Culture

 

British Queen celebrates

Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, the latest addition to Britain's royal family, will be christened on July 5 near Queen Elizabeth II's Sandringham estate in rural eastern England, the royal press office said on Friday.

Prince William and his wife Kate's daughter, who is fourth in line to the throne after the couple's first child Prince George, was born on May 2.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pleased to announce the christening of Princess Charlotte will take place on Sunday 5th July," read a statement from Kensington Palace, the couple's London residence.

Charlotte's middle names Elizabeth and Diana are a tribute to her great-grandmother the queen and the woman who would have been her grandmother, William's late mother Diana who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

 

 

 

The ceremony will take place at St Mary Magdalene Church near Sandringham in Norfolk, where William and Kate live in a mansion given to them by the queen.

The princess will be christened as a member of the Church of England by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the Anglican Church.

It is traditional for British royals to be christened with water from the River Jordan, where Christians believe that Jesus Christ was baptised.

Charlotte is expected to be dressed in a replica of the intricate lace and satin gown made for Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, also Victoria, in 1841.

The original robe, which has a long skirt and elaborate collars and bow, was last used in 2004. To preserve it, a replica was commissioned.

George, who was born on July 22, 2013, was baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace in London in October that year. afp