Thelastbabytoweartheoriginalgown
wasLadyLouiseWindsorin2004.Atthis
time,after 163 yearsand 62 royalbabies,
thegownwasdeemedtoodelicateand
TheQueencommissionedareplicatobe
madebyherpersonalassistantandsenior
dresser,AngelaKelly.
AnothertraditionstartedbyQueen
VictoriawastheuseoftheLilyFontfor
allroyalbaptisms.Shecommissioned
thefontin 1840 fromthesilversmiths
EdwardBarnardAndSons,aheadofthe
christeningofherdaughter,Princess
Victoria,onFebruary10,1841.Thefont
bowlisintheformofanopenflower
borderedwithwaterliliesandleaves.It
alsofeaturesthreecherubsatthebase.
TheonlyroyalbaptismthattheLilyFont
hasnotbeenusedforwasthatofPrincess
Eugenie,whohadapublicchristening.
ThefontispartoftheRoyalCollection
andiskeptattheJewelHouseatthe
TowerofLondonwhennotin use.ModernTimes
Inaddition,ouryoungroyalshave
takeninspirationfromthepastfor
theirmodern-dayfamilies.Princess
Charlottewastakentoherchristening
inabeautiful1950sMillsonpram,
whichwasonceusedfortwoofThe
Queen’ssons,PrinceAndrewandPrince
Edward.Andwecan’tforgetaboutthe
adorableoutfitthatPrinceGeorgewore
tohissister’schristening;theredshorts
andembroideredwhiteshirtbyluxury
children’sbrandRachelRiley–oneof
Kate’sfavouritesforGeorge–wasalmost
identicaltotheoutfithisfather,Prince
William,woretothehospitalwhenhe
methisyoungerbrotherforthefirsttime.
Manyparentsliketosavealayeroftheir
weddingcaketoserveafterthebaptism
oftheirfirstchild,whichisatradition
thattheDukeandDuchessofCambridge
kepttoforallthreeoftheirchildren’s
christenings.Thatmeansthatguestswere
servedseven-year-oldfruitcakeatthe
baptismofPrinceLouis!However,the
DukeandDuchessofSussexoptedfora
lemonelderflowerweddingcakethatwas
coveredinbuttercreamanddecorated
withfreshblooms.Whilethismoveaway
fromtradtitionalfruitcakesoundslikethe
makingsofaroyaldisaster,considering
you’llbeservingyourguestsmonths-old
spongecake,LilyJones,ownerofLondon
bakeryLilyVanilli,saysthatspongecakes
canbefrozenanddefrostedup to a year
afterthewedding.>THE CHRISTENING OF PRINCESS
CHARLOTTE OF CAMBRIDGE
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince
William, Duke of Cambridge, Princess
Charlott e of Cambridge and Prince George
of Cambridge arrive at the Church of St
Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham
Estate for the Christening of Princess
Charlott e of Cambridge on July 5, 2015 in
King’s Lynn, England.
Photo credit © Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Gett y
Images
SPECIAL OCCASIONS|YOUNG ROYALS
YOUNG ROYALS 41