Prince Louis' christening will be different to Prince George and Princess Charlotte's for this reason

published 26 June 2018

Prince Louis is the youngest of Kate and William's children and his christening will be slightly different to Prince George and Princess Charlotte's.

Prince Louis's christening will take place next Saturday on the 9 July but Prince William and Kate Middleton are breaking with a key tradition.

Prince Louis was born on 23 April, his name was announced a few days later in a similar fashion to his older siblings.

Prince George was christened three months after he was born while Princess Charlotte only had to wait two months before here ceremony took place.

Prince Louis will be 11-weeks-old when he is christened so his age will be somewhere in the middle compared to when Prince George and Princess Charlotte were christened.

His christening will take place in the late afternoon which is a big change in tradition from the Cambridge's children's previous christenings. Perhaps this is a sign that Prince Louis is a late-riser compared to his siblings and is happier in the afternoons.

It could also be down to the logistics of getting three young children ready for a very special and public occasion. Every parent can relate to how tricky it is to get the whole family out for school on-time let alone a christening that is going to be of interest to the world's media.

Kate and William with Prince George on the left and Kate holding Princess Charlotte on the right

Prince George and Princess Charlotte were both baptised in the morning but Prince Louis' ceremony doesn't start until 4pm.

Prince Louis will be christened at the same chapel as Prince George and Princess Charlotte and is likely to wear the same christening gown.

This will the first time we have seen Prince Louis since he was born on the 23 April. He missed his uncles's May wedding as he was just a few weeks old, and the royal children don't usually attend the Trooping of Colour at Buckingham Palace until they are at least a year old.

It's likely the whole family, including Kate's pregnant sister Pippa Middleton and auntie Meghan Markle will attend the christening, and it will be an intimate occasion. It's possible that Pippa's husband's brother Spencer and his pregnant fiancé Vogue Williams will also be there but we'll have to wait and see on the day.

pippa middleton princess charlotte christening

Pippa with her parents at Princess Charlotte's christening

Kate and William are likely to release a picture from the day to satisfy public interest but generally like to keep the christening's largely out of the public eye.

We hope it's an official portrait of the Cambridge family as a five or one that shows Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis together for the first time.

Not long to go!

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.