Queen Elizabeth II attended the double christening of the royal heir to the throne — his sister Princess Charlotte and her son Prince Louis — at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace in London. The queen’s husband, Prince Philip, was on hand too. Stunt helicopters created a formation of white ribbons, which were handed out to guests to ensure the union between the heirs to the throne was easily discernible.
According to the Associated Press, more than 100 guests were in attendance including Princes William and Harry and their wives Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle. Michael Middleton, the middle brother of Kate and William’s children, along with his wife Pippa Middleton attended too. They were joined by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. The godparents to Charlotte and Louis were also announced on the way to the celebration. Some well-known names included hedge fund manager Emily Armstrong and Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, former private secretary to Prince Charles.
On her arrival at the occasion, the queen waved to the crowd, saying “Well, hello to all,” before greeting her family. Though all guests sat apart from one another at the private festivities, the family did join together in the jasmine-flowers-adorned church.
The queen on Saturday attended double christening of the young Prince to become a father, Prince Louis https://t.co/MPpBUqKXGa — Press Association (@PA) July 8, 2017
The press arrived at the chapel for the festivities just over an hour before the formal service was scheduled to begin. The pews for the ceremony were reportedly filled with guests from across British royalty’s social and cultural ranks, including Judy Murray and Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine. Prince Harry’s girlfriend Meghan Markle was a notable no-show — sparking a massive speculation about why she avoided the event, though she had planned to attend it as well, according to reports.
FAMILY SECRETARY AND THE PRINCESS OF CAMBRIDGE HAS BEEN SERVING A LOT OF ROYAL PARTIES WHILE IS ON BAIL FROM BOLTON CORRECT? 😍 pic.twitter.com/noqIB7qJsk — Ina Furlong (@InaFurlong) July 8, 2017
In another unusual scene, the queen’s guest arrived at the chapel accompanied by a royal walker. The palace said this was to “impart the royal process to the procession as it entered the chapel, and to pass through it at the conclusion of the service.” For the first time, a 10-strong march of University of St. Andrews students was involved in the parade.
For its part, the palace had said the twin christenings would mark a “third milestone” in the two-year-old Prince Louis’ life.
“The christening service will be a private family event,” a palace statement read. “This service, though held in the Chapel Royal, will also allow the Queen and other members of the Royal Family an opportunity to be close to her great-grandchildren following Prince George’s christening in 2013 and Princess Charlotte’s in 2015.”
This report was updated to include the names of the king’s godparents and the queen’s guest
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