Prince Louis’ christening is all set to take place today around 11 a.m. Eastern at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace in London, where Prince George was baptized. And now, we finally know who the godparents are. Drumroll please!
Although Louis could have his pick of godparents, his parents — Prince William and Duchess Catherine of Cambridge, aka Kate Middleton — have done the picking for him, obviously.
We admit it: We were a little bummed out to find that David and Victoria Beckham or Elton John or Helen Mirren or Judi Dench did not make the list. But people in the know about such royal etiquette had predicted that William and Kate would honor relatively low-key close pals or family members, the same way they did with Prince George (who scored a whopping seven godparents) and Princess Charlotte (who has five).
Prince Louis, now 11 weeks old, will have godparents who are some of Will and Kate’s dearest friends and relatives (but no Duchess Meghan — sorry). A palace insider observed to People magazine, “They are rewarding the loyalty of their really close friends and keeping the godparents from the tight, inner circle."
Louis will have three godmothers, all of whom own many fabulous hats:
- Lady Laura Meade, wife of James Meade, who is one of Princess Charlotte’s godfathers. The Meades frequently socialize with Will and Kate and their kids.
- Hannah Carter is a Marlborough College friend of Kate’s. The Carter family lives close to Anmer Hall, where William and Kate keep a country home.
- Lucy Middleton, an attorney and Kate’s cousin, is the sister of Adam Middleton, one of Princess Charlotte’s godfathers.
Louis will also have three godfathers, all of whom have very expensive-sounding surnames:
- Nicholas van Cutsem, one of four van Custem brothers, all of whom have been tight with William and Harry since childhood. Nicholas van Cutsem’s brother William is one of Prince George’s godfathers. The van Cutsems actually spent years of their childhood at Anmer Hall, William and Kate’s country estate.
- Harry Aubrey-Fletcher, one of William’s best pals from both prep school and Eton College.
- Guy Pelly, the planner of William’s bachelor party and a very old friend of William’s, Harry’s and Kate’s.
Who will perform the baptism? None other than the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who also baptized Princess Charlotte and conducted the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (née Markle) in May. Welby told the BBC that he expects the 40-minute christening to be "nerve-wracking" although "a great privilege."
He quipped, “If you’re at the wedding, don’t drop the rings, and if you’re at the baptism, don’t drop the baby.”
The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, will not be attending the occasion, but all’s well. Harry and Meghan will be there, as will Kate’s parents and William’s father and stepmother, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The archbishop of Canterbury spoke warmly of the entire clan in his BBC spot. “They’re a wonderful family, there’s lots of love and it’ll be a great occasion.”
No doubt. But Will and Kate, if there’s a fourth child someday, we encourage you to throw some Beckhams into the mix just to spice things up a little.
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