, son of Prince Leopold of Great Britain, Duke of Albany)

"Christening Information" is divided into ten sections. The first section is the Author's Note; the second section (Introduction) provides a brief history of royal christenings; the third section (Christening Robes) discusses christenings heirlooms; the fourth section (Baptismal Fonts) reviews the fonts used at christenings; the fifth section (Christening Cakes) describes selected christenings cakes; the sixth section (Christening Locations) looks at the various christening locations; the seventh section (Christenings of the Royal Family) contains the baptismal information for members of the royal family; the eighth section features three appendices ("Churching" and Royal Mothers, Christening Trivia, and The Royal Christening Robe); the ninth section contains the sources used and consulted during the preparation of this document; the tenth and final section is the Acknowledgments.

The seventh section (Christenings of the Royal Family) is presented in chronological order, beginning in 1660 and ending in 2004. Each entry (105 individuals) consists of the following data: the name (and/or title) of the individual; the names of his or her parents; the date and location of birth (and death, where applicable); the christening date, location, and principal officiating clergy; the name (or names) the child received at christening; the names of the godparents; and the main sources used to compile this information.

Unless otherwise indicated, the christenings were performed according to the Church of England (Anglican) rite.

When information is unknown or incomplete, this is indicated.

The date following an individual's name at the start of his or her entry indicates the year of his or her christening. If the christening date is unknown, the year of birth is indicated in parentheses. If more than one child was christened in a particular year, the month and the year of christening are indicated.

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Introduction

A christening is a religious occasion, which marks a child's entry into his or her Church. It is an outward sign of becoming a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. As the first sacrament in a person's life, baptism "marks the start of a journey of faith". (For information about infant baptism in the Church of England, see http://www.cofe.anglican.org/lifeevents/baptismconfirm/) Queen Victoria, who was not prone to 'religious dogmatizing', remarked that a christening was "indeed a holy and most important" ceremony and "an outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace".¹

Modern royal christenings are simple and quiet in character. They are held privately, by invitation, and attended by a small, exclusive group (members of the Royal family, godparents* and close friends). An exception was the baptism of Princess Eugenie, younger daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, who was christened during a regular Sunday morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham two days before Christmas 1990.²

* Royal godparents are usually called sponsors, but the term godparents will be used throughout this document.

Christenings are often held one or two months after the birth of a royal child, but have occurred much earlier if the child is in danger of not surviving. The infant son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who was born prematurely in April 1871 and lived only a few hours, was hastily christened the evening of his birth. One of the longest wait for a christening was the one held in December 1990 for Princess Eugenie, who was nine months old.

Royal christenings follow a long-established pattern, and almost always include three traditional items: the Honiton lace christening robe, the Lily Font, and consecrated water from the river Jordan. (The royal family's use of this water dates back to King Richard I, and is based on Christ's immersion in the Jordan river by John the Baptist.)³ The ceremony lasts about half an hour, and takes place in the late morning or afternoon. The Archbishop of Canterbury, as the spiritual head of the Church of England, often has the honour of baptising the baby. A hymn and sometimes an anthem are sung, with music selections ranging from specially-composed songs (such as Jubilate, composed by Prince Albert for the christening of his daughter Princess Helena in 1846) to Christmas carols (such as Away In A Manger, sung at Princess Beatrice of York's christening in December 1988). The royal family, godparents, guests and attendants place themselves near the font. The infant is carried into the room by the head nurse, who is accompanied by his or her mother's lady-in-waiting. The service begins with a hymn, and after a few words from the celebrant, the baby is placed in the arms of the main godparent, who in turn hands the child to the Archbishop. Holding the child, the Archbishop asks what the child's names are, and pours a little water over its forehead as he declares: "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The infant is then returned to the arms of the main godparent, who holds him or her briefly before placing the infant in the arms of the head nurse. Another hymn is sung, and the newly baptised child is lead out of the room by the nurse and lady-in-waiting. The company leaves the room in the order in which they entered, and proceed to a nearby room, where the baptismal register is signed.⁴ A reception follows the ceremony; photographs of the baby are taken with his or her family and godparents, and a light luncheon or tea party, including a christening cake, is served.

Compared to today's royal christenings, the early Georgian kings, and later Queen Victoria, with their love for pageantry, preferred highly organized, extravagant and expensive affairs. These christenings were often State occasions, with invitations issued to prominent individuals, such as members of foreign royal families, prime ministers, diplomats, and other illustrious guests. The baptisms were usually scheduled in the evening, as early as 6:30 p.m. (for the baptism of Princess Victoria, daughter of Queen Victoria, in 1841) and as late as 9:30 p.m. (for the baptism of Princess Charlotte, daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, in 1796). The baptism of the first-born son and heir to King George III in 1762 was the occasion for as much splendour as the proud sovereign could arrange. A new gilded mahogany state bed was built for Queen Charlotte; its only purpose: for Her Majesty to lounge upon during the ceremony.⁵ The bed, of "superlative magnificence", was embellished and ornamented with carvings, white ostrich plumes, gold lace-trimmed crimson velvet valances and curtains, and five mattresses. A "suit [matching set] of superfine Flanders point lace" costing £2,699 was added to the satin quilt, completing the ornate ensemble.⁶

For the christening of Queen Victoria's son and heir in 1842, Her Majesty spent £200,000, creating an event of 'unprecedented grandeur'.⁷ The baptism included a banquet, a christening cake over eight feet in diameter, fireworks and other entertainment.⁸ Her Majesty wore state jewels, the women wore evening dresses and tiaras, and the men wore uniforms and decorations. The Queen invited so many people to the event, that some of her guests had difficulty seeing much of the christening. The soon-to-be appointed royal Governess, the Dowager Baroness Lyttelton, described "being squeezed very close between the Duke of Wellington [...] and a somebody with an enormous silver mace on each side of me. Before me were numberless 'broad backs', and occasionally I could just see half the Queen's head through a crevice between elbows." Fortunately, Lady Lyttelton managed to catch a glimpse of "His Royal Highness [the infant Prince of Wales], mantle and lace and all" being handed to the Archbishop of Canterbury by the Queen's Mistress of the Robes, the Duchess of Buccleuch, then being taken back by her.⁹ The Prince of Wales's christening was not only memorable in its magnificence, but also unique because two royal baptismal fonts were used. The 1660 font, which was regilt and ornamented for the occasion by the Bond Street silversmith firm Storr and Mortimer, was used in conjunction with the newer Lily Font.¹⁰

The christening of Queen Victoria's fourth child, Prince Alfred, in 1844 was on a less grand scale than the one held for his elder brother, but it was nevertheless a chance for Her Majesty to celebrate lavishly. One of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting noticed the lack of restraint on this occasion, and wrote with some criticism that "everything Royal that can be collected comes for the Christening", adding "there were so many Bishops & Church dignatories [sic] that it looked almost like a Roman Catholic ceremony, for it was in the little Chapel by candlelight just before dinner".¹¹ Queen Victoria took no notice of such grumblings, not even public ones like those found in the satirical magazine Punch, which stated in 1853 after Prince Leopold's christening, that Her Majesty should "release all future Royal Christenings from the trappings of pomp and vanity with which custom has hitherto entangled them".¹²

Christening ceremonies of the last few decades have been relatively free of problems, but this has not always been the case. In the past, some royal parents had their children's names imposed on them, such as when Queen Victoria chose, without first notifying the parents, 'Albert Victor' as the name of the newborn son of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1864. (The Queen showed some consideration for her son and daughter-in-law's feelings by not 'objecting' to the young couple choosing additional names for their son.) Parents also had their choices of children's names vetoed by the monarch, for instance when King George IV requested 'Elizabeth' instead of 'Georgina' for the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Clarence in 1820. Christening dates are usually chosen in consultation with the Sovereign (or the Regent), but not for the Duke and Duchess of Kent, who were told at the last minute the date of the ceremony in 1819. Some parents weren't allowed to organise or participate in the planning of their child's christening, such as Queen Victoria's. Her uncle the Prince Regent ordered a private ceremony with only a few family members present, with "no dressing up, no uniforms glittering with gold [and no] grand occasion" allowed.¹³

Christenings have also had their share of 'bad fairies', who caused distress to the parents. For example, at the christening of Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Alice, in 1843, the Queen's uncle, the King of Hanover, arrived late for the ceremony, behaved rudely, "never [spoke] a kind word", and made a public fuss about the dispute with his niece over the ownership of Queen Charlotte's jewels.¹⁴ (Queen Victoria might have agreed with the future Prime Minister Lord Robert Cecil's commentary on royal pageantry in 1861 when he wrote that "something always breaks down, somebody contrives to escape doing his part, or some bye-motive is suffered to interfere and ruin it all.")¹⁵

There were no 'bad fairies' at the christening of the Queen's grandson, the infant Duke of Albany, in December 1884. The weather was fine, and the church bells rang, but the ceremony was overshadowed with sadness and poignancy, for the prince's father, Leopold (Queen Victoria's youngest son), had died tragically earlier that year. The Duke's mother and grandmother wore mourning: the former in "widow's weeds and [...] a long black crape veil" and the latter in a "black silk costume and black bonnet".¹⁶ After the ceremony, the Queen wrote to her granddaughter in Darmstadt that "the Christening at Claremont was very touching. [...] Poor dear Aunt Helen was [greatly] tried but behaved so courageously tho' she was nearly breaking down often, but she bore up till it was all over".¹⁷

Perhaps the last word on unhappy christenings should go to the events surrounding the baptism of Prince George, the King's grandson, the child. In November 1717, the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King George II and Queen Caroline), wanted the King (George I) and the King's brother (Prince Ernst August) to be godparents to their infant son. The Prince and his father quarrelled when His Majesty asserted his right to choose the godparents. A bitter fall-out resulted. The Prince of Wales was put under house arrest, and then was subsequently banished from his home at St James's Palace. The disgraced Prince and his wife faced further anguish when they lost the guardianship of their young children, Frederick, Anne, Amelia and Caroline, and were allowed to see them only with the King's permission. (Prince George - the child 'at the centre of a royal feud' - died when he was three months old in February 1718.)¹⁸

Footnotes:

1. Queen Victoria's Journal, 2 June 1843, quoted in Noel, Alice, p. 26.
2. Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004.
3. Majesty, Vol. 5, No. 9, January 1985, p. 17.
4. Royal register books have been maintained for centuries. The present brown-leather Royal register, with its cover stamped with the Royal Arms in gold, dates from 1963. Each entry in the Register records the details of the christening, such as the date; the names of the child; the signature of the person who officiated at the ceremony; and the signatures of the Royal Family who attended the baptism. ("The Monarchy Today: Ceremonies and Pageantry" from the British Monarchy website's at http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page3978.asp)
5. Hedley, Queen Charlotte, p. 76. The Queen's bed, known as the "Queen's Sitting-up State Bed", was built in sections and could be disassembled and reassembled when needed. The bed was used at the christenings of Her Majesty's other children.
6. Hedley, Queen Charlotte, pp 76-77 and Greig, Diaries, p. 50.
7. Majesty, Vol. 5, No. 9, January 1985, p. 17, and The Times, 10 January 1842.
8. Majesty, Vol. 5, No. 9, January 1985, p. 17.
9. Wyndham, Correspondence, pp 325-326.
10. The Times, 26 January 1842. Sir George Hayter's commemorative painting of the infant Prince's christening (The Christening of the Prince of Wales) illustrates how the older font was employed as a sort of holder or pedestal for the newer font. (See, for example, Gernsheim, Queen Victoria, p. 73, illustration 57)
11. Surtees, Canning, p. 127.
12. Quoted in Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 450.
13. Woodham-Smith, Queen Victoria, p. 34.
14. Longford, Victoria, p. 171, quoting the Queen's Journal, 2 June 1843. The disagreement between Queen Victoria and King Ernest centered upon the jewels acquired by the late Queen Charlotte during her marriage. Some of the jewels were considered part of the regalia of the kingdom of Hanover, but they had not left for that country in 1837 when Victoria succeeded in Great Britain and Ernest in Hanover. Despite a legal claim made in King Ernest's name soon after Queen Victoria came to the throne, a settlement was not reached until 1857, a few years after the King's death. It was left to his son, King George, to see his father's claim vindicated when he received the jewels in early 1858. (Twining, History, p. 165 and p. 370, and Bury, Jewellery, Vol. II, pp 792-798)
15. Cannadine, Ritual, p. 102. Lord Robert succeeded as 3rd Marquess of Salisbury in 1868. His royal 'observations' were published anonymously in an article in The Saturday Review, 9 February 1861.
16. The Times, 5 December 1884.
17. Hough, Advice, p. 71.
18. Plumb, First Four Georges, pp 55-56. According to Wallace/Taylor, Royal Mothers, p. 123, Prince George had been born with "a growth on his heart", and this condition contributed to his early death.

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Christening Robes

Honiton Lace Christening Robe*

* The first two syllables of Honiton rhyme with honey.

The Honiton lace christening robe, a "garment fashioned in a fairy-tale", began much in the same way as another 'fairy-tale' garment -- Queen Victoria's wedding dress.¹ Her Majesty wore a dress of creamy white lightweight finely-woven Spitalfields silk satin trimmed with Honiton bobbin lace at her wedding in February 1840.² Within a few months, the Queen turned to the same Devonshire village and commissioned a lace-maker from Honiton to make the lace for a christening gown.³ Sources claim the christening gown was based on the same design as Her Majesty's wedding dress.⁴ Picture evidence shows otherwise, because the wedding dress and the christening robe are of different styles, and the wedding lace and the christening lace are of different patterns.⁵

It is not known who was entrusted with the precious task of making the lace, but perhaps it was one of the women who held royal appointments to Her Majesty as manufacturers of Honiton lace between 1837 and 1842: Miss Jane Bidney and Mrs Esther Clark.⁶ It is also not known who created the design for the christening lace (although it might have been William Dyce, a pre-Raphaelite painter, who designed the Queen's wedding lace), nor is it known who was responsible for the design and the making of the satin christening robe itself. At the time of her marriage, Queen Victoria had two principal London dressmakers, Mrs Mary Bettans (who, it is speculated, might have been responsible for the Queen's wedding dress) and the firm Vouillon & Laure.⁷ It is possible that one of them made the christening robe. The lace for the royal robe was completed after labour-intensive manual work. Each square inch of lace took four hours to complete.⁸

The royal christening robe* of Honiton lace over white silk satin follows classical lines of such garments: a high waist, short sleeves, and a long skirt. The robe is composed of four main elements: the gown, cap, cloak and mantle. (A fifth element might have been tiny matching satin slippers or shoes (commonly known as booties) to complete the christening ensemble.) Over the full-length dress (sometimes referred to as a petticoat or lining) of white Spitalfields silk satin is netting of fine white Honiton cotton lace in an intricate floral design. The dress has cap sleeves (also of fine white Honiton cotton lace), and a wide, full-length sash with fringed ends gathered in a large bow that hangs from the bodice.⁹ Narrow bands of ruched (pleated) silk trim each side of the decorative centre spray of open ribbed leaves and flowers. There is also a matching cap of Honiton lace, a cloak of crimson-coloured velvet lined with ermine, and a mantle of white satin edged with Honiton lace. Queen Victoria was a sentimental woman and kept some of her children's first or early clothing, including the "ermine-trimmed velvet christening capes used for her two eldest children [Vicky and Bertie]".¹⁰ Princess Vicky's cape or mantle is now preserved in the Museum of London.¹¹

* The description of the robe is a blend of details from two sources: Luxton, Royal Honiton Lace, p. 48 and The Times (3 June 1843, 29 June 1853 and 11 March 1864).

The robe, which gained fame as "an institution in Queen Victoria's family", was first worn by Her Majesty's eldest child, Princess Victoria, at her christening in February 1841.¹² Following the ceremony, Her Majesty wrote in her Journal that her infant daughter "looked very dear in a white Honiton point lace robe and mantle, over white satin".¹³ Sources that claim the robe was made in 1841-1842 and first worn by the Prince of Wales are unfortunately mistaken.¹⁴ When Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter, Lady Louise Windsor, was christened in 2004, Buckingham Palace issued a press release that stated the "Royal christening robe, of fine Honiton lace lined with white satin, was made in 1841 for the christening of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Victoria, Princess Royal."¹⁵ In 1894, the Queen gave the guardianship of the heirloom robe to her granddaughter-in-law the Duchess of York (later Queen Mary).¹⁶

The 165-year old robe is in good condition, but its net background has become fragile and delicate, its white lace has turned creamy, and its Victorian satin has worn out. (The robe's original colour has subtly changed over the century, evolving from "white to cream, from cream to ivory, from ivory to icy, smooth magnolia".)¹⁷ The gown required mending by royal couturier Norman Hartnell before it was worn by Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips at his christening in 1977.¹⁸ After each use, the royal christening robe is carefully hand-washed in sterilised water, and dried before being wrapped in layers of black tissue paper and placed in an airtight container. The robe is stored at Buckingham Palace.¹⁹

Between 1841 and 2004, the royal christening robe was worn by approximately sixty-two individuals.* (For a list of Queen Victoria's descendants who wore the royal christening robe at their baptism, see Appendix 2: "The Royal Christening Robe", further below.)

* Guinness World Records, in its "Most Babies Christened in the Same Robe" category, asserts that "To date [April 2000], 68 royal babies have been christened in the robe."²⁰

Other Royal Christening Gowns

Queen Victoria was not the only member of the royal family to use a christening robe featuring Honiton lace. Her aunt, the Duchess of Cambridge, had a Regency-style gown with matching baby cap of Honiton lace appliqué on machine net made for the christening of her three children (born between 1819 and 1833).²¹

The christening robe worn by King George III at his baptism in 1738 left the Royal Family's possession when Queen Charlotte, the King's wife, gave the heirloom to the Ritso family. George Frederick Ritso, a Captain in the Royal Engineers, was a childhood playmate of His Majesty. (His wife Louisa was employed in Queen Charlotte's household.) Captain Ritso's granddaughter, who died in 1915 at the age of 103, wore the robe at her christening.²²

Another royal christening robe that might have been given away by the Royal Family was the one worn by Prince Edward (later Duke of Kent), younger son of King George III and Queen Charlotte, at his baptism in 1767. The nearly 150-year old robe was worn by the son and heir of the Earl and Countess Clanwilliam at his christening in July 1914.²³

For his christening in September 1762, the future King George IV wore a "richly embroidered satin robe and sleeves", and was supported on a "white satin pillow bordered with flowers worked in gold and spangles".²⁴

Following the birth of her granddaughter in January 1796, Queen Charlotte sent gifts to her son, the future King George IV. Along with the gifts, the Queen sent a letter in which she explained that, in addition to sending a cradle, a "Christning [sic] suit accompanies this, which is trimmed with the Princess lace, as also the cushion and sheet of the cradle."²⁵

In early 1920, The Times reported that the infant daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Carisbrooke (eldest son of HRH Princess Beatrice) wore a christening robe that had belonged to Queen Victoria. This does not seem to be the Honiton lace christening robe, however, based on the newspaper's description of a "cream satin [robe] trimmed with Brussels lace [...] worn with a cloak of corded silk [and] ornamented with old Irish lace".²⁶

As for what the infant Queen Victoria wore at her baptism, there is unfortunately no surviving account or description of her christening gown. But in 1819, the Duchess of Kent spent £103 18s 6d 'for dressmaking for Princess Victoria'; it is possible that some of this money was spent on christening apparel for her daughter.²⁷

Footnotes:

1. Arnold, Little Princes, p. 86. Unfortunately, the author makes an error when she says the christening robe is "made of pure Holland lace".
2. Costume, Number 17, p. 1. Honiton lace "is a bobbin lace in which the separately worked motifs are joined together by hand or applied to machine-made net." (Staniland, In Royal Fashion, p. 120)
3. Costume, Number 17, p. 7.
4. Majesty, Vol. 11, No. 12, December 1990, p. 39 and People Weekly, Fall 1990, p. 132.
5. Staniland, In Royal Fashion, p. 119 and Luxton, Royal Honiton Lace, pp 49-51.
6. Yallop, Honiton Lace Industry, p. 150. Records indicate that Miss Bidney (who made the lace for the Queen's wedding dress) received £250 in payment in 1840, and that Mrs Clarke received £111 in 1840-1841. Perhaps a portion of these amounts were for producing christening lace.
7. Staniland, In Royal Fashion, p. 121. The robe was entirely of British manufacture. (The Times, 3 June 1843)
8. Majesty, Vol. 11, No. 12, December 1990, p. 39 and People Weekly, Fall 1990, p. 132.
9. The sash can be clearly seen with the christening robe in photographs taken at the baptism of the future King Edward VIII in July 1894. See the four-generation christening photograph (by W. & D. Downey) of the infant prince sleeping in the arms of his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, with his grandfather the Prince of Wales and his father the Duke of York standing behind the Queen. (Gernsheim, Queen Victoria, p. 229, illustration 286) Also, the sash is clearly visible in the photographs taken (by Patrick Lichfield) at the baptism of Lady Louise Windsor (Queen Elizabeth II's youngest granddaughter) in April 2004. (Majesty, Vol. 25, No. 6, June 2004, p. 35)
10. Staniland, In Royal Fashion, p. 124.
11. Costume, Number 17, p. 31 note 16. A mantle is a sleeveless garment similar to a cloak but shorter.
12. Costume, Number 17, p. 7.
13. Queen Victoria's Journal for 10 February 1841, quoted in Costume, Number 17, p. 7.
14. These incorrect sources include Luxton, Royal Honiton Lace, p. 44, Majesty, Vol. 5, No. 9, January 1985, p. 15, Majesty, Vol. 9, No. 10, February 1988, p. 33, People Weekly, Fall 1990, p. 132, and The Times, 4 August 1982 (regarding the christening of Prince William of Wales).
15. Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004.
16. The Times, 10 December 1948 and Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004.
17. Arnold, Little Princes, p. 86.
18. Luxton, Royal Honiton Lace, p. 48; Majesty, Vol. 9, No. 10, February 1988, p. 33; Majesty, Vol. 11, No. 12, December 1990, p. 39 and People Weekly, Fall 1990, p. 132.
19. Majesty, Vol. 5, No. 9, January 1985, p. 15; Majesty, Vol. 11, No. 12, December 1990, p. 39; and People Weekly, Fall 1990, p. 132. According to Kidd, Royal Children, p. 130, the christening robe is stored in a cedarwood chest.
20. Guinness World Records at http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/index.asp?id=54514
21. Luxton, Royal Honiton Lace, p. 66. This information is in contrast with Jackman, People's Princess, p. 21 where the author (who unfortunately does not cite his source) states that the Duchess of Cambridge's youngest child, Princess Mary Adelaide, wore at her christening a "long robe 'à drap d'argent all tied with pink bows, and an enormous long train of the same all trimmed with fine Brussels lace'".
22. The Times, 2 March 1915. Captain Ritso's parents were employed in the household of the Prince and Princess of Wales (Frederick and Augusta), while his brother-in-law Dr. John Frederick Charles Grimm was Court Physician to the Duke of Saxe-Gotha, grandfather of Prince Albert. (The Times, 25 September 1866)
23. The Times, 9 July 1914. The robe was either lent specially for the event, or had left the possession of the Royal Family.
24. Hedley, Queen Charlotte, p. 77. According to the author, the christening robe is now in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle.
25. Staniland, In Royal Fashion, p. 34, quoting Queen Charlotte's letter to her son the Prince of Wales from A. Aspinall, ed. The Correspondence of George, Prince of Wales 1770-1812, vol. III, p. 151.
26. The Times, 2 March 1920.
27. Staniland, In Royal Fashion, p. 82.

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Baptismal Fonts

Lily Font

The Lily Font was first used at the baptism of Queen Victoria's eldest child, Princess Victoria, in 1841.¹ Lacking "doctrinal symbolism", the font nevertheless has a "natural floral charm", and, as mentioned in a contemporary newspaper account, was "very elegant in its form, and exquisitely finished".² The font was designed by Prince Albert,³ but no drawing or sketch of this design has been found.⁴ It is said that the font was made because Queen Victoria "objected to an earlier font on the ground that the illegitimate children of one of her predecessors had been christened in it".⁵ In 1978, The Times stated that a ewer was made simultaneously with the Lily Font, but this is probably an error.⁶ There isn't any evidence for this 1841 ewer in The Crown Jewels, although it says that an earlier ewer (made ca 1835, see below) "is now used for Royal christenings with the Lily font".⁷

The font was crafted by Edward Barnard and his sons Edward Jr., John and William, of Barnard & Company, whose mark is found in full on the outer edge of the font's foot, and found in part on the inside of the bowl.⁸ After completion, the font was invoiced to the London goldsmiths firm E. & W. Smith the day before the christening in February 1841.⁹

The one-piece portable Lily Font is 17" (432 mm) high, with the bowl having a diameter of 17" (432 mm); the total weight is 319 oz. 12 dwt (9.94kg).¹⁰ The Times described the font as a "beautifully formed tazza of silver-gilt", which "showed a great deal of elegant fancy in the design, and the most consummate skill in the execution".¹¹

Starting with the base*, the wide triangular plinth is entirely decorated with foliage of acanthus leaves and a trio of cherubs playing the lyre.¹² Resting their backs against the font's stem, the infant angels, who are "boldly executed in full relief", sit above "three coats-of-arms and supporters, the first of Queen Victoria accolé with Prince Albert, the second of the Prince with the Garter Motto and the third of the Princess Royal, with bold fluted scrolls between", also in full relief.¹³ The high, sturdy leaf stem is "composed of outcurved matted leaves".¹⁴ It supports a large round shell, whose rim has "an applied border of eight open water-lilies with buds and leaves between, and a central lily rosette".¹⁵

* The description of the font is drawn from three sources: The Crown Jewels (a scholarly work, which provides two comprehensive descriptions of the Lily Font, with accompanying photo), The Times (various christening accounts of Queen Victoria's children), and The Royal Encyclopedia (its article "Lily Font").

The font was used primarily in the private chapels at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, but it was also used outside these traditional royal venues, such as at St Ann's Church in Bagshot for the christening of Princess Patricia (the youngest child of the Duke of Connaught) in 1886, and at White Lodge in Richmond Park for the christening of Prince Edward (eldest child of the Duke of York) in 1894. Additionally, the use of the font was not limited to the christenings of Queen Victoria's male-line descendants, but was also used at some of her female-line descendants, such as at the christening of Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (eldest child of Princess Alice) at Windsor Castle in 1863, and at the christening of Princess Victoria's son, the future Earl Mountbatten of Burma, at Frogmore House in 1900.

The Lily Font was stored at Windsor Castle until the mid-1960s when it moved to the Tower of London, where it joined other royal exhibits in the Jewel House.¹⁶

Other Royal Baptismal Fonts

The earliest surviving royal font is the silver-gilt font and basin made on the orders of King Charles II.¹⁷ It is dated 1660, and is sometimes referred incorrectly as the 'gold font' or the '1660 gold font'.¹⁸ The font was made by an unknown craftsman, although the mark RF (which appears in several places on the font) suggests the possibility that it might have been goldsmith Richard Farmer, who worked in London at this time.¹⁹

The font is 37 1/2" (952 mm) high overall, with a 23 1/8" (587 mm) wide basin. The font and cover weigh 621 oz. 10 dwt (19.33 kg), while the basin weighs 292 oz. 12 dwt (9.10 kg); the overall weight is 914 oz. 3 dwt (28.43 kg).²⁰

This unique font of 'considerable virtuosity' is described by the authoritative Crown Jewels as:

a circular bowl supported by a tall cylindrical stem with a central knop [a small decorative knob] and spreading circular foot. Its domed cover rises to a circular vase finial [an ornamental terminating part] [...]. The bowl of the font is repoussé and finely chased* with ropes and drapery involving six cherubs [...]. The stem is chased with flowers and foliage in flat relief and the knop and foot with acanthus and palm leaves. The cover border is similarly decorated to the bowl [...]. The basin or dish stand is of shaped circular outline, finely chased with birds, flowers and cherubs [...]²¹

* repoussé and chasing are metalsmithing techniques; one method of repoussé is "the combination of tracing the design on the front of the piece using liners (tracers), raising a relief by pushing from the back using different punches, and finally working the details on the front of the piece", while chasing involves "working on the front of the piece only". (from "Ornamental Chasing and Repoussé", by Valentin Yotkov, Bulgarian master silversmith at http://www.valentinyotkov.com/article.htm)

The font was first officially used for the christening of Prince James Francis Edward, son of King James II, in October 1688.²² It was regilt in 1702, and was then used at royal christenings until Princess Charlotte's baptism in 1796, apparently the last recorded occasion.²³ (The font was used for nearly all of King George III's children, according to certain sources.)²⁴ Although there isn't any official documentation, records suggest it was also used at the christening of the future Queen Victoria in 1819.²⁵ The font was used at the christening of Victoria's son in 1842, but it played a supporting role. The font, standing in its basin, rested on a low platform; within this larger font was placed the smaller Lily Font that held the water with which the Prince of Wales was christened.²⁶ The 1660 font was used perhaps for the last time at the christening of Princess Alice, Queen Victoria's third child, in 1843, where it was used in the same manner as in the previous year.²⁷ After this date, though, it does not seem to have been used, either as the principal font, or as a secondary font. No mention of its use is found in descriptions of subsequent royal christenings (for example, those in The Times), nor is it featured in paintings of royal christenings (for example, the Christening of Prince Alfred, by James Doyle, in 1844).

The 1660 christening font and basin is part of the kingdom's regalia and is stored in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.²⁸

Other items associated with past royal baptisms include a silver-gilt christening basin and ewer of British manufacture made about 1735. Engraved inscriptions found on both items state that "this ewer and basin was used at the Christening of George the Third [and] at the Christening of H.R.H. Prince Alfred Son of George the Third".²⁹ The oval basin is 18" (457 mm) long and weighs 80 oz. 1 dwt (2.49 kg). The overall height of the pear-shaped ewer is 18" (457 mm), and weighs 97 oz. 8 dwt (2.47 kg). Both pieces are engraved with the Royal arms of King George III. The maker and supplier of the basin and ewer are unknown, but it was possibly goldsmith George Wickes, a royal warrant holder of Frederick, Prince of Wales.³⁰

Finally, a large, round silver dish and matching rose-water ewer, made in Augsburg ca 1715, were used at the christening of the future Queen Mary in July 1867. The dish was also used at the christening of Prince Edward of York, later King Edward VIII, in 1894 and possibly used at the christening of his younger brother Albert (later King George VI) in 1896. The two pieces, decorated in "the formal baroque manner", were sold at auction for £900 in April 1968.³¹

Footnotes:

1. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 449, and Illustrated London News, 18 December 1948. Vicky's christening is commemorated in the painting Christening of the Princess Royal, by C.R. Leslie. (See, for example, Gernsheim, Queen Victoria, p. 70, illustration 53)
2. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 443, and The Times, 11 February 1841.
3. Allison/Riddell, Royal Encyclopedia, p. 313.
4. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 450.
5. The Times, 22 March 1978.
6. The Times, 22 March 1978. A ewer is a decorative water pitcher with handle and spout.
7. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 447.
8. Blair, Crown Jewels, pp 449-450.
9. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 449. Twice, on the occasions of the christenings of Princess Victoria and her sister Princess Helena, The Times reported that the firm "Messrs. E. and W. Smith" was responsible for the new font. (The Times, 11 February 1841 and 24 July 1846). Nearly one hundred years later, a letter to the editor of The Times written a few days after the christening of the Duke of Kent's daughter, Princess Alexandra, in 1937 stated that firm "E. J. and W. Barnard" made the font. (The Times, 12 February 1937) The Times was correct in its reports, in so far that both firms were involved with the font.
10. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 449. This source features a photograph of the Lily Font (p. 448). The Illustrated London News, 18 December 1948, also features a large photograph of the font (p. 685).
11. The Times, 11 March 1864 and The Times, 11 February 1841. A tazza is an ornamental cup or vase with a large, flat, shallow bowl, resting on a pedestal.
12. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 449, and The Royal Encyclopedia, p. 313.
13. The Times, 24 July 1846, and Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 449.
14. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 449. Allison/Riddell, Royal Encyclopedia, p. 313 says the stem is lily-shaped.
15. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 449.
16. Allison/Riddell, Royal Encyclopedia, p. 313. The newly-renovated underground Jewel House, which displays and stores the Lily font, Crown jewels, Coronation robes, and many other priceless items, was opened to the public in July 1967. (The Times, 6 July 1967) The font was kept at Windsor Castle as late as 1962, when it was brought to Buckingham Palace for the christening of the Earl of St. Andrews, elder son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, in September 1962. (The Times, 15 September 1962)
17. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 444, which adds that the King's cypher CR and crown are engraved upon the font. The Times, 12 February 1937 gives a range of years, that is, 1660-1661.
18. The only gold font in England (the "most valuable vessel in private hands") seems to have been the solid gold font (222 oz. of 22-carat gold) made in the 1790s by goldsmith Paul Storr's firm for the christening of Viscount Woodstock, grandson of the 3rd Duke of Portland. Known as the "Portland Font" or the "George III Font", it was sold at auction for £950,400 in 1985 after the death of the 7th Duke of Portland in 1977. (The Times, 3 June 1985, 4 July 1985, 9 July 1985 and 12 July 1985)
19. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 444.
20. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 443.
21. Blair, Crown Jewels, pp 443-444.
22. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 444, and Woodham-Smith, Queen Victoria, p. 35. Other sources incorrectly report when the font was first used. For example, The Times, 26 January 1842, on the occasion of the christening of the Prince of Wales, stated that the font was "used at the christening of Charles II". St Aubyn, Edward VII, p. 17 goes further back in time by stating that the Prince was baptised from "the font used for the christening of Charles I".
23. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 445.
24. The Times, 12 February 1937, and Woodham-Smith, Queen Victoria, p. 35.
25. Woodham-Smith, Queen Victoria, p. 35. The author adds that "the weight of contemporary evidence is so great that the use of the 'gold font' [at the christening] is accepted as an historical fact". According to other biographies of Her Majesty (among them Lee, Queen Victoria, p. 11, and Longford, Victoria, p. 24), the 'gold font' was part of the christening ceremony.
26. The Christening of the Prince of Wales, by Sir George Hayter, in, for example, Gernsheim, Queen Victoria, p. 73, illustration 57.
27. Illustrated London News, 18 December 1948. (which shows, on p. 686, an engraving of Princess Alice's christening taken from an 1843 Illustrated London News.)
28. King Charles II's font seems to be the same one as the "London No. 1, Tower of London Regalia royal font (London)" mentioned in the 'Font Inventory' of Baptisteria Sacra: An Iconographic Index of Baptismal Fonts (at http://www.library.utoronto.ca/bsi/index.html), and the same font itemized in the official list of the Regalia stored in the Jewel House at the Tower of London, and which is described as "a noble silver font, double gilt, that the kings and royal family were christened in". (London in 1731, by Don Manoel Gonzales, London: Cassell & Co., reprinted 1888, and seen as a Project Gutenberg etext at http://etext.teamnesbitt.com/books/etext/etext01/londn10.txt.html) This last list seems to be taken from a broadsheet titled "A List of Her [Majesty's] Regalia, besides Plate, and other Rich Things, at the Jewel-House in the Tower of London" and circulated during the reign of Queen Anne. It is reproduced as an illustration (Plate 38) on p. 64 of The English Regalia: Their History, Custody & Display, by Martin Holmes and H.D.W. Sitwell (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1972). The font is item number 8: "A Noble Silver Font, double Gilt, that the Queen and Royal Family were [Christened] in."
29. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 447.
30. Blair, Crown Jewels, p. 447.
31. The Times, 11 April 1968. The dish and ewer were sent to the Christie's sale by Lady Mary Whitley, a great-niece of Queen Mary.

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Christening Cakes

Princess Victoria of Great Britain, Princess Royal

The Princess Royal's christening cake was described by The Times in the following words: it was "of the most enormous dimensions; round it was a wreath of flowers; on the top of it a rock, surmounting which Neptune, driving his hippocampi, and in the car a figure of Britannia, holding in her arms the Infant Princess Royal, the whole being executed in sugar, and being a very fair specimen of the confectioner's skill".¹

Queen Victoria kept samples of Vicky and Bertie's christening cakes in small silver boxes.²

King Edward VII

The Prince of Wales's christening cake was an even more elaborate creation than the cake served at his elder sister's baptism. Two men were responsible for making this cake: Mr. Mawditt (first yeoman in the confectionery department) and his assistant Mr. Thomas (second yeoman). They began their task in mid-December 1841 with the "manufacture of some splendid and appropriate devices for the 'christening cake' of the infant Prince [...]".³ The finished product was put on display in the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle, which adjoins the lengthy and lofty St George's Hall where the guests dined at the State Banquet, and where the cake was cut and distributed to the guests.⁴ The Times reported that the cake was:

"on a scale of magnitude and magnificence quite unrivalled, [it] stands on a silver plateau about 30 inches in diameter, and is, with its figured ornaments, upwards of 4 feet high. Without its ornaments it would appear like a Colosseum of sugar. The base is ornamented with the rose, shamrock, and thistle. Immediately above are medallions in silver of the Queen and Prince, all around alternating with the Prince of Wales's plume. Over the medallions are placed the Royal arms, while above the feathers appear the arms and emblems (the harp and leek) of Wales. The upper edge of the cake is corniced with an ornamental scroll. Above this are six pediments, with three pedestals on the uppermost, on which are placed female figures representing Ceres, Justice, and Plenty, and on yet loftier pedestals appear Britannia bearing the infant Prince, Clio with her historic pencil in hand, and St. David with his harp invoking a blessing on the child. Between these three last figures is the baptismal font, the whole being executed in a style of exquisite art by the Chief Yeoman of Her Majesty's Confectionary, Mr. Mawditt."⁵

Prince Alfred of Great Britain, Duke of Edinburgh (later the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)

Prince Alfred's christening cake was placed on display in the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle. The cake's decoration was again entrusted to Mr. Mawditt, Her Majesty's Confectioner. It was on a somewhat less grand scale than the cake prepared for the Prince of Wales, but nonetheless elegant. (Viscountess Canning, one of Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting who was in attendance at the dinner thought the cake looked 'small and genteel'.)⁶ The "top [of the cake] was covered with a representation of an elegant fountain [...] from the centre of which arose a figure of Peace, bearing in her hand a crown of laurel; a cornucopia at her feet and supported by a number of infantine figures; the sides of the cake were tastefully decorated with garlands of artificial flowers."⁷

Princess Helena of Great Britain

Princess Helena's cake was the "principal ornament of the supper table" at the banquet held on the evening of her christening at Buckingham Palace. Mr. Mawditt, Her Majesty's Confectioner, once again had the honour of making the cake, which was "encircled with garlands of flowers, and was covered with an open circular temple supported by arcades, the front of each pier having a column entwined with small artificial flowers, while miniature bouquets were inserted in vases placed in the opening of each arch."⁸

Prince Arthur of Great Britain, Duke of Connaught

Prince Arthur's "magnificent christening cake" was "exquisitely decorated" and an "object of great interest".⁹ The cake was placed "on the middle of the dinner table on the plateau of the magnificent service of gold plate" during the banquet that was held after his baptism. The top of the cake "represented an octangular [octagonal] fountain, ornamented with a number of small vases filled with miniature bouquets. The fountain rested on a circular plinth, containing a number of painted vignettes set in silver frames."¹⁰

Prince Leopold of Great Britain, Duke of Albany

Prince Leopold's cake was on display "in the centre of the table opposite to Her Majesty's seat" during the State Banquet in the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace. The christening cake "was raised in three portions or stages, the base being decorated with wreaths of white and red roses. The two upper divisions were faced with crimson satin, on which were displayed, in white letters, the initials "P.L.", surmounted by a crown varied with ornaments of pearls and white roses. The cake was crowned with a golden cup, filled with flowers. Oval ornaments, representing the four seasons, were placed round the cake."¹¹

Prince Albert Victor of Great Britain, Duke of Clarence

Prince Albert Victor had a "superb christening cake" that was placed "conspicuously" in the Ball Supper Room, where the royal guests assembled for their refreshments.¹²

Prince Arthur of Great Britain

Following the baptism of her grandson Prince Arthur in February 1883, Queen Victoria sent "some of little Baby Arthur's Christening cake" to her Hessian grandchildren in Darmstadt.¹³

The Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII)

The future King Edward VIII had at least three christening cakes. In addition to the two cakes that had been received at White Lodge where the christening took place, the ladies of Cheltenham gave as their gift to the infant Prince a cake paid for through subscription.¹⁴

Princess Mary of Great Britain, Princess Royal

Princess Mary's christening cake was made by the Edinburgh firm McVitie and Price. The cake "weighed about 70lb., and was surmounted by a banner bearing the Royal coronet and the letters 'V.A.A.M.', the initials of the Princess."¹⁵

HM The Queen

The future Queen Elizabeth II's christening cake was also made by McVitie and Price.¹⁶ After her afternoon christening, "there was a small family tea party at 17 Bruton Street, residence of the Duke and Duchess of York, when the Duchess cut the magnificent christening cake, which was ornamented in traditional fashion with a silver cradle."¹⁷ It seems that just a handful of newspapers reported the christening or published a photograph of the "simple cake decorated with the white roses of the House of York and a little silver cradle with a baby inside".¹⁸

Princess Margaret of Great Britain

An "enormous cake was sent down from Scotland" for Princess Margaret's christening.¹⁹ Soon after the baptism, her mother the Duchess of York "sent to each home in Glamis [in Scotland] a piece of Princess Margaret Rose's christening cake. The boxes, each bearing the inscription, "H.R.H. Princess Margaret Rose of York's christening cake" have just been delivered by post", reported The Times.²⁰

HRH The Duke of Kent

Prince Edward's "big white christening cake was cut in one of the State rooms" at Buckingham Palace.²¹

HRH The Prince of Wales

Three main cakes were made for Prince Charles' christening in December 1948. All of them were on display in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, where a family reception was held after the ceremony.²² The principal cake was made by McVitie and Price from the top tier of the official cake made for the wedding of Prince Charles' parents. More precisely, this top tier was "redecorated to form a christening cake for the Prince by hands which assisted in making the christening cake for his mother". It featured intricate lace work done in icing and was topped with a silver cradle in which a "baby doll dressed by the Royal School of Art Needlework in a christening robe" slept.²³ The second confection was a "magnificent christening cake" that weighed 130 lbs and was 36 inches high.²⁴ It was made by the students of the National Bakery School from ingredients supplied from around the British Empire.²⁵ The cake, exhibited at the Borough Polytechnic before the christening. is a sturdy, square-shaped cake topped with a coronet.²⁶ The third cake of two tiers was a group effort, and was contributed by the Universal Cookery and Food Association. The ingredients were supplied by the Association, the marzipan was made by students of the Acton Technical College, and the icing and decoration were made by Mr. E.C. Bell of the Worshipful Company of Bakers. The lower tier was made by the Manchester Training College of Domestic Economy, and the upper tier was made by the Monkey Club. The cake was decorated with small silver charms and other silver ornaments that were made by war-disabled ex-service silversmiths.²⁷ Last, a smaller cake (made for a 'private celebration') was baked by Mrs. Barnes, the cook at Prince Charles' parents' rented country house, Windlesham Moor in Berkshire. Mrs. Barnes "was obliged to limit the amount of sugar in the cake" due to war-time rations that were still in effect.²⁸

HRH The Princess Royal

Princess Anne had a "one-tier christening cake covered with white icing and surmounted by a small silver cradle containing a baby dressed in ivory lace. The front panel of the cake was decorated with the coats of arms of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh."²⁹

HRH Prince William of Great Britain

Prince William's christening cake was "by tradition the top layer of the Prince and Princess [of Wales'] wedding cake". Pieces of the cake were "distributed to 182 men of the Welsh Guards and the Parachute Regiment wounded in the Falklands conflict."³⁰

Footnotes:

1. The Times, 11 February 1841.
2. Staniland, In Royal Fashion, p. 124.
3. The Times, 18 December 1841.
4. Kidd, Royal Children, p. 30.
5. The Times, 26 January 1842.
6. Surtees, Charlotte Canning, p. 128.
7. The Times, 7 September 1844.
8. The Times, 27 July 1846.
9. Aston, His Royal Highness, p. 37.
10. The Times, 24 June 1850.
11. The Times, 29 June 1853.
12. Illustrated London News, 12 March 1864 and The Times, 11 March 1864.
13. Hough, Advice, p. 43.
14. The Times, 16 July 1894.
15. The Times, 8 June 1897.
16. The Times, 1 May 1926.
17. quoted in Rhodes (Usenet).
18. Courtney, Royal Children, p. 123.
19. Clear, Royal Children, p. 99.
20. The Times, 25 November 1930.
21. The Times, 21 November 1935.
22. The Times, 15 December 1948, The Times, 16 December 1948 and Holden, Prince Charles, p. 63.
23. Illustrated London News, 18 December 1948, which shows, on p. 687, a photograph of the cake and a close-up of the silver cradle.
24. Kidd, Royal Children, p. 122.
25. Illustrated London News, 18 December 1948.
26. Illustrated London News, 18 December 1948 and Kidd, Royal Children, p. 122. Photographs of the cake are found on p. 687 and p. 122 of these publications respectively.
27. Illustrated London News, 18 December 1948.
28. Kidd, Royal Children, pp 122-123.
29. The Times, 23 October 1950.
30. The Times, 5 August 1982.

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Christening Locations

Churches

All Saints Church, St Paul's Walden Bury

All Saints is located near the house of St Paul's Walden Bury, Hertfordshire. It is a small and pretty 12th-century village church. One of its south aisle windows contains a memorial to the Honourable Sir David Bowes-Lyon, youngest brother of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who was for many years church warden at All Saints.

Christ Church, Esher

Christ Church, built in 1854, is also known as Esher (Parish) Church. It is located in the centre of the small community of Esher, Surrey about 15 miles southwest of London. Nearby is Claremont, once the home of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (Queen Victoria's youngest son). Christ Church's architectural style is described as "restrained Victorian Gothic". The Church, with its "fine tower and spire", has monuments to Prince Leopold, husband of Princess Charlotte, heiress presumptive from 1796-1817 (Leopold later became King of the Belgians in 1831), and to the Duke of Albany.

St Anne's Church, Bagshot

St Anne's is a neo-gothic style church in Bagshot, Surrey. The church was built in 1883-1884 on land donated by HRH The Duke of Connaught (Queen Victoria's younger son) from his estate called Bagshot Park. The pews of St Anne's are made from specially imported Canadian pine. In March 1990, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother unveiled a plaque in memory of Lady Patricia Ramsay (née Princess Patricia, younger daughter of the Duke of Connaught), who lived nearby in the village of Windlesham and who worshipped regularly at St Anne's. Other Connaught links include the Duke's silken Garter banner, which his family gave to the Church after his death in 1942, a seascape near the lectern painted by Lady Patricia, and a carving over the pulpit depicting the Crucifixion that was given by the Duke's son, Prince Arthur.

St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham

St Mary Magdalene is also known as Sandringham Church or Sandringham Parish Church. It is located on the Sandringham estate near King's Lynn, Norfolk. The church's history dates to at least 1321, but its association with the royal family begins in 1862 when the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) bought the Sandringham estate. The royal family worships here when it is in residence at Sandringham; two pews in the chancel are reserved for the royal family, its guests and members of the Household. The public is welcome to attend the services. The christening font is at the west end of the church. Princess Eugenie of York, Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter, is the most recent member of the royal family to be christened here in 1990.

St Peter's, Hovingham

St Peter's is a small church, located next door to Hovingham Hall near York, Yorkshire, the home of the Worsley baronets. Its rose-marble christening font dates back to Saxon times.

Chapels

Chapel Royal, St James's Palace

The Chapel Royal is one of two chapels at St James's Palace (the other is the Queen's Chapel). King Henry VIII acquired a convent on the site of what is now St James's Palace in 1531. He had the convent rebuilt, but little of the building remains today except for the chapel. In 1836, the chapel was enlarged and renovated with oak panelling and a new ceiling. It was damaged during World War II, and subsequently restored. The chapel is used as a place of worship and has been the location of weddings (for example, Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert) and christenings (the most recent one seems to be that of Lady Amelia Windsor, granddaughter of HRH The Duke of Kent, in December 1995). It was here that the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales was placed before the altar prior to her funeral in September 1997. The Royal Chapel is not open to the public except for Sunday services from October to Easter.

Private Chapel, Buckingham Palace

One of King George III's libraries, the Octagon Library, built in the 1760s, was converted into a chapel; it was located on the south side of Buckingham Palace. In the early years of Queen Victoria's reign, Her Majesty had one of the Palace's conservatories (located on the west garden side of Buckingham Palace) transformed into a chapel, because she did not like the older octagonal chapel. When it was completed, the new chapel was consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury in March 1843, just in time for the christening of Queen Victoria's daughter Alice that June. Nearly one hundred years later, the chapel was destroyed during World War II when the Palace was hit by bombs in September 1940. Princess Alexandra, daughter of the Duke of Kent, and Princess Irene, granddaughter of Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands, were the last royal children to be christened in the chapel in 1937 and 1940 respectively before it was destroyed in the Blitz. Some years later, the site of the former chapel was restored, and a small section of it was made over into a tiny chapel. However, at Prince Philip's suggestion, most of the original site became the Queen's Gallery where royal art treasures are exhibited. (The Gallery was opened to the public for the first time in July 1962.)

Private Chapel, Kensington Palace

The Private Chapel at Kensington Palace was originally built for King William III, and had its own resident chaplain. The Chapel did not have a fixed location throughout most of its history, being relocated in various areas of the Palace from time to time. It finally had a permanent location (where it is currently situated), when King Edward VII ordered the Chapel closed in 1901 and abolished the position of the chaplain. Much restoration work was done to the Chapel between 1999 and 2002, when HM The Queen re-opened the Chapel during her Golden Jubilee. Lady Davina Windsor, elder daughter of HRH The Duke of Gloucester, was married in the Chapel in the summer of 2004.

Private Chapel, Windsor Castle

The Private Chapel in Windsor Castle is located between St George's Hall and the Crimson Drawing Room. It was a somewhat gloomy chapel until Queen Elizabeth II ordered its renovation in 1976. The Chapel was the site of the 1992 fire at the Castle, which started when some curtains caught alight. (Part of this area is now the Lantern Lobby and a plaque indicates where the fire started.) Instead of restoring the Chapel in its entire former location, a new neo-Gothic style Private Chapel was designed by Giles Downes and built nearby in what used to be the Holbein Room. Viscount Linley, the Queen's nephew, designed and made a new altar for the Chapel, while the Duke of Edinburgh designed six new stained glass windows depicting the November 1992 fire. Lady Louise Windsor, Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter, is the most recent member of the royal family to be christened here in 2004.

St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

St George's Chapel is located within the grounds of Windsor Castle, just outside the town of Windsor, about twenty miles west of London. The present chapel dates to 1475 when King Edward IV was responsible for its construction; it was completed in 1528 during the reign of King Henry VIII. The public is welcome to attend the services. (The royal family worships here, or at All Saints Church, near Royal Lodge, when it is in residence at Windsor Castle.) Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth II's grandson, is the most recent member of the royal family to be christened here in 1984.

Other Locations

Cupola Room, Kensington Palace

The Cupola Room, sometimes known as the "grand saloon", is one of the State Apartments at Kensington Palace. It is lavishly decorated, and is centrally located within the Palace. The Room has marble niches, a fireplace, and column-framed doors, but its outstanding feature is the unique ceiling. With its steeply curved or coved sides, the ceiling is "entirely of architectural trompe l'oeil, representing a four-sided coffered cupola of a type well represented in Roman architecture, but with a Garter Star at its apex".

Lower Bow Room, Buckingham Palace

The Lower Bow Room, known today as the Bow Room, was also known as the Bow Library or the 1853 Room, so-called because it contains the portraits of the distinguished visitors who attended the christening of Queen Victoria's son, Prince Leopold, in 1853. This Semi-State Apartment is decorated in white and gold, and is located on the ground floor of Buckingham Palace, directly below the Music Room (see the following entry). The Bow Room faces the west (garden) side of the Palace, and is familiar to the many people who are invited every year to the royal garden-parties, as they make their way through its five tall window-doors that open onto the broad terrace and the expansive lawns of Buckingham Palace.

Music Room, Buckingham Palace

This bow-fronted room, once known as the Bow Drawing Room, is painted white and gold, and located on the principal floor of the Palace facing the west garden side. Like the room below it, the Bow Room on the ground floor (see the previous entry), it also has a bay of five graceful windows. The Music Room is used by HM The Queen for receptions and for receiving guests during State visits, as well as for christenings of members of her extended family. Prince William of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II's grandson, is the most recent member of the royal family to be christened here in 1982.

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Christenings of the Royal Family

King George I
(1660)

Parents: Prince Ernst August of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, later still Ernst August I, Elector of Hanover) and Countess Palatine Sophie (Sophia) of the Rhine (later Heiress Presumptive of Great Britain)
Born: 28 May (Old Style)/7 June (New Style) 1660 at Hanover; Died: 11 (Old Style)/22 June (New Style) 1727 at Osnabrück
Christened: [information unknown]
Names: Georg Ludwig
Godparents: [information unknown]

King George II
(1683)

Parents: Prince Georg of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later Georg, Elector of Hanover, later still George I, King of Great Britain) and Princess Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle
Born: 30 October (Old Style)/9 November (New Style) 1683 at Schloss Herrenhausen, Hanover; Died: 25 October 1760 at Kensington Palace
Christened: [information unknown]
Names: Georg August
Godparents: [information unknown]

Princess Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg
(1687)

Parents: Prince Georg of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later Georg, Elector of Hanover, later still George I, King of Great Britain) and Princess Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle
Born: 16 (Old Style)/26 March (New Style) 1687 at Hanover; Died: 28 June 1757 at Schloss Monbijou, Berlin
Christened: [information unknown]
Names: Sophia Dorothea
Godparents: [information unknown]

Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Prince of Wales
(1707)

Parents: George, Electoral Prince of Brunswick and Lüneburg, Marquess and Duke of Cambridge and Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (later King George II and Queen Caroline)
Born: 20 (Old Style)/31 January (New Style) 1707 at the Leine Schloss, Hanover; Died: 20 (Old Style)/ 31 March (New Style) 1751 at Leicester House (London)
Christened: [information unknown]
Names: Friedrich Ludwig
Godparents:
• George, Elector of Hanover (later George I, King of Great Britain, his grandfather)
• Friedrich I, King of Prussia (his great-uncle)

Princess Anne of Hanover, later of Great Britain, Princess Royal
1709

Parents: George, Electoral Prince of Brunswick and Lüneburg, Marquess and Duke of Cambridge and Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (later King George II and Queen Caroline)
Born: 22 October (Old Style)/2 November (New Style) 1709 at Schloss Herrenhausen, Hanover; Died: 12 January 1759 at The Hague
Christened: [information incomplete] 22 October (Old Style)/2 November (New Style) 1709 at Schloss Herrenhausen*
Names: Anne†
Godparents: [information unknown]
Sources: AD III:124 note 37

* Princess Anne was christened shortly after her birth, according to the baptismal registers of the Schlosskirche. (Huberty, Allemagne Dynastique, Tome III, p. 124 note 37)

† She was named in honour of Queen Anne.

Princess Amelia of Hanover, later of Great Britain
(1711)

Parents: George, Electoral Prince of Brunswick and Lüneburg, Marquess and Duke of Cambridge and Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (later King George II and Queen Caroline)
Born: 30 June (Old Style)/10 July (New Style) 1711 at Schloss Herrenhausen, Hanover; Died: 31 October 1786 at her house in Cavendish Square (London)
Christened: [information unknown]
Names: Amalie Sophie Eleonore
Godparents: [information unknown]

Princess Caroline of Hanover, later of Great Britain
(1713)

Parents: George, Electoral Prince of Brunswick and Lüneburg, Marquess and Duke of Cambridge and Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (later King George II and Queen Caroline)
Born: 30-31 May (Old Style)/10-11 June (New Style) 1713 at Schloss Herrenhausen, Hanover; Died: 28 December 1757 at St James’s Palace
Christened: [information incomplete] 1 (Old Style)/12 June (New Style) 1713 at Schloss Herrenhausen*
Names: Caroline Elizabeth
Godparents: [information unknown]
Sources: AD III:125 note 44; BBR:59

* Princess Caroline was christened shortly after her birth, according to the baptismal registers of the Schlosskirche. (Huberty, Allemagne Dynastique, Tome III, p. 125 note 44)

Prince George of Great Britain
1717

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (later King George II and Queen Caroline)
Born: 2 (Old Style)/13 November (New Style) 1717 at St James’s Palace; Died: 6 (Old Style)/17 February (New Style) 1718 at Kensington Palace
Christened: 28 November 1717 (Old Style) at St James’s Palace* by John Robinson, Bishop of London†
Names: George William‡
Godparents:
• King George I (his grandfather)
• Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle (Lord Chamberlain of the King’s Household)
• the Duchess of St Albans (wife of the 1st Duke, and First Lady of the Bedchamber and Lady of the Stole to the Princess of Wales)§
Sources: BBR:173; CP XI:288 note g; Plumb:55-56; Pyne III:40-41; Sheppard II:48-49; Sinclair:100-101

* The Bishop of London baptised the infant Prince, according to Pyne, History, Vol. III, p. 40, but Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 48 says it was the Archbishop of Canterbury.

† Prince George’s christening took place in his mother’s bedchamber at St James’s Palace. (Pyne, History, Vol. III, p. 40, Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 48 and Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 100) According to Williamson, Brewer’s British Royalty, p. 173, the event was recorded in the baptismal registers of St-Martin-in-the-Fields.

‡ Wallace/Taylor, Royal Mothers, p. 122 states that his parents wanted to name their son 'William', but his grandfather the King said he would be named George in his honour. Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 100 mistakenly refers to this child as "Frederick, Prince of Wales".

§ A quarrel between his parents and his grandfather King George I regarding the choice of his godparents led to his parents being expelled from St James’s Palace by the King. The Prince of Wales 'detested' the Duke of Newcastle, and wanted the King and the King's brother, Ernst August, to be godparents. (Plumb, First Four Georges, pp 55-56; Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, pp 100-101; Williamson, Brewer’s British Royalty, p. 173) His Majesty got his way, though, for he and the Duke were godfathers. To make matters worse, the Prince and Princess of Wales were expelled from their home, lost the guardianship of their children, and were allowed to visit their children only after they first got permission from the King. George I had sought the opinion of judges on this matter, and it was determined in 1718 that "the education and care of all the king's grandchildren while minors, and the care and approbation of their marriages, when grown up, did belong of right to his [Majesty] as king of this realm, during their father's life." (Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, Book 1, Chapter 4, "Of the King's Royal Family", p. 219, at http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/blackstone/bk1ch4.htm)

Prince William of Great Britain, Duke of Cumberland
(1721)

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (later King George II and Queen Caroline)
Born: 15 (Old Style)/26 April (New Style) 1721 at Leicester House (London)*; Died: 31 October 1765 at his house in Upper Grosvenor Street, Mayfair
Christened: [information unknown]
Names: William Augustus
Godparents [incomplete list?]:
• Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia
• Queen Sophie Dorothea in Prussia (his paternal uncle and aunt)†
Sources: BBR:91-92; CP III:572; Marples:122

* Prince William was born at St James’s Palace, according to Complete Peerage, Vol. III, p. 572, but Williamson, Brewer’s British Royalty, p. 91 says he was born at Leicester House.

† They did not appear at the christening as expected. (Marples, Poor Fred, p. 122)

Princess Mary of Great Britain
(1723)

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (later King George II and Queen Caroline)
Born: 22 February (Old Style)/5 March (New Style) 1723 at Leicester House (London); Died: 14 January 1772 at Hanau
Christened: [information unknown]
Names: Mary
Godparents: [information unknown]
Sources: AD I:143 and AD III:113

Princess Louisa of Great Britain
(1724)

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (later King George II and Queen Caroline)
Born: 7 (Old Style)/18 December (New Style) 1724 at Leicester House (London); Died: 8 (Old Style)/19 December (New Style) 1751 at Christianborg Castle
Christened: [information unknown]
Names: Louisa
Godparents: [information unknown]

Princess Augusta of Great Britain, Princess Royal
1737

Parents: Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Duchess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Born: 31 July (Old Style)/11 August (New Style) 1737 at St James’s Palace*; Died: 23 March 1813 in Hanover Square (London)
Christened: 29 August 1737 (Old Style) at St James's Palace by John Potter, Archbishop of Canterbury†
Names: Augusta‡
Godparents:
• King George II (her paternal grandfather, who was represented by Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, Lord Chamberlain of the Household)
• Queen Caroline (her paternal grandmother, who was represented by proxy)
• the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Gotha (her maternal grandmother, who was represented by proxy)§
Sources: AD III:115-116 note 4; BBR:36; Gent. Mag., Vol. 7, August 1737, p. 504 and p. 513; Marples:66-67; Pyne III:58-59; Sheppard II:21-22 and 51-52; Sinclair:101

* Princess Augusta was born on 31 July (Old Style), according to her father, the Prince of Wales, in a letter dated St James's 31 July 1737 in which he informs his mother, Queen Caroline, that his wife "a été délivrée une heur après [...] d'une fille" (quoted in Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 21). Further, Sheppard quotes from John, Lord Hervey's Memoirs of the Reign of George II (Hervey was Vice Chamberlain of the Household 1730-1740) that "At a quarter before eleven she [the Princess of Wales] was delivered of a little rat of a girl [...]". Gentleman’s Magazine (August 1737, p. 504) also gives the date of birth as 31 July, as seen from its report dated Hampton Court, Monday, August 1: “Yesterday [31 July 1737] being Sunday [...] her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales [...] was a little after 11 o’Clock safely and happily delivered of a Princess”. (Pyne, History, Vol. III, p. 58, also says that Princess Augusta was born on 31 July 1737, at 11 p.m.) However, Huberty, Allemagne Dynastique, Tome III, p. 130 and p. 111 says the Princess was born on "12-8-1737 n.s.", and cites two sources as proof: the baptismal registers of the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace (which states: "Princess Augusta [...] Born August 1st 1737 - Baptised August 29"), and the Gazette de France, which published on 24 August a dispatch from London dated 15 August that read: “Le 11, à dix heures du soir, la princesse de Galles revint de Hamptoncourt au Palais de St James et vers une heure après minuit, elle accoucha heureusement d’une princess.” (Huberty, Allemagne Dynastique, Tome III, pp 115-116 note 4)

† According to Gent. Mag., Vol. 7, August 1737, p. 513, Princess Augusta was christened “about Eight o'Clock in the Evening”. Additionally, “the Font and Flaggons for the Christening were brought from the Tower, and were those used for the Royal Family for some hundred Years past.” Pyne, History, Vol. III, p. 59, also mentions the use of the font and flagons at Princess Augusta’s christening. Unfortunately, neither source provides a description of this font.

‡ Princess Augusta was named after her mother. Her father wanted her referred to as HRH Lady Augusta instead of Princess Augusta, because the ‘title was reserved for his wife’. (Marples, Poor Fred, p. 66)

§ Every godparent suggested by the Prince and Princess of Wales was turned down by King George II. In the end, “the King and Queen themselves could scarcely avoid being god-parents, but took care to be represented by proxies”, while the Dowager Duchess’ absence from the christening was due to the “difficulty and inconvenience of the long journey from Gotha”. (Marples, Poor Fred, p. 67) According to Gent. Mag., Vol. 7, August 1737, p. 513, Queen Caroline was represented by the Countess of Burlington (wife of the 3rd Earl, and Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Caroline) and the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Gotha was represented by Lady Torrington (wife of the 2nd Viscount, and Lady of Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales). However, Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 519 (which seems to be quoting a text that is very nearly phrased the same as Gent. Mag.) says that the Queen was represented by the Duchess of Richmond (first Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Caroline) and that the Dowager Duchess was represented by the Countess of Burlington.

King George III
1738

Parents: Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Duchess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Born: 24 May (Old Style)/4 June (New Style) 1738 at Norfolk House, St James's Square, London; Died: 29 January 1820 at Windsor Castle
Christened: publicly 21 June 1738 (Old Style)* at Norfolk House by Edmund Gibson, Bishop of Oxford†
Names: George William Frederick
Godparents:
• Frederik I, King of Sweden
• Friedrich I, Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel (for whom Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore (Gentleman of the Bedchamber to the Prince of Wales) stood proxy)
• Friedrich III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha (his maternal uncle, for whom James Brydges, 1st Marquess of Carnarvon stood proxy)‡
• Queen Sophia Dorothea of Prussia (his great-aunt, for whom Lady Charlotte Edwin [Edwyn] (Lady of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales) stood proxy)
Sources: Gent. Mag., Vol. 8, May 1738, p. 275 and Vol. 8, June 1738, p. 323; The Times, 26 January 1842

* The Times, 26 January 1842 states that the public christening took place 22 June 1783.

† The future King George III was born prematurely between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. Because he 'was very ill', he was baptized privately that same day at 11:00 p.m. by the Bishop of Oxford, who was also rector of St. James's, Westminster. He was given the name George, but at his public baptism that June, he received the names George William Frederick.

‡ Gent. Mag., Vol. 8, June 1738, p. 323 identifies the proxy for the Duke of Saxe-Gotha as "the Marquess of Caernarvon" [sic]. This gentleman is presumably Henry Brydges, styled by courtesy Marquess of Carnarvon, who succeeded his father as 2nd Duke of Chandos in 1744. Lord Carnarvon served the Prince of Wales in various capacities: Lord of the Bedchamber, Master of the Horse, and Groom of the Stole. (Complete Peerage, Vol. III, p. 131 and Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Household of Frederick, Prince of Wales 1729-51 at http://www.history.ac.uk/office/fred.html)

Prince Edward of Great Britain, Duke of York
1739

Parents: Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Duchess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Born: 14 (Old Style)/25 March (New Style) 1739 at Norfolk House, St James’s Square, London; Died: 17 September 1767 at the Palais Princier in Monaco
Christened: 11 April 1739 (Old Style) at Norfolk House by Thomas Secker, Bishop of Oxford
Names: Edward Augustus
Godparents:
• Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia (his great-uncle, for whom Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry (Gentleman of the Bedchamber to the Prince of Wales) stood proxy)
• Karl I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (a distant relative, for whom the Marquess of Carnarvon stood proxy)*
• the Duchess of Saxe-Weissenfels (née Duchess Friederike of Saxe-Gotha, his maternal aunt, for whom Lady Charlotte Edwin [Edwyn] (Lady of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales) stood proxy)
Sources: BBR:352; CP XII/2:920; Gent. Mag., Vol. 9, March 1739, p. 159 and p. 214

* Gent. Mag., Vol. 9, March 1739, p. 214 identifies the proxy for the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel as "the Marquis of Carnarvan" [sic]. (For more information regarding this gentleman's presumed identity, see "King George III 1738" above.)

Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain
1741

Parents: Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Duchess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Born: 30 December 1740 (Old Style)/10 January 1741 (New Style) at Norfolk House, St James’s Square; Died: 4 September 1759 at Kew Palace
Christened: 24 January 1741 (Old Style) at Norfolk House by Thomas Secker, Bishop of Oxford
Names: Elizabeth Caroline
Godparents:
• Karl, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (her father’s cousin-in-law, for whom Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore (Gentleman of the Bedchamber to the Prince of Wales) stood proxy)
• Queen Sophia Magdalena of Denmark (wife of King Christian VI, for whom the Viscountess Irwin stood proxy)
• the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha (Louise Dorothea, wife of Friedrich III (brother of the Princess of Wales), for whom Lady Archibald Hamilton stood proxy)*
Sources: BBR:139; Gent. Mag., Vol. 10, January 1741, p. 49

* Gent. Mag., Vol. 10, January 1741, p. 49 identifies the proxy for Queen Sophia Magdalena as “the Lady Viscountess Irwin”. The Viscountess was presumably the former Lady Anne Howard, widow of the 5th Viscount Irwin [Irvine], who married secondly Colonel William Douglas in 1737. Anne was Lady of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales 1736-1764. (Complete Peerage, Vol. VII, p. 74 and Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Household of Princess Augusta 1736-72 at http://www.history.ac.uk/office/augusta.html) As for the proxy for the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha, Gent. Mag., Vol. 10, January 1741, p. 49 identifies her as “the Lady of Lord Archibald Hamilton”. Lady Archibald is presumably the former Lady Jane Hamilton, 3rd wife of Lord Archibald Hamilton, who was Cofferer to the Prince of Wales. (Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Household of Frederick, Prince of Wales 1729-51 at http://www.history.ac.uk/office/fred.html)

Prince William of Great Britain, Duke of Gloucester
1743

Parents: Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Duchess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Born: 14 (Old Style)/25 (New Style) November 1743 at Leicester House (London); Died: 25 August 1805 at his residence Gloucester House, Grosvenor Street, Middlesex
Christened: [information incomplete] 25 November 1743 (Old Style) at Leicester House
Names: William Henry
Godparents:
• Willem IV, Prince of Orange (his uncle, represented by proxy)
• Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (his paternal uncle)
• Princess Amelia (his paternal aunt)
Sources: BBR:177; CP V:744; Gent. Mag., Vol. 13, November 1743, p. 612

* Complete Peerage, Vol. V, p. 744 states that Prince William's christening took place at St Anne’s, Soho, Middlesex. This is probably incorrect, because as all the Prince of Wales' children were christened where they were born, it seems unlikely that his christening was elsewhere. What is more likely is that the christening took place at Leicester House (Williamson, Brewer’s British Royalty, p. 177), and that it was recorded in the baptismal registers of St Anne’s. (This theory is further strengthened by the fact that Complete Peerage, Vol. III, p. 573 states that Prince William's brother's christening (Henry, in 1745) was registered at St Anne's.)

Prince Henry of Great Britain, Duke of Cumberland
1745

Parents: Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Duchess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Born: 27 October (Old Style)/7 November (New Style) 1745 at Leicester House (London)*; Died: 18 September 1790 at his residence Cumberland House in Pall Mall, St James’s
Christened: [information incomplete] 19 November 1745 (Old Style) at Leicester House†
Names: Henry Frederick
Godparents: [information unknown]
Sources: AD III:141 note 47; BBR:92; CP III:573; Gent. Mag., Vol. 15, October 1745, p. 557

* Prince Henry was born 26 October 1745 according to Complete Peerage, Vol. III, p. 573 and Williamson, Brewer’s British Royalty, p. 92. However, Huberty, Allemagne Dynastique, Tome III, p. 141 note 47 and Gent. Mag., Vol. 15, October 1745, p. 557 state that he was born 27 October 1745.

† His christening was recorded in the baptismal registers of St Anne’s, Soho, Middlesex, his father’s residence being located in that parish. (Complete Peerage, Vol. III, p. 573 and Williamson, Brewer’s British Royalty, p. 92)

Princess Louisa of Great Britain
1749

Parents: Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Duchess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Born: 8 (Old Style)/19 March (New Style) 1749 at Leicester House (London); Died: 13 May 1768 at Carlton House, St James’s
Christened: [information incomplete] 1 (Old Style)/11 April (New Style) 1749 at Leicester House
Names: Louisa Anne
Godparents:
• the Prince of Hesse (as is in Gent. Mag.; presumably Prince Friedrich (later Landgrave Friedrich II) of Hesse-Cassel, her father's brother-in-law)
• the Queen of Denmark (Louisa, her paternal aunt, wife of King Frederik V)
• the Princess of Orange (Anne, Princess Royal, her paternal aunt, wife of Willem IV)
(all were represented by proxy)
Sources: BBR:245; Gent. Mag., Vol. 19, March 1749, p. 141 and Vol. 19, April 1749, p. 183

Prince Frederick of Great Britain
1750

Parents: Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Duchess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Born: 13 (Old Style)/24 May (New Style) 1750 at Leicester House (London)*; Died: 29 December 1765 at Leicester House
Christened: 17 June 1750 (Old Style) at Leicester House by Thomas Secker, Bishop of Oxford
Names: Frederick William
Godparents:
• Prince George (later King George III, his brother)
• Prince Wilhelm of Saxe-Gotha (his maternal uncle, for whom Francis North, 7th Lord North (Lord of the Bedchamber to the Prince of Wales) stood as proxy)
• Princess Augusta (his eldest sister)
Sources: BBR:157; Gent. Mag., Vol. 20, May 1750, p. 236 and Vol. 20, June 1750, p. 281

* According to Gent. Mag., Vol. 20, May 1750, p. 236, the “Princess of Wales [was delivered] of a princess” on this date. (‘Princess’ is obviously a typographical error.)

Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain
1751

Parents: Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Duchess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Born: 11 (Old Style)/22 July (New Style) 1751 at Leicester House (London); Died: 10 May 1775 at Schloss Celle, near Hanover
Christened: 21 July (Old Style)/1 August (New Style) 1751 at Leicester House by Thomas Hayter, Bishop of Norwich
Names: Caroline Matilda
Godparents:
• Prince George (later King George III, her brother)
• Princess Caroline (her paternal aunt, represented by proxy)
• Princess Augusta (her sister)
Sources: BBR:59

King George IV
1762

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 12 August 1762 at St James's Palace; Died: 26 June 1830 at Windsor Castle
Christened: 8 September 1762* in the Great Council Chamber at St James's Palace† by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: George Augustus Frederick
Godparents:
• Adolf Friedrich IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (his maternal uncle, for whom William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (Lord Chamberlain of His Majesty's Household) stood proxy)
• Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (his paternal great-uncle)
• the Dowager Princess of Wales (his paternal grandmother Augusta)
Sources: BBR:166; CP III:450; Greig:50-51; Hedley:76; Hibbert (George IV):18; Sheppard II:53; Sinclair:101; Smith:2; Walkley:122-123

* The future King George IV was christened on his parents' first wedding anniversary. (Hedley, Queen Charlotte, p. 76) The Duchess of Northumberland, Queen Charlotte's Mistress of the Robes, described the christening in her Diary. In her account, she mentions that "at the Feet [of the Queen's State bed] on Table stood a large Gilt Bowl on High Step & on each side Gilt Flaggons." The 'gilt bowl' is possibly the 1660 font (see Baptismal Fonts further above). (Elizabeth, Duchess of Northumberland, Diaries 1716-1776, ed. James Gray, 1926 quoted in Walkley, Welcome, p.123)

† According to Hedley, Queen Charlotte, p. 76, the baptism was held in the Great Drawing Room at the Palace. Complete Peerage, Vol. III, p. 450, Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 101, and Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 166 state that the christening took place 8 September 1762 at St James's Palace. The Times, 8 February 1841 gives the same date (8 September 1762) and adds that the christening was held "in the Great Council Chamber of the Palace, [and] the bedchamber of the Queen was thrown open [...]". According to Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 101, "when the christenings were held in this State room, the bed of the mother was placed where the Throne and Canopy usually stood, and all filed by as at a Drawing-room. Refreshments, such as tea-cakes and caudle, were afterwards served." The following sources give incorrect information: Hibbert, George IV, p. 18 (which says the christening took place in the Queen's drawing-room at St James's Palace); Kiste, George III's Children, p. 10 (which says the future King was baptized 16 September 1762 and adds it was an "unpretentious ceremony in the Queen's drawing-room at St James's"); The Times, 26 January 1842 and Smith, George IV, p. 2 (both state that the christening took place on 18 September 1762).

Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Duke of York
1763

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 16 August 1763 at St James’s Palace; Died: 5 January 1827 at the Duke of Rutland’s house, Arlington Street, St James’s
Christened: 14 September 1763 in the Presence Chamber at St James’s Palace by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Frederick Augustus
Godparents:
• Friedrich III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha (his great-uncle, for whom Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Gower (Lord Chamberlain of the Household) stood proxy)
• Prince Edward, Duke of York (his uncle, for whom Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon (Groom of the Stole) stood proxy)
• Princess Amelia (his paternal great-aunt)
Sources: BBR:352; CP XII/2:921; Hedley:87; Sheppard II:54; Sinclair:101

* Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 101 makes a typographical error when it says the christening took place 14 September 1762.

King William IV
1765

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 21 August 1765 at Buckingham House (later Buckingham Palace); Died: 20 June 1837 at Windsor Castle
Christened: 18 September 1765 at St James's Palace by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: William Henry
Godparents:
• Prince William, Duke of Gloucester (his uncle)
• Prince Henry (later Duke of Cumberland, his uncle)
• Princess Augusta (later the Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, his aunt)†
Sources: BBR:343; CP III:261; Hedley:98; Sheppard II:55; Sinclair:101-102; The Times, 26 January 1842

* The christening of the future King William IV took place 18 September 1765 (Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 55, Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 102 and Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 343) in the Presence Chamber of St James's Palace (Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 55 and Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 102) or in the Great Council Chamber there (Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 343). Complete Peerage, Vol. III, p. 261 states that the christening was held 20 September 1765 at (an unspecified location within) St James's Palace. The Times, 26 January 1842 gives the same date as Complete Peerage, but adds that the ceremony was held in the Great Council Chamber at the Palace.

† Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 343 says Princess Augusta (King George III's elder sister) was godmother, but Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 55 says it was Princess Louisa (the King's younger sister).

Princess Charlotte of Great Britain, Princess Royal
1766

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 29 September 1766 at Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace); Died: 6 October 1828 at Ludwigsburg, Württemberg
Christened: 27 October 1766 at St James's Palace* by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury†
Names: Charlotte Augusta Matilda
Godparents:
• Christian VII, King of Denmark (her uncle, for whom William Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (Lord Chamberlain of the Household) stood proxy)
• Queen Caroline Matilda of Denmark (his wife, her paternal aunt, for whom the Dowager Countess of Effingham stood proxy)‡
• Princess Louisa (her paternal aunt)
Sources: BBR:77; Fraser:6-8; Sheppard II:55-56; Sinclair:102

* The specific christening location within the Palace was the Drawing Room, according to Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 55 and Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 102, or the Chapel Royal, according to Fraser, Princesses, p. 6.

† A very large crowd of people ('many thousands') had assembled at St James's Palace on the day of the christening in order to partake of the customary cake and caudle that were served to visitors on such an occasion. When the Palace doors were finally opened, an 'extraordinary rush for admittance' occurred and many women 'were nearly killed' in the stampede. (Mrs. Matthew Hall, Royal Princesses of England, quoted in Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 56)

‡ The Dowager Countess of Effingham (née Elizabeth Beckford) was the widow of Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham. She was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte from 1761-1769. (For more information regarding Elizabeth Beckford, see "Princess Mary of Great Britain May 1776" further below.)

Prince Edward of Great Britain, Duke of Kent
1767

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 2 November 1767 at Buckingham House (later Buckingham Palace); Died: 23 January 1820 at Woodbrook Cottage, Sidmouth, Devon
Christened: 30 November 1767 at Buckingham Palace* by Richard Terrick, Bishop of London†
Name: Edward Augustus‡
Godparents:
• the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (later Karl II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, for whom Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford (Lord Chamberlain of the Household) stood proxy)
• Prince Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (his maternal uncle, later Karl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, for whom Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon (Groom of the Stole) stood proxy)
• the Landgravine of Hesse-Cassel (his great-aunt Mary, daughter of King George II, for whom the Duchess of Hamilton stood proxy)§
• the Hereditary Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (his aunt Augusta, sister of King George III, who was represented by proxy)
Sources: BBR:233; CP VII:179; Duff (Edward):41 and 44; Gent. Mag., Vol. 37, Dec. 1767, p. 606; Sheppard II:56

* Complete Peerage, Vol. VII, p. 179 states that Prince Edward was christened at Buckingham Palace, and that the event was recorded in the baptismal registers of the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. However, Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 56 and Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 233 say the Prince was christened at St James Palace, while Duff, Edward, p. 44 specifies that it was held there in the Chapel Royal. Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 102 states the infant Prince was christened at St James's Palace, but adds incorrectly "the evening of his birth; probably in his mother's room".

† The Bishop of London officiated at the baptism because the Archbishop of Canterbury was "indisposed". (Gent. Mag., Vol. 37, December 1767, p. 606)

‡ The prince was baptised 'Edward' (Gent. Mag., Vol. 37, Dec. 1767, p. 606 and Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 56), or 'Edward Augustus', the second name "after the uncle whose funeral knell had so closely followed his own joy bells" (Duff, Edward, p. 44).

§ Duff, Edward, p. 44 and Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 56 mention only three godparents, omitting the Hereditary Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, while Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 233 adds the Hereditary Princess. Duff, Edward, p. 44 identifies the proxy for the Landgravine of Hesse-Cassel as the "Duchess of Hamilton". The Duchess was presumably the former Elizabeth Gunning, widow of the 6th Duke of Hamilton, who married secondly the 5th Duke of Argyll in 1759. (For more information regarding Elizabeth Gunning, see "Princess Mary of Great Britain May 1776" further below.) Elizabeth was Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte from 1761-1784.

Princess Augusta of Great Britain
1768

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 8 November 1768 at Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace); Died: 22 September 1840 at Clarence House, St James’s
Christened: 6 December 1768 in the Great Council Chamber at St James’s Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Augusta Sophia
Godparents:
• Prince Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (later Karl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, her maternal uncle, who was on a visit to England and was present at the christening)
• Queen Caroline Matilda of Denmark (her paternal aunt, for whom the Duchess of Ancaster (wife of the 3rd Duke, Mistress of the Robes) stood proxy)
• the Hereditary Princess (later Duchess) of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Augusta, her paternal aunt, for whom the Duchess of Northumberland (wife of the 1st Duke, and a Lady of the Bedchamber) stood proxy)
Sources: BBR:39; Sheppard II:56-57; Sinclair:102

* Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 39 states that Princess Augusta was christened 7 December 1768.

Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain
1770

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 22 May 1770 at Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace); Died: 10 January 1840 at Frankfurt-am-Main
Christened: 17 June 1770 in the Great Council Chamber at St James's Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Elizabeth
Godparents:
• the Hereditary Prince of Hesse-Cassel (later Wilhelm I, Elector of Hesse, her father’s cousin, for whom Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford (Lord Chamberlain of the Household) stood proxy)
• the Princess of Nassau-Weilburg (her father’s cousin, née Princess Caroline of Orange, wife of the (Reigning) Prince Karl, for whom the Dowager Countess of Effingham stood proxy)†
• the Crown Princess (later Queen) of Sweden (her father’s cousin, née Princess Sophie Magdalene of Denmark, wife of the future Gustaf III, King of Sweden, for whom the Countess of Holdernesse (wife of the 4th (and last) Earl of Holdernesse) stood proxy)
Sources: BBR:133; Cunnington/Lucas:55; Sheppard II:57; Sinclair:102

* Cunnington/Lucas, Costume, p. 55 states that her christening "was not even solemnized in church", although it was a "costly affair", and quotes from The Ipswich Journal, 19th June 1770: "... The Mantle which the young Princess wore ... was white satin, lined with pink, edged with ermine, and adorned with precious stones; the principal of which is said to be worth £1000, the whole mantle is valued at £2800."

† The Dowager Countess of Effingham (née Elizabeth Beckford) was the widow of Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham. She was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte from 1761-1769. (For more information regarding Elizabeth Beckford, see "Princess Mary of Great Britain May 1776" further below.)

Prince Ernest Augustus of Great Britain, Duke of Cumberland (later Ernst August, King of Hanover)
1771

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 5 June 1771 at Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace); Died: 18 November 1851 at Schloss Herrenhausen, Hanover
Christened: 1 July 1771 in the Great Council Chamber at St James's Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Ernest Augustus
Godparents:
• Prince Ernst of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (his maternal uncle)
• Duke Moritz of Saxe-Gotha (his paternal great-uncle, for whom Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford (Lord Chamberlain of the Household) stood proxy)
• the Hereditary Princess of Hesse-Cassel (née Princess Caroline of Denmark, wife of the future Wilhelm I, Elector of Hesse (George III's cousin) for whom the Countess of Egremont stood proxy)*
Sources: BBR:93; CP III:573; Greig:71; Sheppard II:57-58; Sinclair:102

* Lady Egremont seems to be the widow of the 2nd Earl of Egremont (the former Alicia Maria Carpenter, daughter of the 2nd Baron Carpenter and sister of the 1st Earl of Tyrconnel), who was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte. Lady Egremont married in 1767 Hans Moritz, Count von Bruhl.

Prince Augustus of Great Britain, Duke of Sussex
February 1773

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 27 January 1773 at Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace); Died: 21 April 1843 at Kensington Palace
Christened: 25 February 1773 in the Great Council Chamber at St James's Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Augustus Frederick
Godparents:
• Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha (his father’s cousin, for whom Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford (Lord Chamberlain of the Household) stood proxy)
• Prince Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (his maternal uncle, for whom George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol (Groom of the Stole and First Lord of the Bedchamber) stood proxy)
• Princess Louise of Hesse-Cassel (presumably née Princess Louise of Denmark, wife of Landgrave Karl of Hesse-Cassel, his father’s cousins, for whom Viscountess Weymouth (wife of the 3rd Viscount, and Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte) stood proxy)
Sources: BBR:323; CP XII/1:535; Gent. Mag., Vol. 43, January 1773, p. 45 and Vol. 43, February 1773, p. 102; Sheppard II:58; Sinclair:102

* Williamson, Brewer’s British Royalty, p. 323, Gent. Mag., Vol. 43, February 1773, p. 102, and Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 102 state that Prince Augustus’ christening took place at St James’s Palace, but Complete Peerage, Vol. XII/1, p. 535 states that it occurred at the Queen's Palace (now Buckingham Palace). Complete Peerage, Vol. VII, p. 179 states almost the same thing for Prince Augustus' elder brother Edward -- that he was christened at Buckingham Palace, and that the event was recorded in the baptismal registers of the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. Since most reference works state that all of King George III's children were christened in the Great Council Chamber at St James’s Palace (with the possible exception of the King's youngest son Prince Alfred), it is reasonable to think that Prince Augustus and Prince Edward were christened at St James's Palace like their siblings.

Princess Sophia of Great Britain
June 1773

Parents: Prince William of Great Britain, Duke of Gloucester and Maria Walpole
Born: 29 May 1773 at Gloucester House*; Died: 29 November 1844 at the Ranger’s House, Blackheath, Greenwich
Christened: privately 26 June 1773 at Gloucester House by Charles Moss, Bishop of St David’s (and rector of St George's, Hanover Square)†
Names: Sophia Matilda
Godparents:
• Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland (her uncle)
• the Duchess of Cumberland (his wife, the former Lady Anne Luttrell)
• Queen Caroline Matilda of Denmark (her paternal aunt, who was represented by proxy)‡
Sources: BBR:318; Gent. Mag., Vol. 43, June 1773, p. 297 and p. 301; Greig:204

* Princess Sophia was born at her father’s residence, which was located in the parish of St George, Hanover Square.

† She was christened 26 June 1773, according to Gent. Mag., Vol. 43, June 1773, p. 301. (Williamson, Brewer’s British Royalty, p. 318 says 27 June 1773.) The baptism was a private, quiet affair and only a few members of the Royal Family were present. (Greig, Diaries, p. 204) Princess Sophia's parents, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, had incurred her uncle King George III's displeasure because he disapproved of their marriage. Consequently, no "proper officers" were dispatched to witness the Princess' birth, and when London aldermen proposed a "humble address of congratulations" be sent to the King, the motion was opposed because it was seen as "an affront to the King, his Majesty having never owned the Lady for his sister". (Gent. Mag., Vol. 43, June 1773, p. 297)

‡ King George III was asked to be a godfather, but he was upset by his brother having married a commoner and refused. (Williamson, Brewer’s British Royalty, p. 318)

Prince Adolphus of Great Britain, Duke of Cambridge
March 1774

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 24 February 1774 at Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace); Died: 8 July 1850 at his residence Cambridge House, Piccadilly, Middlesex
Christened: 24 March 1774 in the Great Council Chamber at St James’s Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Adolphus Frederick
Godparents:
• Duke Johann Adolf of Saxe-Gotha (his great-uncle, Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford (Lord Chamberlain of the Household) stood proxy)
• Landgrave Karl of Hesse-Cassel (his cousin, for whom George Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey (Extra Lord of the Bedchamber) stood proxy)
• the Princess of Orange (née Princess Friederike Wilhelmine of Prussia, wife of (Reigning Prince) Willem V, his cousin, for whom the Dowager Countess of Effingham stood proxy)*
Sources: BBR:56; Sheppard II:58; Sinclair:102

* The Dowager Countess of Effingham (née Elizabeth Beckford) was the widow of Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham. She was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte from 1761-1769. (For more information regarding Elizabeth Beckford, see "Princess Mary of Great Britain May 1776" further below.)

Princess Caroline of Great Britain
July 1774

Parents: Prince William of Great Britain, Duke of Gloucester and Maria Walpole
Born: 24 June 1774 at Gloucester House; Died: 14 March 1775 at Gloucester House*
Christened: [information incomplete] privately 22 July 1774
Names: Caroline Augusta Maria
Godparents:
• the Hereditary Prince (later the Duke) of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Karl, her uncle)
• the Hereditary Princess (later the Duchess) of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (his wife Augusta, her paternal aunt)
• the Duchess of Gloucester (her mother)
Sources: BBR:63-64; Gent. Mag., Vol. 44, July 1774, p. 331

* Princess Caroline was born and died at her father’s residence, which was located in the parish of St George’s, Hanover Square.

Prince William of Great Britain, Duke of Gloucester
February 1776

Parents: Prince William of Great Britain, Duke of Gloucester and Maria Walpole
Born: 15 January 1776 at the Teodoli Palace in Rome; Died: 30 November 1834 at Bagshot Park, Surrey
Christened: 12 February 1776 at the Teodoli Palace by the Reverend Mr. Salter*
Names: William Frederick
Godparents:
• Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha (his father’s cousin)
• the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha (his wife née Duchess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen)
• Karl Alexander, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (his father’s second cousin)
Sources: CP V:745; Gent. Mag., Vol. 46, February 1776, p. 92 and Vol. 46, March 1776, p. 138

* Prince William was christened “in the presence of the English gentlemen who were at Rome.” (Gent. Mag., Vol. 46, March 1776, p. 138)

Princess Mary of Great Britain
May 1776

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 25 April 1776 at the Queen’s Palace (now Buckingham Palace); Died: 30 April 1857 at her residence Gloucester House, Piccadilly, Middlesex
Christened: 19 May 1776* in the Great Council Chamber at St James’s Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury†
Names: Mary
Godparents:
• Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Cassel (presumably Landgrave Friedrich of Hesse-Cassel, her father’s cousin, for whom Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford (Lord Chamberlain of the Household) stood proxy)
• the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha (née Duchess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen, wife of Ernst II, her father’s cousin, for whom the Duchess of Argyll was proxy)‡
• Princess Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (née Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt, wife of the future Karl, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, her father’s cousin, for whom the Dowager Countess of Effingham was proxy)
Sources: BBR:259; CP V:746; Gent. Mag., Vol. 46, April 1776, p. 191 and Vol. 46, May 1776, p. 238; Sheppard II:58; Sinclair:102

* Princess Mary was baptized on her mother’s birthday, according to Gent. Mag., Vol. 46, May 1776, p. 238, which reported the following: “Being the birth-day [19 May 1776] of her Majesty […] his Majesty received the compliments of the nobility, etc. on that occasion. The same evening the young Princess [his infant daughter] was christened by the name of Mary.” Complete Peerage, Vol. V, p. 746 states incorrectly that the christening took place 10 May 1776, while Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 102 makes a typographical error by saying 25 April 1771.

† The christening was recorded in the baptismal registers of the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace. (Complete Peerage, Vol. V, p. 746, Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 58 and Williamson, Brewer’s British Royalty, p. 259)

‡ The Duchess of Argyll (née Elizabeth Gunning) was the wife of John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, and the widow of the 6th Duke of Hamilton. She was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte from 1761-1784. The Duchess was “of irreproachable character, and the object of the life long admiration of George III”. (Complete Peerage, Vol. I, p. 210 note a) The day after Princess Mary’s christening, the Duchess was created Baroness Hamilton on 20 May 1776. The Dowager Countess of Effingham (née Elizabeth Beckford) was the widow of Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham. She was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte from 1761-1769. Two days after the Princess’ christening, the Dowager Countess married Field Marshal Sir George Howard on 21 May 1776.

Princess Sophia of Great Britain
1777

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 3 November 1777 at Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace); Died: 27 May 1848 at her house in Vicarage Place, Kensington
Christened: 1 December 1777 in the Great Council Chamber at St James’s Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Sophia
Godparents:
• Prince August of Saxe-Gotha (her father’s cousin)
• the Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (née Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia, her paternal grandfather’s cousin, wife of (Reigning) Duke Karl I)
• the Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (née Duchess Luise Friederike of Württemberg, wife of her mother’s cousin (Reigning) Duke Friedrich II)
(all were represented by proxy)
Sources: BBR:316; Sheppard II:59; Sinclair:102

* Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 102 makes a typographical error when it says the christening occurred 1 December 1771.

Prince Octavius of Great Britain
1779

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 23 February 1779 at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace)*; Died: 3 May 1783 at Kew Palace
Christened: 23 March 1779 in the Great Council Chamber at St James’s Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Octavius
Godparents:
• Karl I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (his paternal grandfather’s cousin-in-law, for whom Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford (Lord Chamberlain of the Household) stood proxy)
• Friedrich II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (his mother’s cousin, for whom John Ashburnham, 2nd Earl of Ashburnham (Groom of the Stole and First Lord of the Bedchamber) was proxy)
• the Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (née Princess Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, wife of Duke (later Grand Duke) Carl August, a close relative, for whom Countess of Egremont was proxy)†
Sources: BBR:284; Sheppard II:59; Sinclair:102

* According to Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 26, Prince Octavius was born 23 February 1779 at St James's Palace, and died 2 May 1783.

† Lady Egremont seems to be the widow of the 2nd Earl of Egremont (the former Alicia Maria Carpenter, daughter of the 2nd Baron Carpenter and sister of the 1st Earl of Tyrconnel), who was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte. Lady Egremont married in 1767 Hans Moritz, Count von Bruhl.

Prince Alfred of Great Britain
1780

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 22 September 1780 at Windsor Castle*; Died: 20 August 1782 at Windsor Castle
Christened: 21 October 1780 in the Great Council Chamber at St James's Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Alfred
Godparents:
• the Prince of Wales (later King George IV, his eldest brother)
• Prince Frederick (Prince Bishop of Osnabrück, later Duke of York, his elder brother)
• the Princess Royal (Charlotte, his eldest sister)
Sources: BBR:18; Sheppard II:59; Sinclair:103

* Prince Alfred was "handicapped and delicate from birth, perhaps a 'blue baby'". (Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 18)

Princess Amelia of Great Britain
1783

Parents: King George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 7 August 1783 at Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park; Died: 2 November 1810 at Augusta Lodge, Windsor Great Park
Christened: 18 September 1783 in the Great Council Chamber at St James’s Palace by John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Amelia
Godparents:
• the Prince of Wales (later King George IV, her eldest brother)
• the Princess Royal (Charlotte, her eldest sister)
• Princess Augusta (her elder sister)
Sources: BBR:23; Fraser:75; Sheppard II:60; Sinclair:103

* According to Fraser, Princesses, p. 75, Amelia's christening took place on 17 September 1783 in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace.

Princess Charlotte of Great Britain
1796

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (later King George IV and Queen Caroline)
Born: 7 January 1796 at Carlton House, London; Died: 6 November 1817 at Claremont House, near Esher, Surrey
Christened: 11 February 1796 in the Great Audience Chamber at Carlton House by John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Charlotte Augusta
Godparents:
• King George III (her paternal grandfather)
• Queen Charlotte (her paternal grandmother)
• the Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Augusta, her maternal grandmother, for whom the Princess Royal stood proxy)
Sources: AD III:173 note 1; BBR:79; Sheppard II:60-61; Sinclair:103; The Times, 12 February 1796 and 17 February 1796

* Princess Charlotte was christened at Carlton House, according to her baptismal report in The Times, 12 February 1796, and according to the official announcement of her baptism dated Carlton House 16 February 1796 in the London Gazette, 16 February 1796, which appeared in The Times, 17 February 1796. (Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 79 also says the christening took place at Carlton House.) Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, pp 60-61 and Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 103 incorrectly say the christening occurred at St James's Palace, although the event was presumably recorded in the Palace's official Register Book.

Princess Charlotte of Great Britain
March 1819

Parents: Prince William of Great Britain, Duke of Clarence and Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (later King William IV and Queen Adelaide)
Born: 27 March 1819 at (her father's residence) the Fürstenhof in (the city of) Hanover*; Died: 27 March 1819 at the Fürstenhof
Christened: [information incomplete] privately 27 March 1819 at the Fürstenhof†
Names: Charlotte Augusta Louisa
Godparents: [information unknown]
Sources: AD III:173-174 note 4-5; BBR:79; The Times, 7 April 1819

* Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 27 states incorrectly that Princess Charlotte was born at St James's Palace.

† According to The Times, 7 April 1819 (p. 6), Princess Charlotte was born prematurely at 7:10 a.m. Her christening took place privately at 9:00 a.m. She died that afternoon at 1:00 p.m. (The same edition of The Times (p. 7) says that the child was born at 6:30 a.m. and died a few hours later at 1:00 p.m.) The parish registers of the Schlosskirche at Hanover give slightly different times for these events: born at 7:00 a.m., immediately baptised, and died the same day at 12:30 p.m. (Huberty, Allemagne Dynastique, Vol. III, pp 173-174 note 4-5)

Prince George of Great Britain, Duke of Cambridge
May 1819

Parents: Prince Adolphus of Great Britain, Duke of Cambridge and Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel
Born: 26 March 1819 at Cambridge House in (the city of) Hanover; Died: 17 March 1904 at his residence Gloucester House, Piccadilly
Christened: 11 May 1819 at Hanover by Reverend John Stanford (Chaplain to the Duke of Cambridge)*
Names: George William Frederick Charles
Godparents [incomplete list?]:
• the Prince Regent (later King George IV, his uncle, for whom Prince William, Duke of Clarence stood proxy)
• the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV, his uncle, for whom John Bourke, 4th Earl of Mayo stood proxy)†
Sources: AD III:177 note 13a; St Aubyn (George):4

* The christening (according to rites of the Church of England) was recorded in the parish registers of the Schlosskirche at Hanover. (Huberty, Allemagne Dynastique, Tome III, p. 177 note 13a)

† The Earl of Mayo was a Representative Peer for Ireland from 1816-1849. He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Guelphs of Hanover (G.C.H.) in 1819. Lord Mayo was one of the British officials present at the births of the children of the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Clarence in March 1819. (The Times, 7 April 1819) His wife, the former Arabella Praed, would later be a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Adelaide from 1830-1837. (Complete Peerage, Vol. VIII, p. 609 and Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Household of Queen Adelaide 1830-37 at http://www.history.ac.uk/office/queenade.html)

Queen Victoria
June 1819

Parents: Prince Edward of Great Britain, Duke of Kent and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Born: 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace; Died: 22 January 1901 at Osborne House, Isle of Wight
Christened: privately 24 June 1819 in the Cupola Room at Kensington Palace by Charles Manners-Sutton, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Alexandrina Victoria†
Godparents:
• Alexander I, Emperor of Russia (in whose honour she received her first name and for whom her paternal uncle, the Duke of York, stood proxy)
• the Prince Regent (her uncle, later King George IV)
• the Dowager Queen of Württemberg (her aunt Charlotte, Princess Royal for whom another aunt, Princess Augusta, stood proxy)
• the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (her maternal grandmother Auguste, for whom her aunt Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester stood proxy)‡
Sources: BBR:332; Charlot:32-33; Lee (Victoria):11-12; Longford (Victoria):24-25; The Times, 25 June 1819; Weintraub (Victoria):41-43; Woodham-Smith:34-36

* The christening was recorded in the baptismal registers of the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. (The Times, 25 June 1819, p. 3, and Woodham-Smith, Queen Victoria, p. 36) It was a private affair, with only a few close family members present, by order of the Prince Regent, as opposed to other christenings in the Royal Family, which had been public events where government officials, ambassadors and the like were invited.

† The baptismal names were decided upon at the last possible moment because most of her parents' first choice of names for their daughter was forbidden by the Duke of Kent's brother, the Prince Regent. The Duke (and his wife) had settled on five names and submitted them to the Prince Regent in advance of the christening, the Duke confiding to a friend "and I hope to hold to it" [his choice of names]. (Woodham-Smith, Queen Victoria, p. 34) There are slight variations in these names and in their order, depending on the Queen's biographers; for example: Victoire Georgina Alexandrina Charlotte Augusta (Woodham-Smith, Queen Victoria, p. 34, quoting the Duchess of Kent's reminiscences of her daughter's christening to the Prime Minister Earl Grey, 28 January 1831), or Victoire Georgiana Alexandrina Charlotte Augusta (Charlot, Victoria, p. 32; Hibbert, Queen Victoria, p. 12), or Georgiana Charlotte Augusta Alexandrina Victoria (Longford, Victoria, p. 24, Weintraub, Victoria, p. 42). Why did the Prince Regent object to these names, which, for the most part, were traditional in the Royal Family? Other than loathing his brother, he didn't want his name (the feminized version Georgina) to come before or after that of the Russian Emperor (in its feminized form Alexandrina); he didn't want Charlotte because it was the name of his daughter, his only child, who had recently died; and he didn't want Augusta because it sounded too grand. (Hibbert, Queen Victoria, pp 12-13; Longford, Victoria, p. 24; Majesty, Vol. 5, No. 9, January 1985, p. 15) It wasn't until the christening, when the Archbishop of Canterbury, holding the month-old Princess in his arms, asked by what name he might baptize the child, that the Prince Regent said abruptly "Alexandrina". When the Duke of Kent requested another name be added, suggesting Elizabeth, Charlotte, or Augusta, the Prince refused. (The Prince had told the Duke of Kent the previous night that he would not allow the name Georgina.) Finally, the Prince Regent said brusquely: "Give her the mother's name also then, but it cannot precede that of the Emperor". (Woodham-Smith, Queen Victoria, p. 34, quoting the Duchess of Kent's reminiscences of her daughter's christening to the Prime Minister Earl Grey, 28 January 1831)

‡ Lee, Queen Victoria, p. 11, omits the Prince Regent from the list of godparents. Various sources (for example, Charlot, Victoria, p. 32; Lee, Queen Victoria, p. 12; Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 332; Woodham-Smith, Queen Victoria, p. 35) say the Duke of York was proxy for the Emperor of Russia, but Longford, Victoria, p. 25 says that honour went to the wife of the Russian Ambassador, Princess Lieven.

Prince George of Great Britain, Duke of Cumberland (later George V, King of Hanover)
July 1819

Parents: Prince Ernest Augustus of Great Britain, Duke of Cumberland (later Ernst August, King of Hanover) and Princess Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born: 27 May 1819 at Berlin; Died: 12 June 1878 Paris
Christened: 6 July 1819 at his father's residence in Berlin by the Duke's domestic Chaplain*
Names: George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus
Godparents:
• Alexander I, Emperor of Russia
• Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
• the Prince Regent (later King George IV, his uncle)
• the Princes of Prussia (as is in The Times)
• the Dukes of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (as is in The Times)
• Queen Wilhelmine of the Netherlands (née Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia, wife of King Willem I)
• the Electoral Princess of Hesse (as is in The Times; possibly née Princess Caroline of Denmark, wife of Wilhelm I, Elector of Hesse)
• the Duchess of Dessau (as is in The Times; presumably née Princess Friederike of Prussia, wife of Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau)
• Grand Duchess Alexandrina (as is in The Times; possibly née Princess Charlotte of Prussia, who became Alexandra Feodorovna upon Orthodox baptism, wife of the future Nicholas I, Emperor of Russia)
• the Prussian and British Princesses (as is in The Times)
Sources: BBR:93-94; The Times, 21 July 1819

* Prince George was baptised according to rites of the Church of England.

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Consort
September 1819

Parents: Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha
Born: 26 August 1819 at Schloss Rosenau, near Coburg; Died: 14 December 1861 at Windsor Castle
Christened: 19 September 1819 in the Marmorsaal (Marble Hall) at Schloss Rosenau by General Superintendent Genzler (the Court Chaplain)*
Names: Francis Charles Augustus Albert Emmanuel†
Godparents:
• Franz I, Emperor of Austria
• the Duke of Saxe-Gotha (August, his maternal grandfather)
• Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen
• Emanuel, Count von Mensdorff-Pouilly (his father's brother-in-law)
• the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (his paternal grandmother, née Countess Auguste Reuss-Ebersdorff, who was away in Prague and represented by proxy)
Sources: Grey:32 and 34; James (Albert):23-24; Ponsonby:106; Weintraub (Albert):21

* Prince Albert was baptised according to the rites of the Lutheran Evangelical Church. It was an "elaborate christening", and the baptismal water was taken from the Itze river, which flowed by Schloss Rosenau. (Weintraub, Albert, p. 21)

† Depending on the source, the order of Prince Albert's names is somewhat different, but always contains these five names. For example, Grey, Early Years, p. 34 and Weintraub, Albert, p. 465 give the order as 'Francis Charles Augustus Albert Emmanuel', while Ponsonby, Lost Duchess, p. 106 states 'Albert Francis Augustus Charles Emanuel'.

Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain
1820

Parents: Prince William of Great Britain, Duke of Clarence and Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (later King William IV and Queen Adelaide)
Born: 10 December 1820 at St James's Palace; Died: 4 March 1821 at St James's Palace
Christened: 10 December 1820 at St James's Palace by William Howley, Bishop of London*
Names: Elizabeth Georgiana Adelaide†
Godparents: [information unknown]
Sources: AD III:174 note 7; BBR:139; Sheppard II:27 and 61; Sinclair:103

* Princess Elizabeth was born prematurely, about six weeks before she was expected. Sheppard, Memorials, Vol. 2, p. 61 (quoting the Palace's baptismal register) and Sinclair, The Chapels Royal, p. 103, state that she was baptized the day she was born. According to Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 139, her christening took place in private the following evening.

† The Duke and Duchess of Clarence wanted to name their daughter Georgina (as her first name), but "they deferred to the King's requests that she should be called Elizabeth". (Kiste, George III's Children, p. 132 and Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 139)

Princess Augusta of Great Britain
1822

Parents: Prince Adolphus of Great Britain, Duke of Cambridge and Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel
Born: 19 July 1822 at Schloss Montbrillant, near Hanover; Died: 5 December 1916 at Neustrelitz
Christened: 16 August 1822 at Schloss Montbrillant by Reverend Edward Curtis Kemp (Chaplain to the Right Honourable Sir George Rose, British Ambassador to the Court of Berlin)*
Names: Augusta Caroline Charlotte Elizabeth Mary Sophia Louisa
Godparents:
• Prince Frederick, Duke of York (her paternal uncle)
• the Queen of Württemberg (Charlotte, Princess Royal, her paternal aunt)
• the Electress of Hesse (née Princess Auguste of Prussia, wife of Wilhelm II, her mother’s cousin)
• the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Princess Marie, her maternal aunt)
• the Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg (Princess Elizabeth, her paternal aunt)
• the Duchess of Gloucester (Princess Mary, her paternal aunt)
• Princess Augusta (her paternal aunt)
• Princess Sophia (her paternal aunt)
• the Princess Charlotte Louisa Landgravine of Hesse (as is in The Times; presumably née Princess Charlotte of Denmark, wife of Landgrave Wilhelm, her mother’s brother)
• the Landgravine Caroline of Hesse (presumably née Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen, her maternal grandmother, who was present)
• the Princess Louisa, Landgravine of Hesse (who was present; possibly née Princess Louisa of Denmark, wife of Landgrave Karl, her mother’s paternal uncle, or, possibly Princess Louise of Hesse-Cassel, her mother’s sister)
• Princess Louisa of Nassau-Usingen (presumably her maternal aunt, her mother’s unmarried sister, who was present)
Sources: AD III:184 note 17; BBR:38; The Times, 27 August 1822 and 9 September 1822

* The christening (according to rites of the Church of England) was recorded in the parish registers of the Schlosskirche at Hanover. (Huberty, Allemagne Dynastique, Tome III, p. 184 note 17)

Princess Mary Adelaide of Great Britain
1834

Parents: Prince Adolphus of Great Britain, Duke of Cambridge and Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel
Born: 27 November 1833 at Hanover; Died: 27 October 1897 at White Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey
Christened: 9 January 1834 at Cambridge House in (the city of) Hanover by Reverend John Ryle Wood (Chaplain to the Duke of Cambridge)*
Names: Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth†
Godparents:
• King William IV (her paternal uncle)
• Queen Adelaide (his wife)
• the Duchess of Gloucester (Princess Mary, her paternal aunt)
• the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (née Princess Marie of Hesse-Cassel, her maternal aunt)
• the Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg (Princess Elizabeth, her paternal aunt, and the only godparent who was present)
• Princess Friedrich of Anhalt-Dessau (née Princess Marie of Hesse-Cassel, her cousin)
Sources: AD III:184 note 20; BBR:267; London Gazette of 7 February 1834 (as seen in The Times of 8 February 1834); Jackman:21

* The christening (according to rites of the Church of England) was recorded in the parish registers of the Schlosskirche at Hanover. (Huberty, Allemagne Dynastique, Tome III, p. 184 note 20) Her elder brother who was present at the baptism recorded in his diary that "Yesterday evening the christening of Mary took place. A most solemn and beautiful ceremony and the service was well performed by Mr W. The little baby did not cry at all. I signed my name as witness." (St Aubyn, George, pp 15-16)

† She was named Mary (after her aunt the Duchess of Gloucester, her father's favourite sister), Adelaide (after King William's wife), Wilhelmina (after King William), and Elizabeth (the Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg). (Jackman, People's Princess, pp 20-21)

Princess Victoria of Great Britain, Princess Royal
1841

Parents: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen Victoria
Born: 21 November 1840 at Buckingham Palace; Died: 5 August 1901 at Friedrichshof, Kronberg-im-Taunus
Christened: 10 February 1841* in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace by William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury†
Names: Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa
Godparents:
• Leopold I, King of the Belgians (her great-uncle)‡
• Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (her paternal grandfather, for whom the Duke of Wellington stood proxy)
• Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex (her great-uncle)
• Dowager Queen Adelaide (widow of King William IV)
• the Duchess of Gloucester (Princess Mary, her great-aunt)
• the Duchess of Kent (her grandmother)
Sources: BBR:331; Kidd:28; The Times, 11 February 1841; Woodham-Smith:224

* The christening took place on Prince Albert and Queen Victoria's first wedding anniversary. Two days later, the Prince wrote to his step-grandmother Duchess Caroline (widow of August, Duke of Saxe-Gotha), informing her that "the Christening went off very well. Your little great-grandchild behaved with great propriety, and like a Christian. She was awake, but did not cry at all [...] The ceremony took place at half-past six p.m. [...]" (Jagow, Letters, p. 72)

† Kidd, Royal Children, p. 28 and Woodham-Smith, Queen Victoria, p. 224 state incorrectly that Princess Victoria's christening took place in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. The error seems to be due to a confusion between where the christening occurred (Buckingham Palace) and where the christening was registered (Chapel Royal, St James's Palace).

‡ The christening of Queen Victoria's first child was an event deemed "of great importance" by her uncle King Leopold I. His Majesty was determined to be present at the ceremony (which he indeed was), because he had not attended the Queen's accession, coronation and marriage due to what he called "motives of discretion". (Benson/Esher, Letters, Vol. I, p. 258)

King Edward VII
1842

Parents: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen Victoria
Born: 9 November 1841 at Buckingham Palace; Died: 6 May 1910 at Buckingham Palace
Christened: 25 January 1842 at St George's Chapel, Windsor by William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Albert Edward
Godparents:
• Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia†
• Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (his great-uncle)
• Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (his great-uncle)‡
• the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (née Duchess Marie of Württemberg, his step-grandmother, for whom his grandmother the Duchess of Kent was proxy)
• the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Gotha (née Landgravine Caroline of Hesse-Cassel, his step-great-grandmother, widow of Duke August, for whom his great-aunt the Duchess of Cambridge was proxy)
• Princess Sophia (his great-aunt, sister of the Duke of Cambridge, who was absent due to illness and for whom his mother's cousin Princess Augusta of Cambridge was proxy)
Sources: CP III:451; Kidd:29-30; Lee (Edward VII):10; St Aubyn (Edward VII):16-17; The Times, January 26 1842; The Times, 28 January 1842

* The Archbishop of Canterbury was the first Primate of England who crowned and married the reigning Sovereign, and afterwards christened that Sovereign's heir apparent. (The Times, 22 November 1841)

† Ten days after the birth of the Prince of Wales, Prince Albert, writing on behalf of the Queen, asked King Friedrich Wilhelm if he'd consent to be godfather to their first-born son. Prince Albert added: "I admit without hesitation that the friendly fulfilment of this desire would give us very genuine pleasure." (Jagow, Letters, p. 74) One month later, Albert wrote to his brother Ernst complaining that their father "is annoyed about the arrangement for the Christening and has reproached me very seriously, because the child is not be called Ernst and because neither he nor you are to be godfathers." (Bolitho, Prince Consort, p. 47)

‡ Lee, Edward VII, p. 10 states incorrectly that only two of the sponsors attended the christening (the King of Prussia and the Duke of Cambridge). See The Times, 26 January 1842, which reports that a third godparent was present, namely Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Princess Alice of Great Britain
1843

Parents: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen Victoria
Born: 25 April 1843 at Buckingham Palace; Died: 14 December 1878 at Neues Palais, Darmstadt
Christened: 2 June 1843 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace* by William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury†
Names: Alice Maud Mary
Godparents:
• Ernst August, King of Hanover (her great-uncle, for whom the Duke of Cambridge stood proxy)‡
• the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (her uncle, the future Duke Ernst II, for whom the Hereditary Grand Duke (later Grand Duke) Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz stood proxy)
• the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (Queen Victoria's half-sister Feodore, wife of the (Reigning) Prince Ernst, for whom the Duchess of Kent stood proxy)
• Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester (her maternal grandfather's cousin)
Sources: BBR:21; Noel:25-26; The Times, 3 June 1843

* Princess Alice was the first royal child to be christened in the newly-renovated Palace chapel, which had been consecrated 25 March 1843. (The Times, 27 March 1843)

† The Archbishop forgot to make the sign of the cross as he baptised Princess Alice, but was fortunately reminded by one of the bishops who was present. Later on in the ceremony, the "leaves of the prayer book stuck together and the Archbishop and attendants struggled in vain to separate them". (Noel, Alice, p. 26)

‡ The King of Hanover kept the Royal Family wondering if he'd appear at his great-niece's christening; he eventually arrived, but "just in time to be too late", annoying Queen Victoria. (Benson/Esher, Letters, Vol. I, p. 481) His brother the Duke of Cambridge acted as proxy, because King Ernst August arrived "an hour after banquet was over". (Bolitho, Prince Consort, p. 58)

Prince Alfred of Great Britain, Duke of Edinburgh (later the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)
1844

Parents: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen Victoria
Born: 6 August 1844 at Windsor Castle; Died: 30 July 1900 at Schloss Rosenau, near Coburg
Christened: 6 September 1844 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Alfred Ernest Albert
Godparents:
• Carl, Prince of Leiningen (Queen Victoria's half-brother, for whom the Duke of Wellington stood proxy)
• Prince George of Cambridge (his mother's cousin, for whom his father the Duke of Cambridge stood proxy)
• the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (his aunt, Alexandrine, for whom his grandmother, the Duchess of Kent, stood proxy)†
Sources: Bolitho (Prince Consort):72; BBR:108; Kidd:32; Kiste/Jordaan:16; The Times, 7 September 1844

* Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 108 gives an incorrect date for Prince Alfred's christening (7 September 1844), as well as Kidd, Royal Children, p.33 (14 September 1844).

† Kiste/Jordaan, Dearest Affie, p. 16 fail to mention the Prince of Leiningen as one of the godfathers, but include Prince William of Prussia (later Emperor Wilhelm I) as a godfather. The Times, while acknowledging the presence of Prince William at the ceremony, does not mention him as a godparent. Further, Prince Albert, in a letter dated 22 August 1844 to his brother the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, refers to only three godparents: Carl, George and Alexandrine. (Bolitho, Prince Consort, p. 72) A few years later, Prince Albert wrote to Prince William after the birth of his son Arthur in 1850, asking him to be a godfather to that child, adding: "You have been present at the christenings of two of our children, but have not so far assumed the sacred office of god-father". (Jagow, Letters, p. 159)

Queen Alexandra
(1844)

Parents: Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (later Christian IX, King of Denmark) and Princess Louise of Hesse-Cassel
Born: 1 December 1844 at the Gûle Palais (Yellow Palace), Copenhagen; Died: 20 November 1921 at Sandringham House, Norfolk
Christened: [information incomplete] at the Yellow Palace*
Names: Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia
Godparents: [information unknown]
Sources: Tooley:5

* The future Queen Alexandra was baptised according to the rites of the Lutheran Evangelical Church. The "priceless silver-gilt font of the Royal Danish House" was used at her baptism. (Tooley, Life of Queen Alexandra, p. 5)

Princess Helena of Great Britain
1846

Parents: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen Victoria
Born: 25 May 1846 at Buckingham Palace; Died: 9 June 1923 at her residence Schomberg House, London
Christened: 25 July 1846 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Helena Augusta Victoria*
Godparents:
• Hereditary Grand Duke (later Grand Duke) Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (husband of Queen Victoria's cousin, Princess Augusta of Great Britain)
• the Duchess of Orléans (née Duchess Hélène of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, for whom her grandmother the Duchess of Kent stood proxy)
• the Duchess of Cambridge (née Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel, her great-aunt)
Sources: BRR:188 and The Times, 27 July 1846

* She was named in honour of her godmothers, the Duchess of Orléans and the Duchess of Cambridge, and her mother.

Princess Louise of Great Britain
1848

Parents: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen Victoria
Born: 18 March 1848 at Buckingham Palace; Died: 3 December 1939 at Kensington Palace
Christened: 13 May 1848 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by John Bird Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Louisa Caroline Alberta†
Godparents:
• Duke Gustav of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (for whom her father Prince Albert stood proxy)‡
• the Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen (née Princess Marie of Hesse-Cassel, for whom Dowager Queen Adelaide stood proxy)
• the Hereditary Grand Duchess (later Grand Duchess) of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (née Princess Augusta of Great Britain, the Queen's cousin, for whom Augusta's mother the Duchess of Cambridge stood proxy)
Sources: BBR:246; Illustrated London News, 30 May 1848; The Times, 15 May 1848; Wake:19-20

* Queen Victoria's elderly aunt, Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, was a guest at the ceremony. The Duchess was, however, "in one of her nervous states", according to Her Majesty when she wrote to her uncle King Leopold I three days later, "and gave us a dreadful fright at the Christening by quite forgetting where she was, and coming and kneeling at my feet in the midst of the service. Imagine our horror!" (Benson/Esher, Letters, Vol. II, p. 174)

† The names pronounced at Princess Louise's christening were Louisa Caroline Alberta, but within a few years, "the first name by which she was known [Louisa] took the form of Louise". (Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 246)

‡ Princess Louise's parents had initially chosen a fourth godparent for their daughter (the Prince of Prussia, the future German Emperor Wilhelm I), but it was deemed politically prudent not to have a member of a royal family whose throne was seen as unstable during the revolutionary state of affairs in Europe at this time. (Wake, Princess Louise, p. 20)

Prince Arthur of Great Britain, Duke of Connaught
1850

Parents: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen Victoria
Born: 1 May 1850 at Buckingham Palace; Died: 16 January 1942 at his residence Bagshot Park, Surrey
Christened: 22 June 1850 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by John Bird Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Arthur William Patrick Albert*
Godparents:
• the Prince of Prussia (later Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia)†
• Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (a career soldier, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, and twice Prime Minister)
• Princess Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (née Princess Ida of Saxe-Meiningen, for whom the Duchess of Kent was proxy)
Sources: Aston:33-37; BBR:85; CP III:398; Frankland (Arthur):2; The Times, 24 June 1850

* The Prince's last names (Patrick Albert) were chosen by his parents "for the Irish to show our gratitude for their friendly reception of us last year [and] Victoria's love has always insisted on my name to finish up with". (Jagow, Letters, p. 159)

† The future Emperor Wilhelm was, for the first time, godparent to one of Queen Victoria's children. In a letter dated 1 May 1850, Prince Albert asked Wilhelm to be a godfather to his newborn son, Prince Arthur: "In memory of Belle Alliance of 1815 [the Waterloo campaign], and trusting in your friendship, we hope you will not refuse our invitation to stand god-father to our son along with the aged hero [the Duke of Wellington]." Prince Albert added that Princess Ida was also a godparent "in memory of poor Queen Adelaide [who died five months earlier], who would certainly have been delighted at this addition to our family." (Jagow, Letters, p. 159)

Prince Leopold of Great Britain, Duke of Albany
1853

Parents: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen Victoria
Born: 7 April 1853 at Buckingham Palace; Died: 28 March 1884 at Villa Nevada, Cannes, France
Christened: 28 June 1853 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by John Bird Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Leopold George Duncan Albert
Godparents:
• George V, King of Hanover (his mother's cousin)
• Ernst, 4th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (husband of Queen Victoria's half-sister Feodore)
• the Princess of Prussia (née Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, later German Empress Augusta)*
• Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (later the Duchess of Teck, his mother's cousin)
Sources: CP I:85; Illustrated London News, 2 July 1853; The Times, 29 June 1853; Zeepvat:4

* The day after the birth of his fourth son, Prince Albert wrote to Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, asking if "the good cousin [Wilhelm's wife Augusta] be so friendly as to consent to be a godmother at the christening", adding "would you be so good as to set this proposal before her, and put in a good word for it yourself?" (Jagow, Letters, p. 190)

Princess Beatrice of Great Britain
1857

Parents: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen Victoria
Born: 14 April 1857 at Buckingham Palace; Died: 26 October 1944 at Brantridge Park, Balcombe, Sussex
Christened: 16 June 1857 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by John Bird Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore
Godparents:
• Prince Friedrich William of Prussia (her sister's fiancé, the future German Emperor Friedrich III)
• the Duchess of Kent (her grandmother)
• Princess Victoria, Princess Royal (her eldest sister)
Sources: BBR:42; Duff (Shy Princess):21; The Times, 17 June 1857

Prince Albert Victor of Great Britain, Duke of Clarence
1864

Parents: Prince Albert Edward of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra)
Born: 8 January 1864 at Frogmore House, Windsor Great Park, Berkshire; Died: 14 January 1892 at Sandringham House, Norfolk
Christened: 10 March 1864 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by Charles Thomas Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Albert Victor Christian Edward†
Godparents:
• Leopold I, King of the Belgians (his father's great-uncle)
• Christian IX, King of Denmark (his grandfather, for whom his great-uncle Prince Johann of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg stood proxy)
• the Landgrave of Hesse (as is in The Times; presumably Landgrave Wilhelm of Hesse-Cassel, his great-grandfather, for whom the Duke of Cambridge stood proxy)
• Prince Alfred of Great Britain (his uncle, later Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)
• Queen Victoria (his grandmother)
• the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (née Princess Alexandrine of Baden, his great-aunt, for whom the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz stood proxy)
• the Dowager Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (née Princess Louise of Hesse-Cassel, his great-grandmother, for whom the Duchess of Cambridge stood proxy)
• the Crown Princess of Prussia (his aunt, Victoria, the Princess Royal, for whom her sister Princess Helena stood proxy)
Sources: BBR:82; CP III:262; Illustrated London News, 12 March 1864; Kiste (Edward):12; Lee (Edward VII):180; The Times, 11 March 1864; Tisdall:77

* Incorrect christening locations are given in Kiste, Edward VII's Children, p. 12 (Windsor) and Tisdall, Alexandra, p. 77 (St. George's Chapel). As it happened, Queen Victoria would have preferred Windsor, but she agreed with the Prince of Wales that it was "best for the people of London that they should not be deprived of the honour and gratification of having some event in town [...] by having it [...] in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace". (Buckle, Letters, Vol. I, p. 268)

† Queen Victoria wrote to her daughter Vicky with a touch of criticism that "the poor baby roared all through the ceremony - which none of you did". (Fulford, Dearest Mama, p. 306)

King George V
1865

Parents: Prince Albert Edward of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra)
Born: 3 June 1865 at Marlborough House, St James's, Westminster; Died: 20 January 1936 at Sandringham House, Norfolk
Christened: 7 July 1865 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle* by Charles Thomas Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury†
Names: George Frederick Ernest Albert‡
Godparents:
• George V, King of Hanover (Queen Victoria's cousin, represented by proxy by Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach)
• Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (his grandfather's brother, for whom Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (Lord President of the Council) stood proxy)
• Ernst, 4th Prince of Leiningen (his father's close friend and relative)
• the Crown Prince of Denmark (his uncle, later King Frederick VIII, for whom John Townshend, 3rd Viscount Sydney (Lord Chamberlain of Her Majesty's Household) stood proxy)
• Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (Queen Victoria's cousin)
• Queen Louise of Denmark (his maternal grandmother, for whom his paternal grandmother Queen Victoria stood proxy)
• the Duchess of Cambridge (née Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel, his great-great-aunt, represented by proxy by his aunt Princess Helena)
• Princess Alice (his paternal aunt, wife of the future Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, represented by proxy by her sister Princess Louise)
Sources: BBR:169; CP XII/1:924; Gore:4; Illustrated London News, 8 July 1865; Illustrated London News, 15 July 1865; Kiste (Edward):15; Lee (Edward VII):180-181;Nicolson:4; The Times, 8 July 1865

* The Times, 8 July 1865 states that the christening took place "in the chapel within Windsor Castle". Further evidence that the ceremony took place there include such descriptions in The Times' christening report as: "The Ministers and other company invited to the present proceeded on arrival to the Green Drawing-room, and thence were shown to seats provided for them in the Chapel." and "Her Majesty the Queen then retired from the Chapel to the Red Drawing Room [...]". Note that the Green Drawing Room and the adjoining Red (Crimson) Drawing Room at Windsor Castle are a few footsteps away from the Private Chapel. (The Illustrated London News' christening reports also say that the location was the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle.) It is therefore a mystery as to why certain publications (particularly Gore, George V, p. 4 and Nicolson, King George V, p. 4, and Kiste, Edward VII's Children, p. 15) state that the christening took place at St. George's Chapel.

† The christening was held "quietly and not en grande tenue", as Queen Victoria wrote to her uncle King Leopold I on the day of the ceremony. (Buckle, Letters, Vol. I, p. 271)

‡ Queen Victoria was not fond of the names chosen for her grandson. A few days after the child was born, she wrote to the Prince of Wales to tell him that "I fear I cannot admire the names you propose to give the baby. I had hoped for some fine old name. Frederic is, however, the best of the two, and I hope you will call him so; George only came over with the Hanoverian family. [...] Of course you will add Albert at the end, like your brothers, as you know we settled long ago that all dearest Papa's male English descendants should bear that name [...]". (Buckle, Letters, Vol. I, p. 268)

Princess Louise of Great Britain, Princess Royal
May 1867

Parents: Prince Albert Edward of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra)
Born: 20 February 1867 at Marlborough House, St James's, Westminster; Died: 4 January 1931 at her residence 15 Portman Square, Marylebone, London
Christened: 10 May 1867 at Marlborough House by Charles Thomas Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar†
Godparents:
• George I, King of the Hellenes (her maternal uncle)
• the Crown Prince of Prussia (later German Emperor Friedrich III)
• Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (her maternal great-uncle)
• Landgrave Friedrich of Hesse-Cassel (possibly her mother's maternal great-uncle)
• Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (nephew of the late Queen Adelaide)
• Queen Louise of Denmark (her maternal grandmother, who was present)
• the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (née Princess Augusta of Great Britain, also present)
• Grand Duchess and Cesarevna (later Empress) Maria Feodorovna of Russia (her maternal aunt)
• Princess Alice (her paternal aunt, later Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine)
• Princess Helena (her paternal aunt)
• Princess Louise (her paternal aunt, later Duchess of Argyll)
(only two godparents attended: Queen Louise and Grand Duchess Augusta; all the others were represented by proxies)
Sources: Battiscombe:85; CP V:380; Illustrated London News, 18 May 1867; Kiste (Edward):17; Longford:95; The Times, 11 May 1867; Tisdall:91

* The christening took place at Marlborough House either in the Princess of Wales's bedroom (Duff, Alexandra, p. 82), or in her sitting room (Longford, Darling Loosy, p. 95, quoting from a letter dated Marlborough House 6 May 1867 from the Prince of Wales to his sister, Princess Louise, in which he writes: "Both Alix and I are very anxious that you should be Godmother to our little girl, especially as she is to bear your name. The christening is to take place here (quite privately) in Alix's sitting room on Friday next."), or in the drawing room (Tisdall, Alexandra, p. 91). Biographers also differ as to how Alix (who was suffering from rheumatic fever brought on by her pregnancy) attended her daughter's baptism. She was laying in bed according to one author (Duff, Alexandra, p. 82), or she walked into the room "hobbling on two sticks" according to another (Tisdall, Alexandra, p. 91), or she was "still in bed but looking ravishingly pretty with a pink bow in her hair [when] she was wheeled in to attend the ceremony of her baby's christening" (Battiscombe, Queen Alexandra, p. 85).

† Queen Victoria did not have a lot of influence over her son and daughter-in-law's decisions regarding the christening of their first daughter. The Queen fussed over the large quantity of godparents, and more importantly, was disappointed and hurt that the child was named for her maternal grandmother instead of herself. She complained about this situation to her daughter Vicky, writing: "I really don't know why they had such hosts of sponsors. The child ought to be called 'Victoria'. But upon those subjects Bertie and Alix do not understand the right thing. Just as your children were called after the Prussian Royal Family, Bertie's ought to be after the English Family". (Fulford, Dear Letter, p. 135)

Queen Mary
July 1867

Parents: Franz, Prince (later Duke) of Teck and Princess Mary Adelaide of Great Britain
Born: 26 May 1867 at Kensington Palace; Died: 24 March 1953 at Marlborough House, St James's, Westminster
Christened: 27 July 1867 in the Private Chapel at Kensington Palace by Charles Thomas Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes†
Godparents:
• the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII and her future father-in-law)
• Queen Victoria (her mother's cousin, for whom Princess Mary Adelaide stood proxy)
• the Duchess of Cambridge (née Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel, her maternal grandmother)
Sources: BBR:271-272; CP XII/2:925 note (d); Illustrated London News, 3 August 1867; Pope-Hennessy:27; The Times, 29 July 1867

* Queen Mary was baptised in a christening robe that was later used at the christenings of her three brothers, and at the christening of her great-niece Anne Abel Smith in 1932. (Golden, Royal, p. 28) At Anne's baptism, it was stated that the robe had been worn by her mother Lady May Abel Smith and by her grandmother Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. The christening dress was described as a "very long robe of antique Valenciennes lace and muslin [...]". (The Times, 29 August 1932)

† The sequence of names was originally 'Agnes Augusta Victoria Mary Louise Olga Pauline Claudine', but was changed prior to the christening. Queen Victoria, one of the godparents, was upset at this last-minute modification. Her Majesty wrote to Princess Mary Adelaide on the day of the baptism to say "I am shocked you have been worried out of calling the Baby Agnes - such a pretty name and I think the father's family ought always to be considered first. However Mary is of course dear to us - for your & dear [Aunt] Gloucester's sakes." (Pope-Hennessy, Queen Mary, p. 27)

Princess Victoria of Great Britain
1868

Parents: Prince Albert Edward of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra)
Born: 6 July 1868 at Marlborough House, St James's, Westminster; Died: 3 December 1935 at Coppins, Iver, Buckinghamshire
Christened: 6 August 1868 at Marlborough House by Archibald Campbell Tait, Bishop of London
Names: Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary
Godparents:
• Alexander II, Emperor of Russia (for whom His Excellency the Russian ambassador, Baron de Brunnow, stood proxy)
• Grand Duke and Cesarevitch Alexander Alexandrovitch of Russia (later Emperor Alexander III)
• Prince Arthur (later the Duke of Connaught, her paternal uncle)
• Prince Ludwig (later Grand Duke Ludwig IV) of Hesse and by Rhine (her father's brother-in-law)
• Prince Georg of Hesse-Cassel (her mother's great-uncle)
• Queen Victoria (her grandmother, for whom the Duchess of Cambridge stood proxy)
• Queen Olga of Greece (her mother's sister-in-law, for whom the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz stood proxy)
• Dowager Queen Caroline of Denmark (widow of King Christian VIII)
• Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (née Princess Marie of Hesse-Cassel)
• Princess Mary Adelaide, Princess of Teck (Queen Victoria's cousin)
• Princess Friedrich of Anhalt-Dessau (née Princess Marie of Hesse-Cassel)
Sources: BBR:330; Illustrated London News, 8 August 1868; The Times, 7 August 1868

Princess Maud of Great Britain
1869

Parents: Prince Albert Edward of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra)
Born: 26 November 1869 at Marlborough House, St James's, Westminster; Died: 20 November 1938 in a nursing home in London
Christened: 24 December 1869 at Marlborough House by John Jackson, Bishop of London*
Names: Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria
Godparents:
• Carl XV, King of Sweden and Norway (represented by His Excellency the Swedish and Norwegian Minister, Baron Hochschild)
• Prince Leopold (later Duke of Albany, her paternal uncle, who was represented by the Duke of Cambridge)
• Landgrave Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse (represented by the Prince (later Duke) of Teck)
• Count Gleichen (Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg)
• the Duchess of Nassau (née Princess Adelheid of Anhalt-Dessau, for whom Princess Mary Adelaide, Princess of Teck stood proxy)
• the Princess of Leiningen (née Princess Marie of Baden, represented by Princess Claudine of Teck)
• Grand Duchess Cesarevna (later Empress) Maria Feodorovna of Russia (her maternal aunt, represented by Baroness de Brunnow, the Russian ambassador's wife)
• Crown Princess Louise of Denmark (her aunt, wife of the future King Frederik VIII, represented by Madame de Bülow, the Danish Minister's wife)
• the Duchess of Inverness (widow of Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex)
Sources: BBR:276; Illustrated London News, 1 January 1870; The Times, 25 December 1869

* Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 276 and The Times, 25 December 1869 state that Princess Maud's christening took place at Marlborough House, without specifying in which part of the house. Tisdall, Alexandra, p. 107, quoting Princess Mary Adelaide, Princess of Teck's Journal for 24 December 1869, states that "the grand christening took place in the inner hall [at Marlborough House]. I represented Adelaide Nassau, and held the baby, who was named Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria. The Bishop of London officiated."

Prince John of Great Britain
1871

Parents: Prince Albert Edward of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra)
Born: 6 April 1871 at Sandringham House, Norfolk; Died: 7 April 1871 at Sandringham House
Christened: privately 6 April 1871 at Sandringham by Reverend W. Lake Onslow (Rector of Sandringham and Domestic Chaplain to the Prince of Wales)*
Names: Alexander John Charles Albert
Godparents: [information unknown]
Sources: Buckle II:127; Duff (Alexandra):85-86; Kidd:59; The Times, 8 April 1871

* Prince John was born prematurely at 2:45 p.m. Because he was in a "very feeble state", his christening took place privately that evening in the presence of his parents, his mother's lady-in-waiting, and one of the doctors who attended his birth. The infant Prince died the following day at 2:00 p.m. (The Times, 8 April 1871) Kidd, Royal Children, p. 59 states that the Princess of Wales was only told about her child's baptism the next morning when she woke up, while Duff, Alexandra, p. 85, states that "when Alexandra awoke next morning it was to be told that [her infant son] was dead". Neither of these accounts is correct. Alix was present at her son's christening, and her son did not die the 'next morning', according to two sources: The Times' report, and the Prince of Wales's letter to the Queen dated 7 April 1871 informing Her Majesty about his son's death: "We both of us quite broke down at the short and simple Christening yesterday evening, and also to-day when I had to tell dear Alix all was over." (Buckle, Letters, Vol. II, p. 127)

Prince Alfred of Great Britain (later the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)
1874

Parents: Prince Alfred of Great Britain, Duke of Edinburgh (later the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia
Born: 15 October 1874 at Buckingham Palace; Died: 6 February 1899 at Meran, Tyrol
Christened: 23 November 1874 in the Lower Bow Room at Buckingham Palace by Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Alfred Alexander William Ernest Albert
Godparents:
• Alexander II, Emperor of Russia (his grandfather, for whom the future Emperor Alexander III stood proxy)
• Wilhelm I, German Emperor (for whom his uncle Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught stood proxy)
• Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (his father's uncle, for whom Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein [Helena's husband] stood sponsor)
• the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII, his uncle)
• Queen Victoria (his grandmother)
• the German Crown Princess (his father's sister, Princess Victoria, Princess Royal, who was represented by her sister Princess Helena)
Sources: Bolitho (Further Letters):201-203; CP V:8; Fulford (Darling Child):163; Illustrated London News, 28 November 1874; Illustrated London News, 5 December 1874; Kiste/Jordaan:100; Longford (Darling Loosy):187; The Times, 24 November 1874

* Kiste/Jordaan, Dearest Affie, p. 100 state incorrectly that Prince Alfred was christened 28 November 1874 "in the chapel at Windsor Castle". Contemporary evidence proves that the christening ceremony took place prior to this date at Buckingham Palace, for example the Illustrated London News and The Times' christening reports, and Queen Victoria's letters to her daughters Vicky (the German Crown Princess) and Louise (the Marchioness of Lorne), and her letter to Emperor Wilhelm I (Vicky's father-in-law). Both the Illustrated London News and The Times give the correct date and location of the christening (23 November 1874 in the Lower Bow Room at Buckingham Palace). The Illustrated London News (28 November 1874) reported that "the christening was performed in the lower Bow-Room in the palace", to which The Times (24 November 1874) added that the room "had been selected by the Queen for this purpose in consequence of its proximity to the apartments occupied by the Empress of Russia." The Times further stated that the Lower Bow Room "is also called the '53 Room' [and that] the font was placed near the window which opens on the Palace gardens, and the officiating clergy stood round it." In Queen Victoria's letter dated 27 November 1874 to Princess Louise, Her Majesty informs her younger daughter that "the Christening I thought a flat, dull affair [...] the room was so badly arranged and might have been prettily so - and tho' very large - people did not see as well as they might have done." (Longford, Darling Loosy, p. 187) Two days earlier, in her letter of 25 November 1874 to her eldest daughter Victoria, the Queen explained that the room where the christening occurred "was not tastefully arranged and though very large not disposed so as to admit of people seeing well [...] I would have arranged all differently had it been possible, but the Bow or '53 room was used as a passage for the Empress and some of her people stood there [...]". (Fulford, Darling Child, p. 163) In her letter dated 25 November 1874 to the child's godfather Wilhelm I, the Queen reports that the christening "went off well, although with less ceremony than usual, since it took place in the great hall downstairs at the palace [...]". (Bolitho, Further Letters, p. 202) From these epistolary descriptions, it would seem that the christening was not held in the Lower Bow Room, but in a room next door to it. In the first two letters, the location is a "very large" room, while in the third letter the location is a "great hall". (This hall was presumably the 60 meter-long Marble Hall, situated on the ground floor, and is one of the many long corridors at Buckingham Palace. The Lower Bow Room, as well as other semi-state apartments at this level, is accessed from the Marble Hall.) The Illustrated London News and The Times accurately described the Lower Bow Room in their respective reports. Further, the Illustrated London News' article is supported by its accompanying illustration ("The Royal Christening At Buckingham Palace") of the infant Prince seen in the arms of the Archbishop and on the point of receiving the sacred rite. The Lower Bow Room's distinctive bay and some of its window-doors are clearly identifiable. (Illustrated London News, 5 December 1874). Therefore, as unlikely as it seems, Queen Victoria's memory was faulty on this point, and some of the information in her letters is incorrect.

Princess Marie of Great Britain
1875

Parents: Prince Alfred of Great Britain, Duke of Edinburgh (later the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia
Born: 29 October 1875 at Eastwell Park, near Ashford, Kent; Died: 18 July 1938 at Pelisor, Sinaia, Roumania
Christened: privately 15 December 1875 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by the Honourable and Very Reverend Gerald Wellesley, Dean of Windsor*
Names: Marie Alexandra Victoria
Godparents:
• Grand Duke and Cesarevitch Alexander Alexandrovitch of Russia (later Emperor Alexander III, her uncle)
• Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (her uncle)
• Empress Marie of Russia (her maternal grandmother)
• the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (née Princess Alexandrine of Baden, her father's paternal aunt)
• the Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra, her aunt)
Sources: The Times, 16 December 1875

* The christening "was of a strictly private nature", because it was performed on the day following the 14th anniversary of the death of the Prince Consort. (The Times, 16 December 1875)

Princess Victoria Melita of Great Britain
1877

Parents: Prince Alfred of Great Britain, Duke of Edinburgh (later the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia
Born: 25 November 1876 at the Palace of San Antonio, Malta; Died: 2 March 1936 at Amorbach
Christened: 1 January 1877 at the Palace of San Antonio, Malta by the British Naval Chaplain
Names: Victoria Melita
Godparents [incomplete list]:
• Queen Victoria (her grandmother, who was represented by proxy)
Sources: Illustrated London News, 6 January 1877; Illustrated London News, 13 January 1877; The Times, 2 January 1877; The Times, 11 January 1877

Princess Alexandra of Great Britain
1878

Parents: Prince Alfred of Great Britain, Duke of Edinburgh (later the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia
Born: 1 September 1878 at Edinburgh Palace, Coburg; Died: 16 April 1942 at Schwäbisch Hall, Württemberg
Christened: 2 October 1878 at Edinburgh Palace, Coburg*
Names: Alexandra Louise Olga Victoria
Godparents [incomplete list]:
• Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovitch of Russia (her uncle, who was present)
Sources: Illustrated London News, 5 October 1878; The Times, 19 September 1878; The Times, 3 October 1878

* Princess Alexandra was baptised according to the rites of the Greek Orthodox Church, presumably by the Duchess of Edinburgh's Greek chaplain, who arrived at Coburg in mid-September. (The Times, 19 September 1878)

Princess Margaret of Great Britain
1882

Parents: Prince Arthur of Great Britain, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia
Born: 15 January 1882 at Bagshot Park, Surrey; Died: 1 May 1920 at Stockholm, Sweden
Christened: 11 March 1882 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Margaret Victoria Augusta Charlotte Norah
Godparents:
• Wilhelm I, German Emperor (represented by the German Ambassador Count Münster)
• the Prince of Wales (her uncle, the future King Edward VII)
• Prince Karl of Prussia (her great-grandfather, for whom her uncle Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, stood proxy)
• Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (her grandfather, for whom her uncle Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, stood proxy)
• Queen Victoria (her grandmother)
• the German Crown Princess (her aunt Victoria, Princess Royal, represented by her aunt Princess Christian [Helena] of Schleswig-Holstein)
• Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia (her grandmother, represented by proxy by her aunt Princess Beatrice)
• the Duchess of Cambridge (her father's great-aunt, for whom her aunt Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne, stood proxy)*
Sources: BBR:255; Frankland (Arthur):88; Illustrated London News, 18 March 1882; The Times, 13 March 1882

* Williamson, Brewer's British Royalty, p. 255 says that the German Empress Augusta was a godparent, but does not include the Duchess of Cambridge. Neither the Illustrated London News nor The Times show Empress Augusta in their lists of the godparents.

Prince Arthur of Great Britain
February 1883

Parents: Prince Arthur of Great Britain, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia
Born: 13 January 1883 at Windsor Castle; Died: 12 September 1938 in a nursing home in Belgrave Square, London
Christened: 16 February 1883 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by John Jackson, Bishop of London
Names: Arthur Frederick Patrick Albert
Godparents:
• Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (Queen Victoria's cousin)
• Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (later the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, his uncle for whom the future King Edward VII stood proxy)
• Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia (his uncle, for whom the German Ambassador, Count Münster, stood proxy)
• Queen Victoria (his grandmother)
• the German Empress Augusta (for whom his aunt Princess Beatrice stood proxy)
• Princess Hendrik of the Netherlands (née Princess Marie of Prussia, his aunt, represented by Countess Münster, the German Ambassador's wife)
Sources: BBR:34; The Times, 17 February 1883

Princess Alice of Great Britain
March 1883

Parents: Prince Leopold of Great Britain, Duke of Albany and Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Born: 25 February 1883 at Windsor Castle; Died: 3 January 1981 at Kensington Palace
Christened: 26 March 1883 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline†
Godparents:
• Willem III, King of the Netherlands (for whom the Netherlands Minister His Excellency Count de Bylandt stood proxy)
• Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (for whom her uncle, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh stood proxy)
• the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII, her uncle)
• Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg (the future Wilhelm II, King of Württemberg, for whom the Duke of Teck stood proxy)
• Queen Victoria (her grandmother)
• the German Empress Augusta (for whom her aunt, Princess Beatrice, stood proxy)
• the Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont (née Princess Helene of Nassau, her maternal grandmother)
• the German Crown Princess (her aunt Victoria, Princess Royal, for whom her aunt, the Princess of Wales, stood proxy)
• the Duchess of Cambridge (for whom the Duchess of Teck stood proxy)
• the Hereditary Princess of Bentheim and Steinfurt (née Princess Pauline of Waldeck and Pyrmont, her aunt, for whom another aunt, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, stood proxy)
Sources: BBR:20; The Times, 27 March 1883; Zeepvat:176

* Princess Alice was baptised on Easter Monday. Her christening robe featured a tulle veil, which had been used at her mother's wedding, and which was later used at the christening of her brother and later at her confirmation. (The Times, 3 October 1907)

† She was named for her late aunt, Princess Alice, elder sister of the Duke of Albany, who died of typhoid in 1878. The Duke wanted the Princess' husband, Grand Duke Ludwig, to be a godfather, and wrote to him asking: "dear Louis, will you associate our child still more with Her [Alice] dear memory by standing Godfather? It would give us so much pleasure." (Zeepvat, Leopold, p. 176)

Princess Beatrice of Great Britain
May 1884

Parents: Prince Alfred of Great Britain, Duke of Edinburgh (later the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia
Born: 20 April 1884 at Eastwell Park, near Ashford, Kent; Died: 13 July 1966 at Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain
Christened: 17 May 1884 in the library at Eastwell House by the Reverend W. Lloyd, R.N. (Chaplain to the Duke of Edinburgh)
Names: Beatrice Leopoldine Victoria
Godparents [incomplete list]:
• Princess Beatrice of Great Britain (her paternal aunt)
Sources: The Times, 19 May 1884

Prince Charles Edward of Great Britain, Duke of Albany (later the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)
December 1884

Parents: Prince Leopold of Great Britain, Duke of Albany and Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Born: 19 July 1884 at Claremont House, near Esher, Surrey; Died: 6 March 1954 at Coburg
Christened: 4 December 1884 at Christ Church, Esher, Surrey by Edward Harold Browne, Bishop of Winchester*
Names: Leopold Charles Edward George Albert†
Godparents:
• the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII, his uncle)
• Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (his maternal grandfather)‡
• Alexis, 4th Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt (his mother's brother-in-law)
• Queen Victoria (his grandmother)
• Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (his aunt Princess Helena)
• Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne (later the Duchess of Argyll, his aunt)
• Baroness Alfons von Pawel-Rammingen (née Princess Friederike of Hanover, her father's second cousin)
Sources: CP I:87; The Times, 9 August 1884; The Times, 5 December 1884; The Times, 6 December 1884

* About two weeks after his birth, the infant Prince was "not quite well" and "it was thought advisable to baptize him" privately at home on 4 August 1884. This baptism was performed by the Reverend Samuel Warner, rector of Christ Church, Esher. (The Times, 9 August 1884)

† His christening robe featured a tulle veil, which had been used at his mother's wedding, and which was used at his sister's christening and later at her confirmation. (The Times, 3 October 1907)

‡ The Prince of Waldeck and the Prince of Bentheim were "unavoidably prevented from coming" to the ceremony. (The Times, 6 December 1884)

Princess Patricia of Great Britain
1886

Parents: Prince Arthur of Great Britain, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia
Born: 17 March 1886 at Buckingham Palace; Died: 12 January 1974 at Ribsden Holt, Windlesham, Surrey
Christened: 1 May 1886 at St Anne's Church, Bagshot, Surrey by Edward Harold Browne, Bishop of Winchester
Names: Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth
Godparents:
• Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (represented by Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein)
• the German Crown Prince (later Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia, represented by Count Hatzfeldt, the German Ambassador)
• Prince Albrecht of Prussia (represented by Hereditary Grand Duke Peter (later Grand Duke Peter II) of Oldenburg)
• Queen Victoria (her grandmother)
• the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Oldenburg (née Princess Elisabeth of Prussia, her aunt)
• Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (her paternal aunt Helena)
Sources: The Times, 3 May 1886

The Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII)
1894

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Duke of York and Princess Mary of Teck (later King George V and Queen Mary)
Born: 23 June 1894 at White Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey; Died: 28 May 1972 at his home in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris
Christened: 16 July 1894 in the Green Drawing Room at White Lodge by Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David
Godparents:
• Christian IX, King of Denmark (his great-grandfather, for whom his maternal uncle Prince Adolphus of Teck stood proxy)
• Wilhelm II, King of Württemberg (his mother's distant cousin, for whom Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught stood proxy)
• the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (his great-uncle, Alfred, for whom Prince Louis of Battenberg stood proxy)
• the Prince of Wales (his grandfather, later King Edward VII)
• the Grand Duke and Cesarevitch Nicholas Alexandrovitch of Russia (the future Emperor Nicholas II, his father's cousin)
• the Duke of Teck (his maternal grandfather)
• Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (his mother's uncle)
• Queen Victoria (his great-grandmother)
• Queen Louise of Denmark (his paternal great-grandmother, for whom his paternal aunt the Duchess of Fife stood proxy)
• Queen Olga of Greece (his great-aunt, for whom his paternal aunt Princess Victoria stood proxy)
• the Princess of Wales (his grandmother, later Queen Alexandra)
• the Duchess of Teck (his maternal grandmother)
Sources: BBR:120-121; Courtney: 83-84; Kidd:80; The Times, 17 July 1894; Windsor:5-6

* Courtney, Royal Children, p. 83 states incorrectly that the christening was held in the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace.

King George VI
1896

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Duke of York and Princess Mary of Teck (later King George V and Queen Mary)
Born: 14 December 1895 at York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk; Died: 6 February 1952 at Sandringham House
Christened: 17 February 1896* at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham by John Sheepshanks, Bishop of Norwich†
Names: Albert Frederick Arthur George
Godparents:
• the Crown Prince of Denmark (his great-uncle, later King Frederick VIII, for whom his grandfather the Prince of Wales stood proxy)
• Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (for whom his grandfather the Duke of Teck stood proxy)
• Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (his great-uncle)
• Prince Adolphus of Teck (his maternal uncle)
• Queen Victoria (his great-grandmother, for whom his grandmother the Princess of Wales stood proxy)
• the Empress Frederick (his great-aunt, Victoria, Princess Royal, for whom his aunt Princess Victoria stood proxy)
• the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (née Princess Augusta of Great Britain, his mother's maternal aunt, for whom his aunt Princess Maud stood proxy)
• Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife (his paternal aunt)‡
Sources: BBR:170; Kidd:81; Pope-Hennessy:316-317; The Times, 18 February 1896; Wheeler-Bennett:8-9

* The christening was originally planned for 3 February 1896, but was postponed until after the funeral of Prince Henry of Battenberg (Queen Victoria's son-in-law), who died unexpectedly that January. (Pope-Hennessy, Queen Mary, p. 316)

† The ceremony "took place at the entrance to the chancel [the space around the altar for the clergy], where a temporary pedestal had been set up draped with white satin, with flowers arranged round the base. A gold font was let into the top of the pedestal, into which was poured water from the river Jordan." (The Times, 18 February, 1896) The "gold font" was perhaps the "rose-water dish of solid gold" that was given to the Duke and Duchess of York as a wedding present from the city of Edinburgh in 1893. (The Times, 20 May 1893)

‡ Wheeler-Bennett, King George VI, p. 8 note c incorrectly identifies the "Crown Prince of Denmark" as being "Subsequently King Christian X of Denmark [...]".

Princess Mary of Great Britain, Princess Royal
1897

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Duke of York and Princess Mary of Teck (later King George V and Queen Mary)
Born: 25 April 1897 at York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk; Died: 28 March 1965 at Harewood House, Leeds, Yorkshire
Christened: 7 June 1897 at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham by William Dalrymple Maclagan, Archbishop of York*
Names: Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary†
Godparents:
• George I, King of the Hellenes (her great-uncle)
• the Prince of Wales (her grandfather, later King Edward VII)
• Prince Francis of Teck (her uncle)
• Queen Victoria (her great-grandmother)
• the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia (her great-aunt, sister of the Princess of Wales)
• the Princess of Wales (her grandmother, later Queen Alexandra)
• the Duchess of Teck (her maternal grandmother)
• Princess Victoria (her father's sister)
Sources: BBR:261; The Times, 8 June 1897

* Princess Mary's baptismal service was "performed at the entrance to the chapel, where a temporary font had been erected, the gold bowl being used which was presented as a wedding gift by the city of Edinburgh to the Duke and Duchess of York." (The Times, 8 June 1897) This gold bowl seems to be the same one used at the christening of her elder brother at Sandringham in 1896.

† If Queen Victoria had had her way, her great-granddaughter would have been christened 'Diamond', because she was born during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year. Mary's parents refused, and Her Majesty had to be satisfied with calling Mary "my little Diamond Jubilee baby". (Clear, Royal Children, p. 78, and The Times, 29 March 1965)

Prince Henry of Great Britain, Duke of Gloucester
May 1900

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Duke of York and Princess Mary of Teck (later King George V and Queen Mary)
Born: 31 March 1900 at York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk; Died: 10 June 1974 at Barnwell Manor, Northamptonshire
Christened: 17 May 1900 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by Randall Thomas Davidson, Bishop of Winchester
Names: Henry William Frederick Albert
Godparents:
• Wilhelm II, German Emperor (his father's cousin, for whom Prince Albrecht of Prussia, Regent of Brunswick stood proxy)
• Prince George of Greece (his father's cousin, for whom the future King Edward VII stood proxy)
• Prince Alexander of Teck (his maternal uncle, later the Earl of Athlone, for whom Prince George, Duke of Cambridge stood proxy)
• Field-Marshal Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (Commander-in-Chief, Boer War), for whom General Sir Dighton Probyn stood proxy)
• Queen Victoria (his grandmother)
• the Duchess of Cumberland (née Princess Thyra of Denmark, his great-aunt, for whom her sister, the future Queen Alexandra, stood proxy)
• Princess Carl of Denmark (his father's sister, Maud, later Queen Maud of Norway, for whom her sister Princess Victoria stood proxy)
• Princess Henry of Battenberg (his great-aunt, Beatrice, daughter of Queen Victoria)
Sources: Frankland (Henry):4-5; The Times, 18 May 1900

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
September 1900

Parents: Claude Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis (later the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne) and Nina Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck
Born: 4 August 1900 in London*; Died: 30 March 2002 at Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park
Christened: 23 September 1900 (after morning service) at All Saints Church, St Paul's Walden Bury, near Hitchin, Hertfordshire by the vicar Reverend Tristram Henry Valentine
Names: Elizabeth Angela Marguerite
Godparents [incomplete list]:
• Lady Maud Bowes-Lyon (her father's sister)
• Mrs. Arthur James (the former Venetia Cavendish-Bentinck, her mother's second cousin)†
Sources: BBR:141; Courtney:104; Morrow:33; Mortimer:15-17; The Times, 4 May 1948

* The future Queen Elizabeth's birth was registered incorrectly (by her father six weeks late) as having taken place at the Strathmore family's English country house at St Paul's Walden Bury. Nevertheless, she was born in London, according to the information found on her passport (Number 380040, issued by the Foreign Office 23 May 1921). (Forbes, My Darling Buffy, pp 3-6) Her Majesty's birth occurred possibly at her father's townhouse 20, St James's Square (Morrow, Queen Mother, p. 33) or at her maternal grandparents' apartment in Belgrave Mansions, Grosvenor Gardens, Westminster (Mortimer, Queen Elizabeth, p. 15).

† All but two of the godparents "forgot to sign the register". (Mortimer, Queen Elizabeth, p. 15)

Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
(1901)

Parents: John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Earl of Dalkeith (later the 7th Duke of Buccleuch) and Lady Margaret Bridgeman
Born: 25 December 1901 at Montagu House, Whitehall, London; Died: 29 October 2004 at Kensington Palace
Christened: [information unknown]
Names: Alice Christabel
Godparents: [information unknown]

Prince George of Great Britain, Duke of Kent
1903

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Princess Mary of Teck (later King George V and Queen Mary)
Born: 20 December 1902 at York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk; Died: 25 August 1942 at Morven, Scotland
Christened: 26 January 1903 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by Francis Paget, Bishop of Oxford*
Names: George Edward Alexander Edmund
Godparents:
• King Edward VII (his paternal grandfather)
• Prince Waldemar of Denmark (his great-uncle, represented by Prince Carl of Denmark, the future Haakon VII, King of Norway)
• Prince Louis of Battenberg (later 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, a distant relative)
• Queen Alexandra (his paternal grandmother)
• the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia (his great-aunt, for whom his father's sister Princess Victoria stood proxy)
• Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (his great-aunt, Helena, Queen Victoria's daughter)
Sources: BBR:235 and The Times, 27 January 1903

* This was one of the rare occasions where ordinary water was used at a royal christening instead of water from the Jordan river. (The Times, 27 January 1903)

Prince John of Great Britain
1905

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Princess Mary of Teck (later King George V and Queen Mary)
Born: 12 July 1905 at York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk; Died: 18 January 1919 at Wood Farm, Wolferton, near Sandringham
Christened: 3 August 1905 at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham by the Reverend Canon J.N. (John Neale) Dalton (Domestic Chaplain to the Prince of Wales)*
Names: John Charles Francis
Godparents:
• Carlos I, King of Portugal
• the Duke of Sparta (his father's cousin, the future Constantine I, King of the Hellenes)
• Prince Carl of Denmark (his father's cousin, the future Haakon VII, King of Norway)
• Prince Johann of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (his great-great-uncle)
• Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife (brother-in-law of King George V)
• the Duchess of Sparta (née Princess Sophie of Prussia, his father's paternal cousin)
• Princess Alexander of Teck (née Princess Alice of Great Britain, later the Countess of Athlone, his father's cousin)†
Sources: The Times, 4 August 1905

* Rev. Canon Dalton officiated at Prince John's funeral in 1919. (The Times, 22 January 1919)

† The Prince of Wales represented four godparents (the King of Portugal, the Duke of Fife, Prince Carl and Prince Johann), while his sister Princess Victoria represented the Duchess of Sparta and Princess Alexander of Teck. (The Times, 4 August 1905)

Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
(1906)

Parents: Prince Nicholas of Greece and Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia
Born: 30 November (Old Style)/13 December (New Style) 1906 at the Nicholas Palace (Le Petit Palais) in Athens, Greece; Died: 27 August 1968 at Kensington Palace
Christened: [information incomplete]*
Name: Marina
Godparents:
• George I, King of the Hellenes (her grandfather)
• King Edward VII (her great-uncle)
• Prince Andrew of Greece (her uncle)
• Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovitch of Russia (her maternal uncle)
• the Princess of Wales (the future Queen Mary)
• Grand Duchess Kirill Vladimirovitch of Russia (née Princess Victoria Melita of Great Britain, her aunt)
Sources: Watson:24

* Princess Marina was baptised according to the rites of the Greek Orthodox Church. (Watson, Marina, p. 24)

Prince Alastair of Great Britain (later Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught)
1914

Parents: Prince Arthur of Great Britain and Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife
Born: 9 August 1914 in Mount Street, Mayfair, London; Died: 26 April 1943 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Christened: 25 August 1914 at 54 Mount Street, Mayfair by the Reverend Canon Edgar Sheppard, D.D. (Sub-Dean of His Majesty's Chapels Royal and Domestic Chaplain)*
Names: Alastair Arthur
Godparents:
• King George V (his uncle)
• Alfonso XIII, King of Spain (for whom Horace Farquhar, 1st Baron Farquhar (a Lord in Waiting to King George V) stood proxy)
• Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (his grandfather, for whom Major Malcolm Murray stood proxy)
• Queen Alexandra (his maternal grandmother)
• Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (his great-aunt)
• Princess Mary, Princess Royal (his cousin)
Sources: The Times, 26 August 1914

* Prince Alastair was christened privately at home during the evening "owing to the approaching departure of Prince Arthur [his father] on active service." (The Times, 26 August 1914)

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
(1921)

Parents: Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg
Born: 28 May (Old Style)/10 June (New Style) 1921 at Villa "Mon Repos", near Corfu town, (Isle of) Corfu, Greece
Christened: [information incomplete] at St. George's Church in the Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio) in Corfu town*
Name: Philippos (Philip)
Godparents:
• Queen Olga of Greece (his grandmother, who was represented by her granddaughter Princess Olga of Greece)
• the Corfu City Council (represented by Alexander S. Kokotos, Mayor of Corfu, and Stylianos I. Maniarizis, Chairman of the City Council)
Sources: Judd: 51; The Times, 14 June 1921; Yannis (Usenet)

* Prince Philip was baptised according to the rites of the Greek Orthodox Church. (Judd, Prince Philip, p. 51) According to Buckingham Palace, "there are no firm details available about the Duke of Edinburgh's christening, but his sister, Princess [Sophie], has said that his godparents were his grandmother, Queen Olga of Greece, and the Mayor of Corfu, representing the Corfu community. The actual date of the christening is a mystery, but as he was born on 10 June 1921, it is assumed that he was probably christened soon after in Corfu." (Majesty, Vol. 15, No. 12, December 1994, p. 66)

HM The Queen
1926

Parents: Prince Albert of Great Britain, Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth)
Born: 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London
Christened: 29 May 1926 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of York*
Names: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary†
Godparents:
• King George V (her paternal grandfather)
• Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (Queen Victoria's son, her father's great-uncle)
• Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (her maternal grandfather)
• Queen Mary (her paternal grandmother)
• Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles (later the Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood, her paternal aunt)
• Lady Elphinstone (the former Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon, her maternal aunt)
Sources: Bradford:28; Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004; Courtney:122-123; Kidd:99; The Times, 31 May 1926; Wheeler-Bennett:210

* The future Queen apparently cried so much at her christening that "her nurse dosed her with dill water, an old-fashioned remedy, to the amusement of her uncle, the Prince of Wales." (Bradford, Elizabeth, p. 28)

† The infant was named after her mother, paternal great-grandmother (who died the previous November) and paternal grandmother. Her parents, the Duke and Duchess of York, were fortunate that their first choice of names for their daughter was "readily approved" by the King, who replied to his son: "I like it & think it is a pretty name". To his wife Queen Mary, George V said: "I have heard from Bertie about the names, he mentions Elizabeth, Alexandra, Mary. I quite approve & will tell him so, he says nothing about Victoria. I hardly think that necessary." (Wheeler-Bennett, King George VI, p. 210 and p. 210 note a)

Princess Margaret of Great Britain
1930

Parents: Prince Albert of Great Britain, Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth)
Born: 21 August 1930 at Glamis Castle, Forfarshire, Scotland; Died: 9 February 2002 at King Edward VII Hospital for Officers, London
Christened: 30 October 1930 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Margaret Rose*
Godparents:
• the Prince of Wales (her uncle the future King Edward VIII, for whom his brother Prince George stood proxy)
• the Honourable (later the Honourable Sir) David Bowes-Lyon (her maternal uncle)
• Princess Ingrid of Sweden (later Queen Ingrid of Denmark, for whom Lady Patricia Ramsay (Queen Victoria's granddaughter) stood proxy)
• Princess Victoria (her paternal great-aunt, King George V's sister)
• Lady Rose Leveson-Gower (later Countess Granville, her maternal aunt)
Sources: Aronson:21-22; BBR:252; Seward:48; The Times, 31 October 1930†

* The Duke and Duchess were not as fortunate in their original choice of names for their second daughter as they were with their first child's names. When they proposed "Ann Margaret", King George V disliked the name Ann, much to their disappointment. But the couple was determined to have their next choice approved, as the Duchess explained to her mother-in-law Queen Mary: "Bertie & I have decided now to call our little daughter 'Margaret Rose', instead of M. Ann, as Papa does not like Ann - I hope that you like it [the new name]. I think that it is very pretty together." (Wheeler-Bennett, King George VI, p. 253)

† The Times states incorrectly that the christening gown was of Brussels lace, and that it was "first used at Queen Victoria's christening".

HRH The Duchess of Kent
1933

Parents: Captain W. A. Worsley (later Sir William Worsley, 4th Baronet) and Joyce Brunner
Born: 22 February 1933 at Hovingham Hall, York
Christened: 2 April 1933 at All Saints' Church, Hovingham by Reverend John E. N. Jackson*
Names: Katharine Lucy Mary
Godparents:
• Sir Felix Brunner, 3rd Baronet (her maternal uncle)
• Major Sir Digby Lawson, 2nd Baronet (a family friend)
• Mrs. W. Arthur Colegate (later Lady Colegate, her paternal aunt, the former Winifred Worsley Pemberton)
• Mrs. Ronald Fife (née Margaret Rutson, a family friend and neighbour)
Sources: Riddell:18; The Times, 3 April 1933

* The future Duchess of Kent's christening took place at All Saints, according to The Times, 3 April 1933. However, Riddell, Duchess, p. 18, states that the ceremony took place at St Peter's, the small church next to Hovingham Hall, the ancestral home of the Worsley family.

HRH The Duke of Kent
1935

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece
Born: 9 October 1935 at 3 Belgrave Square, London
Christened: 20 November 1935 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick
Godparents:
• King George V (his paternal grandfather)
• the Prince of Wales (his uncle, the future King Edward VIII and later HRH the Duke of Windsor)
• Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (Queen Victoria's son, for whom his son Prince Arthur of Connaught stood proxy)
• Prince Nicholas of Greece (his maternal grandfather)
• Queen Mary (his paternal grandmother)
• Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (Queen Victoria's daughter)
• Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (his aunt)
Sources: BBR:235 and The Times, 21 November 1935*

* The Times states incorrectly that the christening gown was of "old Brussels lace", and that it "was made for Queen Victoria's christening more than 100 years ago".

HRH Princess Alexandra of Great Britain
1937

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece
Born: 25 December 1936 at 3 Belgrave Square, London
Christened: 9 February 1937 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel
Godparents:
• King George VI (her uncle)
• Carl Theodor, Count of Toerring-Jettenbach (her mother's brother-in-law)
• Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (her father's maternal uncle)
• Queen Elizabeth (her aunt, later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother)
• Queen Maud of Norway (her father's paternal aunt)
• Princess Nicholas of Greece (Helen, her maternal grandmother)
• Princess Paul of Yugoslavia (Olga, her maternal aunt)
• Princess Henry of Battenberg (Queen Victoria's daughter, Beatrice)
(the King and Queen, and Lord Athlone were the only godparents who were present at the ceremony)*
Sources: James (Alexandra):8-9; Seward:143; The Times, 10 February 1937†

* Seward, Royal Children, p. 143 does not mention Princess Beatrice as a godparent.

† The Times states incorrectly that the christening gown was of Brussels lace.

Prince William of Great Britain
February 1942

Parents: Prince Henry of Great Britain, Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas Scott
Born: 18 December 1941 at the Carnarvon Nursing Home, Barnet, Hertfordshire; Died: 28 August 1972 at Halfpenny Green Airport, near Wolverhampton, Staffordshire
Christened: 22 February 1942 in the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle by Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: William Henry Andrew Frederick
Godparents:
• King George VI (his uncle)
• John Prendergast, 6th Viscount Gort (Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar, who was unable to attend because of military commitments abroad)
• Major Lord William Montagu-Douglas-Scott (his uncle)
• Queen Mary (his grandmother)
• Princess Helena Victoria (his grandfather King George V's cousin)
• Lady Margaret Hawkins (his maternal aunt)
Sources: DBRC:156; Frankland (Henry):160-161; Kidd:154 and 156; Courtney:191; St Aubyn (William):11; The Times, 23 February 1942

* Because of the war, The Times did not identify the actual location of the christening, and said instead that it took place at "a private chapel in the country".

HRH Prince Michael of Great Britain
August 1942

Parents: Prince George of Great Britain, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece
Born: 4 July 1942 at Coppins, Iver, Buckinghamshire
Christened: 4 August 1942 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury*
Names: Michael George Charles Franklin
Godparents:
• King George VI (his paternal uncle)
• Haakon VII, King of Norway (Michael's great-uncle who was present)
• Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the U.S.A. (for whom Prince George, Duke of Kent stood proxy)
• Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (his paternal uncle, who was unable to be present)
• Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands (represented by her son-in-law Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands)
• Crown Princess Frederica of Greece (wife of the future Paul I, King of Greece, who was also unable to be present)
• the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven (Queen Victoria's granddaughter)
• Lady Patricia Ramsay (Queen Victoria's granddaughter)
Sources: BBR:277-278; Seward:146; The Times, 5 August 1942

* Like the christening report for Prince William earlier that year, The Times did not specify where Prince Michael's christening took place, simply saying that it occurred "in the country".

HRH The Duke of Gloucester
1944

Parents: Prince Henry of Great Britain, Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott
Born: 26 August 1944 at St. Matthew's Nursing Home, Northampton
Christened: 20 October 1944 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by Archbishop Lord Lang of Lambeth (Cosmo Gordon Lang, lately Archbishop of Canterbury)*
Names: Richard Alexander Walter George
Godparents:
• Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch (his maternal uncle)
• George Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge (his father's distant cousin)
• General the Honourable Sir Harold Alexander (later Field-Marshal Earl Alexander of Tunis, for whom his wife Lady Alexander stood proxy)
• Queen Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, his aunt)
• Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (Queen Victoria's granddaughter, for whom her daughter Lady May Abel Smith stood proxy)
• Princess Marie Louise (Queen Victoria's granddaughter)
• Lady Sybil Phipps (his maternal aunt)
Sources: Frankland (Henry):178-179; Kidd:156; The Times, 21 October 1944

* Once again because of the war, The Times did not identify the actual location of the christening, stating only that it took place at "a private chapel in the country".

HRH The Duchess of Gloucester
(1946)

Parents: Asger Henriksen and Vivian van Deurs
Born: 20 June 1946 at Odense, Denmark
Christened: [information unknown]
Names: Birgitte Eva
Godparents: [information unknown]

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall
1947

Parents: Major Bruce Shand and the Honourable Rosalind Cubitt
Born: 17 July 1947 at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London
Christened: 1 November 1947 at Firle Church, Sussex by Reverend Francis Browne
Names: Camilla Rosemary
Godparents:
• the Honourable Harry Cubitt (her maternal uncle, later the 4th Baron Ashcombe)
• Major Neil Speke
• Mrs. Lombard Hobson
• Mrs. Heathcoat Amory
• Miss Vivien Mosley (possibly the daughter of Sir Oswald Mosley, 6th Baronet (by his first wife Lady Cynthia Curzon), who was later the Honourable Mrs. Desmond Forbes Adam)
Sources: The Times, 4 November 1947

HRH The Prince of Wales
1948

Parents: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II)
Born: 14 November 1948 at Buckingham Palace
Christened: 15 December 1948* in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace by Dr Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury†
Names: Charles Philip Arthur George
Godparents:
• King George VI (his grandfather)
• Haakon VII, King of Norway (for whom the Earl of Athlone stood proxy)
• Prince George of Greece (his father's uncle, for whom Prince Philip stood proxy)
• the Honourable (later the Honourable Sir) David Bowes-Lyon (his mother's maternal uncle)
• Queen Mary (his great-grandmother)‡
• Princess Margaret (his aunt, later Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon)
• the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven (his paternal great-grandmother)
• Baroness Brabourne (his father's cousin, the former Lady Patricia Mountbatten, later Countess Mountbatten of Burma)
Sources: Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004; Courtney:21; Kidd:122-123; Seward:61-62; The Times, 10 December 1948; The Times, 15 December 1948; The Times, 16 December 1948

* Majesty, Vol. 5, No. 9, January 1985, p. 17 says incorrectly that the christening took place on 10 December 1948, while Courtney, Royal Children, p. 21 says 16 December 1948. Courtney also states incorrectly that Queen Elizabeth (Prince Charles' grandmother) was a godparent.

† The christening could not be held in the Palace's Private Chapel because it was badly damaged during World War II.

‡ Queen Mary was thrilled with the birth of her great-grandson. She wrote in her Diary on the day of the christening: "I gave the baby a silver gilt cup & cover which George III had given to a godson in 1780", and added proudly "I gave a present from my [great] grandfather, to my great grandson 168 years later". (Pope-Hennessy, Queen Mary, p. 616)

HRH The Princess Royal
1950

Parents: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II)
Born: 15 August 1950 at Clarence House, London
Christened: 21 October 1950 in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace by Cyril Forster Garbett, Archbishop of York
Names: Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise
Godparents:
• Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (Prince Philip's uncle)
• Reverend the Honourable Andrew Elphinstone (her mother's cousin)
• Queen Elizabeth (her maternal grandmother, later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother)
• Princess Andrew of Greece (her paternal grandmother, for whom Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone stood proxy)
• Princess Gottfried of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (Prince Philip's sister Margarita)
Sources: Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004; Courtney:164; Kidd:130; Seward:83; The Times, 10 October 1950; The Times, 21 October 1950; The Times, 23 October 1950

HRH The Duke of York
1960

Parents: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II
Born: 19 February 1960 at Buckingham Palace
Christened: 8 April 1960 in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace by Dr Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Andrew Albert Christian Edward
Godparents:
• Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (his grandfather's brother)
• John Elphinstone, 17th Lord Elphinstone (his mother's cousin)
• Hugh FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (later the 11th Duke of Grafton)
• Princess Alexandra (later Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy, his mother's cousin)
• Mrs. Harold Phillips (the former Georgina Wernher, later Lady Kennard)
Sources: BBR:353; Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004; Courtney:176; Seward:92; The Times, 9 April 1960

Diana, Princess of Wales
1961

Parents: John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (later the 8th Earl Spencer) and the Honourable Frances Burke Roche
Born: 1 July 1961 at Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk; Died: 31 August 1997 at Paris, France
Christened: 30 August 1961 at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham by the rector Right Reverend Percy Herbert*
Names: Diana Frances
Godparents:
• John Floyd (Chairman of Christie's, the auctioneers, and her father's friend)
• Alexander Gilmour (her father's cousin)
• Lady Mary Colman (later Lady Colman, wife of the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, and niece of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother)
• Mrs. Michael Pratt (Sarah, daughter of a former Dean of Hereford, and friend and neighbour of Diana's parents)
• Mrs. William (Carol) Fox (another friend and neighbour of Diana's parents)
Sources: DBRC:167; Courtney:43-44; Junor:37-38; Kidd:167; Seward:119; The Times, 31 August 1961; The Times, 28 July 1981 (which shows her baptismal certificate)

* Rt. Rev. Percy Herbert, the retired Bishop of Norwich, was a Spencer family friend, who had married Diana's parents at Westminster Abbey in 1954. (Courtney, Royal Children, p. 43)

HRH The Earl of Wessex
1964

Parents: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II
Born: 10 March 1964 at Buckingham Palace
Christened: 2 May 1964 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by Robert Woods, Dean of Windsor
Names: Edward Antony Richard Louis
Godparents:
• Prince Richard of Gloucester (later HRH the Duke of Gloucester)
• Prince Louis of Hesse (his father's distant cousin)
• Antony Armstrong-Jones 1st Earl of Snowdon (his uncle)
• the Duchess of Kent (for whom Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent stood proxy as Katherine was unable to attend due to the recent birth of her daughter)
• Princess George of Hanover (the Duke of Edinburgh's sister Sophie)
Sources: BBR:111; Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004; Courtney:178; Kidd:137; Seward:102; The Times, 4 May 1964

HRH Prince William of Great Britain
1982

Parents: Prince Charles of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer
Born: 21 June 1982 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington
Christened: 4 August 1982* in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace by Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury†
Names: William Arthur Philip Louis‡
Godparents:
• Constantine II, King of the Hellenes (his father's second cousin)
• Norton Knatchbull, Baron Romsey (his father's second cousin)
• Sir Laurens van der Post (the South African writer and explorer)
• Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Mrs (later Honourable Lady) Ogilvy (his paternal grandmother's first cousin)
• the Duchess of Westminster (the former Natalia Phillips)
• Lady Susan Hussey (the former Lady Susan Waldegrave, now Lady Hussey, a Woman of the Bedchamber to HM The Queen since 1960)
(all the godparents were present)
Sources: BBR:346; Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004; Kidd:174; Seward:214; The Times, 5 August 1982

* The Prince was baptised on the 82nd birthday of his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The day was specially chosen by his parents "to do honour to the Queen Mother, principal guest at the baptism". (The Times, 4 August 1982)

† The day before the christening, Buckingham Palace released last-minute information to the media. The Palace reported that the baptism could not take place in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace due to damage it had sustained during World War II. This comment about the Private Chapel's lack of usability is rather odd, because the Chapel had been the scene of christenings in May and July 1964 of James Ogilvy and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones respectively. (The Times, 4 August 1982) The day after the christening, The Times stated that ordinary water was used at the baptism, because the "Palace's supply of Jordan water [ran out] some royal babies ago". (The Times, 5 August 1982)

‡ The Prince's names were announced when he was one week old. His father the Prince of Wales explained that "the name [William] had been chosen because he had no close relatives of that name." The names of the six godparents were also announced at this time. (The Times, 29 June 1982)

HRH Prince Henry (Harry) of Great Britain
1984

Parents: Prince Charles of Great Britain, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer
Born: 15 September 1984 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington
Christened: 21 December 1984 at St George's Chapel, Windsor by Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury
Names: Henry Charles Albert David
Godparents:
• Prince Andrew (later The Duke of York, his uncle)
• Bryan Organ (a portrait painter)
• Gerald Ward (friend of Prince Charles)
• Lady Vestey (the former Celia Knight, wife of the 3rd Baron Vestey, friend of Prince Charles)
• Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones (later Lady Sarah Chatto, his father's first cousin)
• Mrs. William Bartholomew (the former Carolyn Pride, one of Diana's best friends)
Sources: Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004; Seward:214; The Times, 22 December 1984

HRH Princess Beatrice of Great Britain
1988

Parents: Prince Andrew of Great Britain, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson
Born: 8 August 1988 at Portland Hospital, London
Christened: 20 December 1988 at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace by John Habgood, Archbishop of York*
Names: Beatrice Elizabeth Mary
Godparents:
• David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (her father's cousin)
• Peter Palumbo, Baron Palumbo (a friend of Sarah's father)
• the Duchess of Roxburghe (the former Lady Jane Grosvenor, later Lady Jane Dawnay)
• the Honourable Mrs. John Greenall (the former Gabrielle James, a friend of Sarah's)
• Mrs. Henry Cotterell (the former Carolyn Beckwith-Smith, a friend of Sarah's)
Sources: BBR:43; Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004; People, 9 January 1989; Royalty Monthly, Vol. 8, No. 5, February 1989; Seward:233†

* The official photographs were taken by Prince Andrew in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace. (Royalty Monthly, Vol. 8, No. 5, February 1989, p. 37)

† People, 9 January 1989 states incorrectly that the "cream-colored Honiton-lace christening gown [worn by Princess Beatrice] was tatted for Queen Victoria's eldest son, the future Edward VII".

HRH Princess Eugenie of Great Britain
1990

Parents: Prince Andrew of Great Britain, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson
Born: 23 March 1990 at Portland Hospital, London
Christened: 23 December 1990 at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, Norfolk by Peter Nott, Bishop of Norwich*
Names: Eugenie Victoria Helena
Godparents:
• James Ogilvy (her father's cousin)
• Captain Alastair Ross (former Commander of HMS Edinburgh on which Prince Andrew served, and who was unable to attend because he was detained by naval duties at sea)
• Mrs. Ronald Ferguson (Sarah's step-mother)
• Mrs. Patrick Dodd-Noble (Julia, a friend of Andrew and Sarah)
• Miss Louise Blacker (a school friend of Sarah)
Sources: BBR:150; Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004; Seward:236

* The font at St Mary Magdalene was used instead of the Lily Font for Princess Eugenie's baptism. (Allison/Riddell, Royal Encyclopedia, p. 312)

HRH Princess Louise of Great Britain (Lady Louise (Mountbatten-)Windsor)
2004

Parents: Prince Edward of Great Britain, Earl of Wessex and Sophie Rhys-Jones
Born: 8 November 2003 at Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey
Christened: 24 April 2004 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by David Conner, Dean of Windsor
Names: Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary
Godparents:
• Lord Ivar Mountbatten (her father's second cousin)
• Rupert Elliott (a friend of her father's who was at Cambridge University with him, and who was an usher at his wedding)
• Lady Sarah Chatto (her father's cousin, daughter of the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon)
• Lady Alexandra Etherington (her father's third cousin, the daughter of the Duke of Fife)
• Mrs. Urs Schwarzenbach (Francesca, a friend of her parents)
(all the godparents were present)
Sources: Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004; Majesty, Vol. 25, No. 6, June 2004, pp 34-36; The Times, 26 April 2004

Back to Table of Contents

Appendix 1: "Churching" and Royal Mothers.

The Rite of Churching, also known as The Churching of Women, or "Churching", or is 'the ritual purification of a woman at her first visit to church after the birth of a child'.¹ The rite is derived from an ancient Hebrew custom, and is found in non-Christian and Christian faiths (for example, Judaism, Anglican, Orthodox, Roman Catholic).

Examples of 'churching' are found in the Bible.* One is in the Old Testament, where it is written: "Yahweh spoke to Moses; he said [...] If a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy, she is to be unclean for seven days [...] She must not touch anything consecrated nor go to the sanctuary until the time of her purification is over. [...] The priest is to perform the rite of atonement over her and she will be purified." (Leviticus 12:1-4, 8) Another one is in the New Testament, with the purification of Mary, mother of Jesus: "And when the day came for them to be purified [that is, for the mother to be 'purified' and the child 'redeemed'] as laid down by the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord". (Luke 2:22-23)

* Quotations are from The Jerusalem Bible, Reader's Edition, Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1968.

In modern times, the rite was not a rule or law of the Church, but a 'pious and praiseworthy custom'.² A mother was usually churched before her child's christening in order for her to be ready to attend the "sacramental entrance of her child into the Kingdom of Christ".³ Women throughout the ages took part in this ritual, including royal mothers from (at least) the Middle Ages with Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII, after the birth of her son Prince Arthur in 1486, to Mary of Teck, wife of the future King George V, after the birth of her first child Prince Edward in 1894.⁴

From the 'royal' examples I've found, "churching" was a quiet, unpretentious ceremony, at which typically only a handful of people, close to the young mother, witnessed the age-old ceremony. The following list features selected royal and royal-related mothers who were 'churched'.

• the Duchess of Kent:
- 27 June 1819 (in the afternoon), the Duchess was "publicly churched in the parish church in Kensington, by the Bishop of Salisbury", three days after the baptism of her daughter, Victoria⁵

• Queen Victoria:⁶
- 15 December 1840 (at 3:00 p.m.) in her private apartments at Buckingham Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury, three weeks after the birth of her first child Princess Victoria
- 4 December 1841 (shortly after 12 noon) at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury, one month after the birth of the Prince of Wales
- 28 August 1844 (in the morning) in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by the Hon. and Reverend C. Leslie Courtenay, three weeks after the birth of her younger son Prince Alfred
- 21 May 1850 (at 9:30 a.m.) in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by the Hon. and Reverend Gerald Wellesley, Her Majesty's domestic chaplain, three weeks after the birth of her son Prince Arthur
- 28 April 1853 (at 9:30 a.m.) in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by the Hon. and Reverend Gerald Wellesley, Her Majesty's domestic chaplain, three weeks after the birth of her youngest son Prince Leopold

• Princess Alice, the Queen's younger daughter:
- 26 April 1863 (in the morning) in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by the Hon. and Very Reverend Dean of Windsor, the day before her first child's christening⁷

• the Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra):⁸
- 2 February 1864 (in the morning) in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by the Dean of Windsor, one month after the birth of her first child
- 30 June 1865 (at 1:00 p.m.) at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace by the Dean of Westminster, one week before her second son's baptism in 1865

• Princess Helena, younger daughter of Queen Victoria:
- 27 May 1870 (time not indicated) at All Saints' Church in Windsor Great Park, three weeks after the birth of her third child⁹

• the Duchess of Connaught, the Queen's daughter-in-law:
- on 8 March 1882 (in the morning) in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by the Hon. and Very Reverend Gerald Wellesley, three days before her first child's baptism¹⁰

• Princess Louis of Battenberg (née Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the Queen's granddaughter):
- 30 March 1885 (in the morning) in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by the Very Reverend Dean of Windsor, five weeks after the birth of her first child¹¹

• Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria's youngest daughter:
- 19 December 1886 (in the morning) in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by the Very Reverend Dean of Windsor, one month after the birth of her first child¹²

• Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife (the eldest daughter of the future King Edward VII):
- 13 June 1891 (time not indicated) at East Sheen Church by the Reverend Canon Teignmouth Shore, after the birth of her second (but first surviving) child¹³

• the Duchess of York, wife of the future King George V:
- 28 July 1894 (in the morning) at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace by the Reverend Sub-Dean, nearly two weeks after the christening of her first child¹⁴

Footnotes:

1. "The Implications of Exclusion: The Regulation of Churching in Medieval Northern France", by Paula M. Rieder in Essays in Medieval Studies, Vol. 15, 1998 at http://www.luc.edu/publications/medieval/vol15/15ch7.html
2. Churching of Women at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03761a.htm
3. The Rite of Churching at http://dev.texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=288469&forum_id=15
4. Arnold, Little Princes, p. 72 & p. 74. Other royal courts, such as Prussia and Spain, also had provisions for ''churching" mothers7.
5. The Times, 30 June 1819.
6. The Times, 16 December 1840; The Times, 6 December 1841; The Times, 29 August 1844; The Times, 22 May 1850; The Times, 29 April 1853.
7. Illustrated London News, 2 May 1863; The Times, 27 April 1863.
8. The Times, 3 February 1864; Illustrated London News, 8 July 1865; The Times, 1 July 1865.
9. The Times, 1 June 1870.
10. Illustrated London News, 18 March 1882; The Times, 9 March 1882.
11. The Times, 31 March 1885 and Vickers, Alice, p. 14.
12. The Times, 20 December 1886.
13. The Times, 15 June 1891.
14. The Times, 30 July 1894.

Back to Table of Contents

Appendix 2: Christening Trivia.

First royal child christened in public:
- Princess Eugenie, younger daughter of HRH The Duke of York, in 1990.

First royal child christened in the Honiton lace robe:
- Princess Victoria, first daughter and eldest child of Queen Victoria, in 1841.

First royal child christened in the Lily Font:
- Princess Victoria, eldest child of Queen Victoria, in 1841.

First royal child christened in the newly-renovated Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace (since Queen Victoria's accession):
- Princess Alice, the Queen's third child, in 1843.

First royal descendant of Queen Victoria baptised in a church:
- The Duke of Albany (infant son of the late Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany) at Christ Church in Esher, Surrey in 1884.

First use of gas illuminations at a royal christening:
- The Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace for the baptism of Princess Helena, younger daughter of Queen Victoria, in 1846.

Last royal child (among Queen Victoria's descendants) christened in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace:
- Princess Alexandra, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, in 1937.

Most christening locations:
- St James's Palace, where at least 18 baptisms were held.

Most christening names:
- The future Queen Mary, consort of King George V, received eight names at her baptism in 1867.

Most godparents:
- Princess Augusta (later Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz) and the future King Edward VIII each had 12 godparents at their christenings in 1822 and 1894 respectively.

Simultaneous use of two christening fonts:
- The 1660 font and the Lily Font used at the baptism of the future King Edward VII in 1842.

Tallest christening cake:
- The 4 foot tall cake made for the baptism of Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) in 1842.

Back to Table of Contents

Appendix 3: The Royal Christening Robe.

This appendix is an attempt at identifying the male-line descendants (with some female-line exceptions) of Queen Victoria who wore, or who did not wear, the royal christening robe. Of the eighty descendants shown in the table, I am reasonably certain that sixty-two of them wore the heirloom gown. (They are shown in bold type in the table.) Of the sixty-two descendants, 44 were or are styled His or Her Royal Highness or His or Her Majesty; 12 have courtesy styles as children of peers (royal or aristocratic); and 6 are commoners.

Those who are 'entitled' to wear this family heirloom fall into two groups:

(a) individuals who bear the title Prince or Princess of Great Britain with the style His or Her Royal Highness:

• children of a sovereign (the children of Queen Victoria and of Queen Elizabeth II)
• children of an heir apparent or an heir presumptive to the throne (the children of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), of the Duchess of Edinburgh (later Queen Elizabeth II), and of the current Prince of Wales)
• male-line grandchildren of a sovereign (the children of Queen Victoria's sons (the Dukes of Edinburgh, Connaught, and Albany); the children of King George V's son (the Dukes of York (later King George VI), Gloucester, and Kent); the children of the current Duke of York and of the Earl of Wessex)
• male-line great-grandchildren of a sovereign (the children of the future King Edward VII's son the Duke of York (later King George V); the children of the current Dukes of Gloucester and of Kent; the children of Prince Michael of Kent)

(b) individuals whose mothers or grandmothers were Princesses of Great Britain with the style Her Royal Highness:

• the children of the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (daughter of King George VI)
• the grandchildren of the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (her son's son and daughter, and her daughter's two sons)
• the children of the Princess Royal (daughter of Queen Elizabeth II)
• the children of Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy (male-line granddaughter of King George V)

CHRISTENING DATE			INDIVIDUAL	SOURCES	NOTES
1841	Feb	10	Princess Victoria of Great Britain, Princess Royal	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
1842	Jan	25	King Edward VII	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12
1843	Jun	2	Princess Alice of Great Britain	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13
1844	Sep	6	Prince Alfred of Great Britain, Duke of Edinburgh (later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14
1846	Jul	25	Princess Helena of Great Britain	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 15
1848	May	13	Princess Louise of Great Britain	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 16
1850	Jun	22	Prince Arthur of Great Britain, Duke of Connaught	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 17
1853	Jun	28	Prince Leopold of Great Britain, Duke of Albany	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 18, 19
1857	Jun	16	Princess Beatrice of Great Britain	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 20
1863	Apr	26	Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine	11
1864	Mar	10	Prince Albert Victor of Great Britain, Duke of Clarence	1, 2, 3, 4, 12
1865	Jul	7	King George V	1, 2, 3, 4
1867	May	10	Princess Louise of Great Britain, Princess Royal	1, 2, 3, 4
1868	Aug	6	Princess Victoria of Great Britain	1, 2, 3, 4
1869	Dec	24	Princess Maud of Great Britain	1, 2, 3, 4
1871	Apr	6	Prince John of Great Britain		a
1872	Sep	18	Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg	11
1874	Nov	23	Prince Alfred of Great Britain (later Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)	2, 3, 19
1875	Dec	15	Princess Marie of Great Britain	2, 3
1877	Jan	1	Princess Victoria Melita of Great Britain	2, 3	b
1878	Oct	2	Princess Alexandra of Great Britain	2, 3	b
1882	Mar	11	Princess Margaret of Great Britain	2, 3
1883	Feb	16	Prince Arthur of Great Britain	2, 3
1883	Mar	26	Princess Alice of Great Britain	2, 3, 11
1884	May	17	Princess Beatrice of Great Britain	2, 3
1884	Dec	4	Prince Charles Edward of Great Britain, Duke of Albany (later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)	2, 3
1886	May	1	Princess Patricia of Great Britain	2, 3, 11
1894	Jul	16	The Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII)	3, 7, 8, 10
1896	Feb	17	King George VI	4, 7, 8, 10
1897	Jun	7	Princess Mary of Great Britain, Princess Royal	7, 8, 10, 21
1900	May	17	Prince Henry of Great Britain, Duke of Gloucester	5, 7, 8, 10
1903	Jan	26	Prince George of Great Britain, Duke of Kent	7, 8, 9, 10
1905	Aug	3	Prince John of Great Britain	7, 8, 10
1914	Aug	25	Prince Alastair of Great Britain (later Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught)		c
1923	Mar	11	George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood		d
1926	May	29	HM The Queen	7, 8, 10, 22
1930	Oct	30	Princess Margaret of Great Britain	7, 8, 10, 22
1935	Nov	20	HRH The Duke of Kent	7, 8, 9, 10, 23
1937	Feb	9	HRH Princess Alexandra of Great Britain	6, 7, 8, 10
1942	Feb	22	Prince William of Gloucester	7, 8, 10, 24
1942	Aug	4	HRH Prince Michael of Kent	7, 8, 10
1944	Oct	20	HRH The Duke of Gloucester	7, 8, 10, 25
1948	Dec	15	HRH The Prince of Wales	7, 10, 11, 26
1950	Oct	21	HRH The Princess Royal	8, 10, 26
1960	Apr	8	HRH The Duke of York	10, 26, 27
1961	Dec	19	David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley	10, 26
1962	Sep	14	George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews	9
1964	May	2	HRH The Earl of Wessex	10
1964	May	11	James Ogilvy	28
1964	Jun	6	Lady Helen Windsor	29
1964	Jul	13	Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones	10
1966	Nov	9	Marina Ogilvy	28, 30
1970	Sep	11	Lord Nicholas Windsor
1975	Feb	9	Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
1977	Dec	22	Peter Phillips	10, 31
1978	Feb	19	Lady Davina Windsor	32
1979	Jul	11	Lord Frederick Windsor	33, 34
1980	Jul	13	Lady Rose Windsor	35
1981	Jun	8	Lady Gabriella Windsor	34
1981	Jul	27	Zara Phillips	10
1982	Aug	4	Prince William of Great Britain	10
1984	Dec	21	Prince Henry (Harry) of Great Britain	10, 36
1988	Dec	20	Princess Beatrice of Great Britain	10
1989	Apr	23	Edward Windsor, Baron Downpatrick		e
1990	Dec	23	Princess Eugenie of Great Britain	10
1993	Jan	21	Lady Marina-Charlotte Windsor		f
1993	Oct	23	Zenouska Mowatt		g, h
1993	Oct	23	Christian Mowatt		g, h
1994	Dec	19	Columbus Taylor		g
			Flora Ogilvy		g, i
1995	Dec	21	Lady Amelia Windsor		j
			Alexander Ogilvy		g, i
			Cassius Taylor		g, i
1997	Feb	1	Samuel Chatto	10, 37	k
1999	July		Arthur Chatto	10	l
1999	Dec	2	Honourable Charles Armstrong-Jones	10, 38
2002	Dec	2	Honourable Margarita Armstrong-Jones	10, 39
			Eloise Taylor		m
2004	Apr	24	Princess Louise of Great Britain (Lady Louise (Mountbatten-)Windsor)	10
			Estella Taylor		m

Sources:

1. Letter from Queen Victoria to her daughter Louise dated 27 November 1874, in which Her Majesty states: “The ‘Babe’ was in the old family Christening dress – worn by you 9 and Bertie’s 5”. (Longford, Darling Loosy, p. 187)

2. “The infant Duke of Albany wore the robe and cloak of Honiton lace in which all Her Majesty’s children and all those of the sons of the Queen were christened.” (The Times, 6 December 1884)

3. “The dear fine baby [was] wearing the Honiton lace robe (made for Vicky's christening, worn by all our children and my English grandchildren)”. (Windsor, A King's Story, p. 5)

4. The future King George VI “was wearing a lace robe which has been worn at their baptism by all the children of the Queen and by all the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales”. (The Times, 15 February 1896)

5. Queen Victoria’s Journal dated 17 May 1900, in which Her Majesty states: “The Baby was brought into the Chapel after the 1st Hymn (by my dearest Albert) & wore the old historic robe which was first made and worn by Vicky”. (Frankland, Prince Henry, p. 4)

6. Princess Alexandra “wore the Brussels lace and cream satin robes which were used at the christening of Queen Victoria’s children.” (The Times, 10 February 1937. N.B.: The Times is incorrect when it says the robe was of Brussels lace.)

7. “This [christening] robe was worn by Queen Victoria's children [...], by the King [George VI] and by all his Majesty's brothers and by the Princess Royal and then by Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. It was also worn both by the children of the [Prince Henry] Duke of Gloucester and by the children of the late [Prince George] Duke of Kent.” (Buckingham Palace announcement re: Prince Charles’ christening, The Times, 10 December 1948)

8. “Princess Anne, like Prince Charles, will wear the historic royal christening robe [...] which was worn by all Queen Victoria's children, by the King [George VI], his brothers and the Princess Royal, by Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, and the children of the [Prince Henry] Duke of Gloucester and of the late [Prince George] Duke of Kent.” (Buckingham Palace announcement re: Princess Anne’s christening, The Times, 10 October 1950)

9. “A statement issued from Coppins [...] said that Lord St. Andrews was dressed in the christening robe of Honiton lace which has been used by members of the Royal Family since the christening of Queen Victoria's children. Both the Duke of Kent and his father, the late Duke of Kent, wore this robe when they were christened.” (Coppins, Iver, Buckinghamshire (country home of the Duke and Duchess of Kent) announcement re: the Earl of St Andrew’s christening, The Times, 15 September 1962)

10. “The Royal christening robe [...] was made in 1841 for the christening of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Victoria, Princess Royal. In 1894 the robe was given by Queen Victoria to the Duchess of York (later Queen Mary), all of whose children were christened in it. In the next generation, it was worn by the children of King George VI, of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and of Prince George, Duke of Kent. The children of The Queen [Elizabeth II] and of Princess Margaret were christened in it, and it has subsequently been used for the christenings of all The Queen’s grandchildren and other royal babies, including the grandchildren of Princess Margaret.” (Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004)

11. “The infant Prince was dressed in a christening robe of white silk and Honiton lace, used by all the children of Queen Victoria. The robe had also been worn by Victoria's four granddaughters present at the christening in 1948. They were the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, Princess Marie Louise, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, and Lady Patricia Ramsay.” (Prince of Wales’s biography on The Prince of Wales website at http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/about/bio_christened.html. Holden, Prince Charles, p. 63 also states that these four women wore the royal christening robe. Nevertheless, it doesn't seem accurate to say that the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven (née Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine) and Princess Marie Louise (of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg) wore the royal christening robe, because they were not male-line descendants of Queen Victoria.) In 1932, The Times stated that Princess Alice, her daughter May and her daughter's daughter Ann wore a "very long robe of antique Valenciennes lace and muslin", at their christenings. (The Times, 29 August 1932)

12. “The Royal infant was attired in a robe of Honiton lace – the same that was worn by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales at his christening – with a cap of Honiton lace; a cloak of crimson velvet lined with ermine, and a mantle of white satin edged with Honiton lace.” (Illustrated London News, 12 March 1864; The Times, 11 March 1864)

13. “The dress of Her Royal Highness the infant Princess was a robe of Honiton lace over white silk made at Spitalfields, and cap to correspond; the whole dress of British manufacture.” (The Times, 3 June 1843)

14. “His Royal Highness was dressed in a robe and cap of Honiton point lace over rich white satin.” (The Times, 7 September 1844)

15. “The infant Princess was dressed in a rich robe of Honiton lace over white satin.” (The Times, 27 July 1846)

16. “The Royal infant was dressed in a robe of Honiton lace over white satin.” (Illustrated London News, May 30 1848; The Times, 15 May 1848)

17. “The infant Prince had a robe and mantle of Honiton lace over white satin, with a cap to correspond.” (The Times, June 24 1850)

18. “The Royal infant wore a Honiton lace dress over white satin.” (The Times, 29 June 1853)

19. “It may be observed that his Royal Highness [Prince Leopold] is painted [in a portrait on display in the 1853 Room at Buckingham Palace] as wearing the identical christening robe in which Prince Alfred of Edinburgh was christened.” (The Times, 24 November 1874)

20. “The infant Princess wore a robe of Honiton lace over white satin.” (The Times, 17 June 1857)

21. Princess Mary “wore the Royal christening robe”. (The Times, 8 June 1897)

22. Princess Margaret “wore the christening robe of cream satin and Brussels lace which was first used at Queen Victoria’s christening, and worn last by Princess Elizabeth.” (The Times, 31 October 1930. N.B.: The Times is incorrect as to the type of lace, and as to when the robe was first used.)

23. “The infant Prince wore the christening robe of old Brussels lace and cream satin which was made for Queen Victoria’s christening more than 100 years ago, and which has been used at every Royal christening since.” (The Times, 21 November 1935. N.B.: The Times is incorrect as to the type of lace, and as to when the robe was first made.)

24. Picture evidence of Prince William’s christening. (The Times, 23 February 1942)

25. Picture evidence of HRH The Duke of Gloucester’s christening. (The Times, 21 October 1944)

26. “The Queen's three children [...] wore the robe of Honiton lace ordered for Queen Victoria's children.” (announcement re: Viscount Linley’s christening, The Times, 5 December 1961)

27. “Prince Andrew will wear the Honiton lace christening robe made on the instruction of Queen Victoria for the christening of a daughter.” ( Buckingham Palace announcement re: Prince Andrew’s christening, The Times, 31 March 1960)

28. Princess Alexandra wore the traditional Honiton lace christening gown made for Queen Victoria's first child in 1840. It was later to be worn by Alexandra's own children [...]". (James, Princess Alexandra, p. 8)

29. "Lady Helen Windsor [...] was baptized in the traditional Honiton lace gown in the private chapel at Windsor." (Riddell, Duchess, p. 116)

30. Picture evidence of Marina’s christening. (The Times, 10 November 1966, and Majesty, Vol. 18, No. 4, April 1997, pp 48-49)

31. Picture evidence of Peter’s christening. (The Times, 23 December 1977)

32. "The Duchess of Gloucester with her elder daughter, Lady Davina Windsor, leaving Barnwell Parish Church where she was christened wearing the famous robe of Honiton lace." (Kidd, Royal children, p. 158, sidebar photograph)

33. Picture evidence of Lord Frederick’s christening. (Kidd, Royal Children, p. 139)

34. Usenet newsgroup information. (From: Marlene A Koenig / Subject: Re: Meet Diana’s 17 Godchildren Who Are To Benefit By Diana’s Will / Newsgroups: alt.gossip.royalty / Date: 1998/02/27)

35. Picture evidence of Lady Rose’s christening. (Kidd, Royal Children, p. 143)

36. Prince Harry was “dressed in the traditional Honiton lace robes used by generations of Royal babies.” (The Times, 22 December 1984)

37. Picture evidence of Samuel's christening. (Majesty, Vol. 18, No. 4, April 1997, p. 47). Additionally, “In keeping with royal tradition the young Samuel was photographed in the robe that was made in 1841 for the christening of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Victoria, Princess Royal.” (Majesty, Vol. 18, No. 4, April 1997, p. 50)

38. Picture evidence of the Hon. Charles' christening. (Majesty, Vol. 21, No. 2, February 2000, pp 12-13)

39. Picture evidence of the Hon. Margarita's christening. (Majesty, Vol. 24, No. 2, February 2003, cover page and pp 6-10)

Notes:

a. Presumably did not wear the royal christening robe, because he was christened hastily due to his premature birth.

b. Possibly did not wear the royal christening robe, because her baptism took place outside the U.K.

c. Possibly did not wear the royal christening robe.

d. Possibly wore the royal christening robe. The Times, 26 March 1923, in its account of the christening of the elder son of Princess Mary (only daughter of King George V), reported that “the child wore a christening gown of beautiful old lace, reputed to have been used at the christening of his great-grandfather, King Edward the Seventh”. However, judging by the photographs of his baptism, it does not seem that he is wearing the royal christening robe. (Warwick, Queen Mary, p. 91)

e. Did not wear the royal christening robe. Usenet newsgroup information (From: Marlene A Koenig / Subject: Re: Meet Diana’s 17 Godchildren Who Are To Benefit By Diana’s Will / Newsgroups: alt.gossip.royalty / Date: 1998/02/27). Additionally, picture evidence of Edward’s christening showing a newer-looking white gown. (Majesty, Vol. 10, No. 2, June 1989, pp 58-59)

f. Did not wear the royal christening robe. Picture evidence of Marina-Charlotte’s christening showing her wear the same gown as her brother. (Majesty, Vol. 14, No. 3, March 1992, p. 53)

g. Did not wear the royal christening robe. Usenet newsgroup information (From: Marlene A Koenig / Subject: Re: Meet Diana’s 17 Godchildren Who Are To Benefit By Diana’s Will / Newsgroups: alt.gossip.royalty / Date: 1998/02/27)

h. Christened at the same ceremony.

i. Unknown date of christening.

j. Did not wear the royal christening robe. (She presumably wore the same gown that her elder brother and sister wore at their baptisms. See e. and f. above)

k. Approximate date of christening.

l. Approximate date of christening. (The Times, 4 August 1999 in its account of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's 99th birthday, included a photograph of Her Majesty cradling in her arms her great-grandson Arthur Chatto. “The picture was taken last month at the christening of the second son of Daniel Chatto and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, daughter of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, who took the photograph.”)

m. Did not wear the royal christening robe. Usenet newsgroup information, which states that her brothers did not wear the robe. If her brothers did not wear the robe, it is reasonable to assume neither did she. (From: Marlene A Koenig / Subject: Re: Meet Diana’s 17 Godchildren Who Are To Benefit By Diana’s Will / Newsgroups: alt.gossip.royalty / Date: 1998/02/27)

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Sources (used and consulted)

Articles and Essays:

Cannadine, David. 'The Context, Performance and Meaning of Ritual: The British Monarchy and the 'Invention of Tradition', c. 1820-1977', in Hobsbawn, Eric and Terence Ranger, eds., The Invention of Tradition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983, pp 101-164.
Dougherty, Margot and Terry Smith. 'Up Front: With a Few Tears and a Splash of the River Jordan, England's Littlest Princess is Christened', in People Weekly, January 9 1989.
Lague, Louise. 'The Hand-Me-Down of Highnesses', in People Weekly, Extra - Collector's Edition, Fall 1990, pp 132-133.
Miller, Compton. 'Font Memories', in Majesty. Vol. 5, No. 9, January 1985, pp 15-17.
Seward, Ingrid. 'Baby Boom', in Majesty. Vol. 18, No. 4, April 1997, pp 46-51.
Staniland, Kay and Santina M. Levey. 'Queen Victoria's Wedding Dress and Lace', in Costume: The Journal of the Costume Society. Number 17, 1983, pp 1-32.

Books:

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Bradford, Sarah. Elizabeth: A Biography of Britain's Queen. Revised Edition. New York: Riverhead Books,1996.
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Charlot, Monica. Victoria, The Young Queen. Oxford: Blackwell, 1991.
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Courtney, Nicholas. Royal Children. Don Mills, Ontario: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1982.
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Duff, David. Alexandra, Princess and Queen. London: Collins, 1980.
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Gore, John. King George V: A Personal Memoir. London: John Murray, 1941.
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Internet:

About Esher
All Saints, St. Paul's Walden
Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England
The British Monarchy - The Official Website
The Honiton Lace Shop
Office-Holders in Modern Britain
The Parish of Esher
The Prince of Wales - The official Internet website of HRH The Prince of Wales
St. Anne's Church, Bagshot

Magazines, Newspapers, Periodicals:

Gentleman's Magazine
Illustrated London News
Majesty
People Weekly
Royalty Monthly
The Times

Press Releases:

Buckingham Palace press release (Christening of Lady Louise Windsor) dated 8 April 2004.

Usenet:

Rhodes, Michael. “Re: Christening cakes”. alt.gossip.royalty Usenet newsgroup. Fri, 25 Jan 2002.
Yannis. “Re: Philip's christening”. alt.talk.royalty Usenet newsgroup. Thurs, 14 Feb 2002.

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Acknowledgements

My thanks to Laura Mustard, Kevin R. Brady, and Trond Norén Isaksen who provided additional information for this document.

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