Archie's christening: Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirm details

But Queen Elizabeth II is unlikely to attend the ceremony

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose for a photo with their newborn baby son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in St George's Hall on May 8, 2019, tShow more

Details of Archie Harrison's christening have been announced today. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have chosen St George’s Chapel for the christening, which is where the royal couple got married in May next year.

The christening will take place in July, and will give royal fans their first good look at the family of three since Harry and Meghan introduced baby Archie to the public on May 8. The exact date for Archie's christening is yet to be confirmed.

Since he was born on May 6, the couple have guarded their baby boy's privacy, sharing only a couple of photos of the tot, without showing his whole face.

Details of Archie's christening were first reported by The Sunday Times' Roya Nikkhah, who explained that it is unlikely Queen Elizabeth II, the baby boy's great-grandmother, will be able to attend the event.

"The Queen will miss the christening because of prior commitments. She attended the christenings of Prince George and Princess Charlotte but missed Prince Louis’s baptism last year," Nikkhah reported.

Royal traditions 

The chosen venue, St George's Chapel in Windsor, will start a family tradition for the Sussexes. As well as being the location of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding in May 2018, it is also where Prince Harry was baptised in 1984 when he was three months old.

That isn't the only tradition that will be maintained at the baptism. It is expected that Archie will wear the traditional Windsor christening gown, which is a replica of a Honiton lace gown Queen Victoria had made for the baptism of her eldest child, Princess Victoria, in 1841.

The original was worn by 62 royal babies at their christenings, including Princes William and Harry. However, in 2004 after the christening of Lady Louise Windsor, it was decided it was becoming too fragile. That year, the Queen had a copy made by dressmaker Angela Kelly.

The new gown has since been worn at the christenings of all three of the Cambridge children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

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Read more:

An official photo of Baby Archie is released to celebrate Prince Harry's first Father's Day

Meghan and Harry share new picture of baby Archie's tiny royal feet

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor: what's in a name?

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