Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will NOT christen Lilibet at Windsor in front of the Queen and will ‘do things their own way’ with a private service in California, royal expert claims.
The Duke, 36, and Duchess of Sussex, 40, who are currently living in their $14 million Santa Barbara mansion having stepped back from royal duty last year, are currently on parental leave having welcomed their baby in June. In recent weeks there have been reports the couple were hoping to christen Lilibet at Windsor in front of the Queen, 95.
However royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliam told the Express the couple will ‘do things their own way’ with Lilibet, adding: ‘It seems certain that her christening will be in Meghan’s home state and with the secrecy but without the controversy that surrounded Archie’s christening.’
The couple have never released an image of their daughter to the public, with royal commentator Richard saying the decision shows the Duke and Duchess are acting on their own terms. Sources had suggested in recent weeks that the couple were planning for Lilibet to be christened at Windsor in front of the Queen.
Insiders told Eden Confidential: ‘Harry told several people that they want to have Lili christened at Windsor, just like her brother. They are happy to wait until circumstances allow.’ However royal biographer Angela Levin said Prince Harry was putting the Queen in a ‘difficult position’ by expecting her to attend his daughter Lilibet’s christening.
She described Harry’s expectation that his grandmother to attend as unreasonable, given she has missed christenings of other royal children in recent years. According to Levin, the Queen sometimes isn’t present at such events because ‘they’re not close enough to the Crown’.
The Duchess herself was christened in the UK in a private ceremony shortly before marrying Prince Harry. Although Meghan attended a Catholic high school, she was baptised and confirmed into the Church of England in a private ceremony at the Chapel Royal conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
The intimate 45-minute service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Chapel Royal in 2018 and was a closely-guarded secret with only a handful of royal aides involved.
She described Harry’s expectation that his grandmother to attend as unreasonable, given she has missed christenings of other royal children in recent years. According to Levin, the Queen sometimes isn’t present at such events because ‘they’re not close enough to the Crown’.
The Duchess herself was christened in the UK in a private ceremony shortly before marrying Prince Harry. Although Meghan attended a Catholic high school, she was baptised and confirmed into the Church of England in a private ceremony at the Chapel Royal conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
The intimate 45-minute service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Chapel Royal in 2018 and was a closely-guarded secret with only a handful of royal aides involved.
Godparents of royal babies are traditionally announced beforehand – often on the morning of the christening – and conventionally elderly or foreign relatives were selected.
The couple faced significant backlash over their insistence that the 25-person ceremony would remain private and the identities of Archie’s godparents would not be revealed at the time.
The Dean of Chelmsford, Nicholas Henshall, previously told the BBC: ‘Baptism should never be private. It’s a public demonstration of God’s love.’
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge allowed the media to cover each of their children’s christenings, as well as releasing family photographs afterwards.
