Since we caught our first glimpse of Prince Louis, the third child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, on the Lindo Wing steps on 23rd April, the littlest member of the royal family hasn’t been out and about in public (understandable, really, given the fact that he’s not even two months old). While his mother Kate has made a handful of appearances during her official maternity leave, most notably at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in May and at the Trooping the Colour ceremony last weekend, baby Louis has stayed at home with the family nanny, Maria Borallo (the Cambridge family has, however, released some very charming pictures of the little one with his older sister, Princess Charlotte, to coincide with her birthday).
Given the scale of these events, it’s hardly a surprise that Louis would stay behind: after all, paediatricians recommend that it’s best for little ones to avoid big crowds for the first few months. But when can we next expect to see the fifth in line to the throne? If you’re a connoisseur of royal photo opps, you’ll be pleased to learn that we won’t have to wait all that long, as the Prince’s christening will take place on Monday 9th June at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace, Kensington Palace has now confirmed. The Cambridges' third child will be baptised by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who most recently presided over the vows at the royal wedding.
With regard to these newly announced timings, the Duke and Duchess are sticking to the pattern established after the births of Prince George and Princess Charlotte. George’s christening took place in the Chapel Royal of St James’s Palace on October 23rd 2013, almost exactly three months after he was born, while Charlotte was christened on 5th July 2015, two months after her birth on 2nd May. Following the same pattern, it was always likely that Louis’s christening would fall between 23rd of June and 23rd July. Indeed, early to mid July always looked like the most probable time frame: Prince William will embark upon a tour of Jordan, Israel and the Occupied Palestine Territories at the end of June, while the end of July is surely earmarked for Prince George’s birthday celebrations.
Before the christening, the Palace will most likely share further information about Prince Louis’s godparents, though we already know what the little prince will wear for the ceremony: just like his older brother and sister, he'll be dressed in the Honiton Christening robe, a replica of the baptismal gown worn by royals (including the Queen, Prince Charles and Louis's father, the Duke of Cambridge) for around 160 years.
Shortly after, it’s tradition for official christening photos to be shared with the public, showing the Cambridges and their extended family (and yes, that could mean Harry and Meghan).
Look back at royal babies through history in the gallery below...
All The Royal Babies - Grazia
1 of 19Queen Elizabeth II
Born: 21st April 1926When Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of York was born in 1926, it was not expected that she would ever become Queen: she was third in line to the throne, only becoming heir presumptive after the abdication of her uncle.
2 of 19Princess Margaret
Born: 21st August 1930Margaret was born at Glamis Castle, the ancestral home of her mother's family, and the official registration of her birth was delayed a while to prevent her being listed 13th in the parish register.
3 of 19Prince Charles
Born: 14th November 1948The first child of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, Charles was born at Buckingham Palace.
4 of 19Princess Anne
Born: 15th August 1950The Queen's only daughter was born at Clarence House; like her elder brother Charles, she was baptised in the music room at Buckingham Palace.
5 of 19Prince Andrew
Born: 19th February 1960Prince Andrew was the first child to be born to a reigning monarch for nearly 100 years (since 1857, when Queen Victoria gave birth to her youngest, Princess Beatrice).
6 of 19David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowden
Born: 3rd November 1961Princess Margaret's eldest son, who was styled as Viscount Linley until the death of his father last year, can count the Queen among his godparents.
7 of 19Prince Edward
Born: 10th March 1964At the time of his birth, Prince Edward was third in line to the throne: as the Queen's third son, the succession laws dictated that he would come ahead of his older sister, Princess Anne. These rules have since been changed.
8 of 19Lady Sarah Chatto
Born: 1st May 1964The daughter of Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones was born at Kensington Palace, and later christened at the private chapel in Buckingham Palace.
9 of 19Peter Phillips
Born: 15th November 1977Like Princes William, Harry and Prince George and Princess Charlotte, Peter Phillips (son of Princess Anne and her first husband) was delivered in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, Paddington.
10 of 19Zara Phillips
Born: 15th May 1981Like her older brother, Zara was born at the Lindo Wing; her name was reportedly a suggestion from her uncle, Prince Charles.
11 of 19Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
Born: 21st June 1982William's name was not announced to the public until a week after his birth. He was baptised at Buckingham Palace on 4th August, the birthday of his great-grandmother.
12 of 19Prince Harry
Born: 15th September 1984Officially styled Prince Henry Charles Albert David, Harry was born at the Lindo Wing like his brother and cousins.
13 of 19Princess Beatrice of York
Born: 8th August 1988Beatrice, the Queen's fifth grandchild, was born at the Portland Hospital for Women and Children in London's West End.
14 of 19Princess Eugenie of York
Born: 23rd March 1990Like her sister, Eugenie was born at the Portland Hospital, and was baptised at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate.
15 of 19Lady Louise Windsor
Born: 8th November 2003As a male-line grandchild of a monarch, Lady Louise would be styled as Princess, but upon the occasion of her father's marriage, a Buckingham Palace statement confirmed his children would be styled as the offspring of an earl.
16 of 19James, Viscount Severn
Born: 17th December 2007For the same reason, Prince Edward's son James is styled as Viscount Severn, one of his father's subsidiary titles, rather than as a Prince.
17 of 19Prince George
Born: 22nd July 2013Prince George was delivered at the Lindo Wing by the Queen's former gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell. His birth marks the second time that three generations of direct heirs to the throne have been alive at the same time.
18 of 19Princess Charlotte
Born: 2nd May 2015Changes to succession laws made before the birth of Prince George ensure that Princess Charlotte cannot be overtaken in succession by any younger brothers.
19 of 19Prince Louis
Born: 23rd April 2018 Prince Louis was delivered in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's hospital, making him the third and youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and fifth in line of succession to the British throne.