Royal Christenings and Godparents

[kelly1972]

princesteve you asked who Princess Anne's childrens godparents are and here is the info and where and when they were christened.
Zara Phillips (b. 15 May 1981) was christened Zara Anne Elizabeth on
27 July 1981 in the Private Chapel, Windsor Castle, by the Dean of Windsor, the Rt Rev. Michael Mann. Her godparents were: her uncle the Duke of York; the Countess of Lichfield; Mrs Jackie Stewart; Colonel Andrew Parker- Bowles; and Mr Hugh Thomas.

Peter Phillips (b. 15 November 1977) was christened Peter Mark Andrew Phillips on 22 December 1977 in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Donald Coggan. His godparents were: his uncle the Prince of Wales; the Rt Rev. Geoffrey Tiarks; Captain Hamish Lochare; Lady Cecil Cameron of Lochiel; and Mrs Timothy Holderness-Roddam.

 

[Shadiyah2086]

I have a questions about godparents. I've noticed that with the British, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Dutch royal families they pick mutiple godparents, whereas the Spanish and Belgian royals pick only two. Is it because in the catholic religion they are allowed to have two and in the Anglican religions there is no limit on the amount of godparents. Also for the Catholic royals do the godparents have to be catholic or can they be of another denomination as long as it's within the Christian religion. It's something that I've noticed and I was curious about.
For example:
Prince Christian has eight
CP Victoria of Sweden
CP Haakon of Norway
CP Mette-Marit of Norway
CP Pavlos of Greece
Prince Joachim of Denamrk
Jane Stephens
Hamish Campbell
Jeppe Handwerk

But Prince Emmanuel has two
HGD Prince Guilliame
Countess Elisabeth d'Udekem d'Acoz

It's something that I've noticed and I was curious about.

 

[Elspeth]

In the Church of England, I think the minimum number of godparents is two of the same sex as the baby and one of the opposite sex.

 

[Kelly]

I have a questions about godparents. I've noticed that with the British, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Dutch royal families they pick mutiple godparents, whereas the Spanish and Belgian royals pick only two. Is it because in the catholic religion they are allowed to have two and in the Anglican religions there is no limit on the amount of godparents. Also for the Catholic royals do the godparents have to be catholic or can they be of another denomination as long as it's within the Christian religion. It's something that I've noticed and I was curious about.
For example:
Prince Christian has eight
CP Victoria of Sweden
CP Haakon of Norway
CP Mette-Marit of Norway
CP Pavlos of Greece
Prince Joachim of Denamrk
Jane Stephens
Hamish Campbell
Jeppe Handwerk

But Prince Emmanuel has two
HGD Prince Guilliame
Countess Elisabeth d'Udekem d'Acoz

It's something that I've noticed and I was curious about.

Catholics usually have two a male and a female. The reason I don't know. They are suppose to take care in case the parents aren't there. Most of the time they do have to be catholic. in case of royalty i don't know though.

 

[Fie]

As a catholic you tend to have two godparents, one male, one female.
Mostly the first baby gets their paternal granddad and their maternal grandmother, second one paternal grandmother and maternal granddad. If parents get more then two children one starts with using their siblings as godparents: baby 3 could then get for instance the eldest brother of their father and the eldest sister of their mother... That was the "traditional" way of doing things.

Philippe and Mathilde decided they wanted to give their children young people as godparents

Princess Elisabeth got Prins Amadeo (father's side) and Hélène d'Udekem d'Acoz (mother's side)
Prince Gabriel got Charles-Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz (mother's side) and a cousin of Philippe (father's side; sorry, but I forgot her name, it's a daughter of one of Queen Paola's siblings)
Prince Emmanuel got HGD Guillaume of Luxembourg (father's side) and Elisabeth d'Udekem d'Acoz (mother's side)

If a fourth child comes allong it's very lightly that a male from Mathilde's side is choosen as well as a female of Phillippe's side.

 

[MOLEY]

Godparents of HRH Princess Alexandra of kent are King George VI, HM Queen Elizabeth, Earl of Athlone (former Prince Alexander of Teck brother of Queen Mary),HRH Princess Beatrice of Battenburg ,HM Queen Maud of Norway, HRH Princess Olga of Yugoslavia, HIIIH Count Karl Theodor of Torring-Jettenbach. and the Christening was held in buckingham palace on febuary 7th 1937.

 

[Shadiyah2086]

As a catholic you tend to have two godparents, one male, one female.
Mostly the first baby gets their paternal granddad and their maternal grandmother, second one paternal grandmother and maternal granddad. If parents get more then two children one starts with using their siblings as godparents: baby 3 could then get for instance the eldest brother of their father and the eldest sister of their mother... That was the "traditional" way of doing things.

Philippe and Mathilde decided they wanted to give their children young people as godparents

Princess Elisabeth got Prins Amadeo (father's side) and Hélène d'Udekem d'Acoz (mother's side)
Prince Gabriel got Charles-Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz (mother's side) and a cousin of Philippe (father's side; sorry, but I forgot her name, it's a daughter of one of Queen Paola's siblings)
Prince Emmanuel got HGD Guillaume of Luxembourg (father's side) and Elisabeth d'Udekem d'Acoz (mother's side)

If a fourth child comes allong it's very lightly that a male from Mathilde's side is choosen as well as a female of Phillippe's side.

Do the god parents have to be catholic? Or can they of another faith as long as it is of the Christian faith? Say for example If Princess Mathilde & Prince Phillipe asked Princess Madeleine to the godmother of their son would that be allowed.

 

[Oppie]

I don't know. I think it depends on how strict the priest is. I'm catholic and one of my god parents isn't, same with my sister.

 

[iannis]

Princess Beatrice are...
Viscount Linley (Princess Margaret's son)
Peter Palumbo (now Lord Palumbo)
The former Duchess of Roxburghe
Mrs Harry Cottrell
Mrs John Greenall

Princess Eugenies godparents are
James Ogilvy (son of Princess Alexandra)
Captain Alastair Ross
Mrs Ronald Ferguson (the Duchess's step-mother)
Mrs Patrick Dodd-Noble
Miss Louise (Lulu) Blacker
The Godparents of prince william are
King Constantine of the Hellenes
Lord Romsey (the grandson of the late Earl Mountbatten)
Princess Alexandra
The Duchess of Westminster
Lady Susan Hussey
Sir Laurens van der Post

King Constantine of the Hellenes is also the godfather of Wills

 

[kgreen20]

If this isn't the place for my question, mods, feel free to move it to a more appropriate thread. I'm just curious to know--what procedure, exactly, does a royal christening follow? What does the ceremony consist of? Being a Southern Baptist, I've never even been part of an ordinary christening or confirmation, let alone a royal one, so I know precious little as to how they're conducted. (I only know that drops of water are sprinkled on the baby being christened, and that he's given godparents. And that, in the case of the royal christenings, pictures are taken afterwards and that the people involved get to enjoy a christening cake. Yes, I also know about the font created by Prince Albert, which holds the baptismal water that is brought from the river Jordan, and about the christening robe the babies wear for the ceremony--it's certainly fancy and, by now, antique! =))

Any information you can give me on this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!



Yours truly,
Kathy G.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Here is a simple description of an Anglican service.

A British royal christening follows the same procedure except that it is a private service (mine was a private service as well so they don't have to be part of a normal service but frequently are) and the presiding vicar is usually the Dean of Windsor or the Archbishop of Canterbury.


Each of the churches that have infant baptism have a different service (of course!). The Anglican (C of E) service is sometimes called a Christening. It usually takes place during the Sunday service as the child is becoming a member of the church family and so it is important the the family is present. Godparents are chosen by the family to help with the child's spiritual and religious upbringing. At the service the parents and godparents all gather around the font with the vicar. Usually the mother or father hold the baby. The water in the font is blessed by the vicar. The vicar prays for the child giving thanks for this new life. He reminds the parents and the godparents of their own faith and beliefs. The parents are asked to name the child. He repeats the name. He lifts the baby over the font and pours a little water over the baby's head saying "I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". The vicar then takes some holy oil and makes the sign of the cross on the child's forehead saying "I sign you with the cross the sign of Christ" The parents and the Godparents are given a candle to hold and they are asked to confirm their belief in God and their commitment as Christians. The promise to bring the child up in the Christian faith.

 

[Jose]

Photo on Queen mother great-grandchildren 1980-1999 christening? Queen Mother have many great-grandchildren from 1980-2000 or 2001 on photo? Queen Mother was beloved and love great-grandchildren for near royal family!!!!

 

[kgreen20]

Thanks for the explanation, Chrissy57! That helps.

 

[Bella]

Prince Edward's christening

This is a great photo! And so typical of Prince Andrew: everyone else is looking adoringly at the baby except Andrew ~ he's looking directly at the camera. Me! Me! Me! He was an adorable little chubby-cheeked kid, though.

 

[morhange]

Christenings of Lord Culloden and Albert Windsor?

Someone mentioned in another thread that Lord Culloden and Albert Windsor were the last two babies christened using the old lace christening gown first used by Queen Victoria's children. However, I can't seem to find any information on when either of them were christened, who the godparents are, etc.

I assume Albert was christened in a Catholic ceremony, so I dont know if that means he wasnt allowed to use the gown or not. Just wondering

 

[morhange]

I thought it was weird, especially with Albert, when Nicholas and Paola were in the spotlight a lot after announcing their engagement, marriage and that they were expecting a baby. Then again, they didn't formally announce his birth either, but I figured we'd hear if the Kents attended a christening. Same with the Gloucesters, for Xan.

 

[Elspeth]

I don't think the Gloucester christening featured in Majesty or anything. Maybe they're taking their role as non-royals very seriously.

 

[Duchess]

maybe they're a bit nervous. seems the whole culloden thing is still a sore spot with some people, even after all these years.

Yahoo! Groups

 

[morhange]

Poor Xan...what a horrible thing to have your title associated with.

 

[Jo of Palatine]

Poor Xan...what a horrible thing to have your title associated with.

Really, one wonders what the advisers and the king back then thought about using Culloden for a Royal title.

Culloden is not only a symbol for the differences between the English and the Scots but also a symbol for a bitter split that went through the BRF once. Now that the male line Stuarts are extinct anyway it doesn't matter anymore but back then it really was a question of legitimacy.

 

[Skydragon]

Really, one wonders what the advisers and the king back then thought about using Culloden for a Royal title.

Culloden is not only a symbol for the differences between the English and the Scots but also a symbol for a bitter split that went through the BRF once. Now that the male line Stuarts are extinct anyway it doesn't matter anymore but back then it really was a question of legitimacy.

When talking about Culloden, it should be remembered that it was also Scot against Scot.

The French were there on the side of the Jacobites and the Highlanders were joined by Lowlanders, Irish and some English. On the government side, Scots, English, Dutch.

Even in the heat of battle the clans were falling out with one another and some chiefs fielded troops on both sides!

However, as with many of the titles handed out, it is frowned upon by some of the Scots.

 

[lallettac]

It would be beautiful to see some photos of these christenings... Can you post them please?

 

[PrincessofEurope]

as far as we are aware there are no public pictures of these evnts

 

[Iluvbertie]

It would be beautiful to see some photos of these christenings... Can you post them please?

As these children are not great-grandchildren of a monarch I suspect that we won't be seeing very much of them at all as those closer to the throne are those that live in the pubic eye.

These children will have to get full-time normal jobs and, except for their titles will live completely normal lives with occasions, such as the really big family weddings the only times they might be seen.

Think about how often we see the great-grandchildren of Edward VII or Queen Victoria. These great-grandchildren of George V will be the same - proud of their royal heritage but pleased to have the freedom that comes with being so far fron the centre of the firm.

I personally don't want to see any photos of them so they can have the normal lives they are entitled to and give a huge thumbs up to the parents for making sure this happens, helped by the fact that the tabloiods realise that the pictures of these babies wouldn't sell so they didn't offer to buy them, or if offered them, didn't buy.

 

[susan alicia]

Just bought a book "Flowers and their families" by Lady Elphinstone (M.E.) , first published in 1936 as Botany for Children and I think it is written by the maternal aunt and godparent of Elizabeth II. It is a very sweet book and considering that she had not been to university very impressive.

Mary Elphinstone, Lady Elphinstone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Queen's Godparents are
George V (paternal grandfather)
Queen Mary (grandmother)
Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles (aunt)
Field Marshal The Duke of Connaught (great - great uncle)
The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (maternal grandfather)
Lady Elphinstone

 

[Royal Fan]

Who are the Wessex Godparents??

 

[Claire]

Louise was given five godparents: Lady Sarah Chatto, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Lady Alexandra Etherington, Francesca Schwarzenbach and Rupert Elliott.

James was given five godparents: Alistair Bruce, Duncan Bullivant, Thomas Hill, Mrs Mark Poulton and Jeanye Irwin

 

[macrobby]

Phillips Children

Does anyone know who the godparents are for Peter Phillips daughters Savannah & Isla? Actually I'm not sure if Isla has even been christened yet. I had thought that given William & Harry are supposed to be so close to Peter one of them might've been a godparent but I didn't see any mention of any godparents at the time of Savannah's christening.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Zara Phillips Christening Day​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-_Tg3MjF4s​

 

[AdmirerUS]

Does anyone know who the godparents are for Peter Phillips daughters Savannah & Isla? Actually I'm not sure if Isla has even been christened yet. I had thought that given William & Harry are supposed to be so close to Peter one of them might've been a godparent but I didn't see any mention of any godparents at the time of Savannah's christening.

Isla was christened: Zara Phillips takes time out from packed Olympic training schedule for niece's christening with husband Mike Tindall | Daily Mail Online

GPs not announced. See Marilyn's Royal Blog: Royal Focus: Royal Godparents