It is a big day for the Royal family as they gather to attend and celebrate the christening of the youngest royal family member, the nine-week-old Princess Charlotte at St. Mary Magdalene Church.
For the first time, the family of four, Prince William, Kate, George and Charlotte, arrived together at the venue where the late Princess Diana was also christened. The church, where the royal baptism was held, is just a walking distance from Anmer Hall, where the royal family spends most of their time after Charlotte was born. The Cambridges just walked from the Queen's Sandringham house to the nearby church as a crowd of 3,500 awaits for them in the paddock to catch a glimpse of the royal family, Mirror reports.
Some of the crowd had been camping overnight to get the best spot to see the royal family. Among those who spent the night in the area was the 80-year-old royal enthusiast, Terry Hutt, who exclaimed, "This is such a happy occasion and I just wanted to be part of it," BBC reports.
The Duchess of Cambridge looked sophisticated and elegant in a cream Alexander McQueen coat that she matched with a Jane Taylor hat. The little prince wore a combination of red and white Rachel Riley short and shirt that resembled the outfit of his father, William, when the latter visited Prince Harry when he was born. Charlotte's big brother was obviously delighted with the crowd as he occasionally waved at them while holding his daddy's hand.
Charlotte wore the same christening gown her older brother wore when he was baptized. The gown was remade by the queen's dresser, Angela Kelly, in 2008. It was a replica of the gown first commissioned by Queen Victoria 174 years ago, which was used by royal infants for every generation, ABC News has learned.
When the family arrived at the church's doorstep, the little princess cried, and Kate comforted her by jiggling the royal princess in her arms as William cajoled George and headed in the opposite direction. The baptism was scheduled to start at 4:30 pm, but minutes before the ceremony began, the royal couple revealed Charlotte's Godparents, which included their closest friends and relative.
Among the princess's Godparents are Princess Diana's niece, Laura Fellowes, William's best friends, James Meade and Tom Van Straubenzee, Kate's cousin, Adam Middleton and Kate's childhood friend, Sophie Carter, Mirror notes.
There were speculations that Prince Harry will be among Charlotte's Godparents, but there were no royals on the list. Harry was also unable to attend the ceremony as he was still in Africa for the summer. Even Kate's sister, Pippa, and brother, James, were not chosen either.
The ceremony was attended by the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla as well as Kate's family (siblings Pippa and James and their parents Carole and Michael Middleton). Also in attendance were Charlotte's Godparents together with their spouses.
Mirror also reported that although the ceremony was private, and no press was allowed to document it, the world-renowned photographer Mario Testino took the official photographs of the after-christening party. The pictures will be released later this week.
