Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Holding Private Christening for Baby Archie - Newser

(Newser) – A "very different royal event" is taking place Saturday in the UK. The BBC reports that baby Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, the son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, will be christened in a chapel at Windsor Castle by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and CNN notes the baptism is causing an "almighty storm." That's because the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are keeping the event completely private, with a mostly secret guest list, sealed lips on who the baby's godparents will be, and no TV coverage or media photographers allowed—not even to snaps pics as guests arrive, which has often been the case even for private royal christenings. The AP notes the controversy surrounding the event centers on an increasingly frustrated public, which thinks events like this should be public, especially since taxpayer money pays for much of the couple's lifestyle.

Who Buckingham Palace would confirm is going: Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton. Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, is also expected to be there. Who won't be at the royal event: Archie's great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who had a prior engagement. Harry and Meghan won't be completely breaking from tradition for their baby's big day: People reports Archie will be sporting the same baptismal robe that his cousins George, Charlotte, and Louis wore, and he'll be christened in the silver Lily Font, a basin commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 and used for every royal baptism since. The baptismal water for 2-month-old Archie will come from the River Jordan. (Read more Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor stories.)

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