The Royal Family Arrive At Prince Louis’ Christening

To mark the christening of their third child, Prince Louis, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were today joined by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and, of course, their two older children George and Charlotte, at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace.

The ceremony, in which the baby Prince was baptised into the Church of England by Archbishop Justin Welby, was also attended by his maternal grandparents, Carole and Michael Middleton, his aunt and uncles, Pippa and James Matthews and James Middleton, and his godparents: Nicholas van Cutsem, Guy Pelly, Harry Aubrey-Fletcher, Lady Laura Meade, Hannah Gillingham (Mrs Robert Carter) and Lucy Middleton.

In keeping with her outfit choices for the christenings of her elder children, the Duchess of Cambridge, who carried the sleeping Louis into the chapel, wore a cream ensemble by go-to brand Alexander McQueen with a hat by Jane Taylor. Her new sister-in-law, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, opted for a simple shift in khaki green by Ralph Lauren and a hat by Stephen Jones.

Pippa Matthews, who is currently expecting her first child, wore a custom design in cornflower blue by Alessandra Rich, featuring the designer’s trademark sharp collar and ‘40s-style silhouette; her mother Carole chose a wrap-style dress by Suzannah, a brand which both Pippa and Kate have previously popularised.

Just like his older brother and sister before him, Prince Louis wore the replica Honiton Christening gown for the occasion, handmade by the Queen's dressmaker Angela Kelly back in 2008. The original Honiton gown, which was made in 1841 for the christening of Queen Victoria's first child, Princess Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, was worn by 62 royals (and five monarchs) before it was eventually taken out of use in 2004, when the Victorian lace was deemed too fragile for continued use.

Notably, the Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh were not in attendance at the ceremony, despite having been guests at the christenings of Prince George (in 2013) and Princess Charlotte (in 2015). It's thought that Her Majesty is returning from Norfolk today, in anticipation of US President Donald Trump's controversial state visit this week, and was thus unable to fit the christening into her schedule.

The official christening photographs, which are likely to be unveiled to the public later this week, will be captured by Matt Holyoak, who photographed the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in a series of portraits to mark their 70th wedding anniversary last year.

Look back at royal christenings through the ages in the gallery below...