Harry and Meghan announce private christening of son
Thursday July 04 2019
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (right), 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 at Windsor Castle. They couple plan to have a private christening for their son on July 6, 2019. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
LONDON,
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will christen their baby son Archie on Saturday at a private ceremony and will not disclose his godparents' identities, Buckingham Palace said.
"Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor will be christened in a small private ceremony by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday 6th July," Buckingham Palace said in a brief notice.
"The godparents, in keeping with their wishes, will remain private."
The widely-expected decision to keep the event out of the public eye had already been condemned by Britain's boisterous press and the army of royal commentators who dissect every palace move.
Meghan, the former US television star turned Duchess of Sussex, has only made a handful of public appearances since giving birth to Archie in May.
The royal couple kept details of the birth private and avoided the kind of media scrutiny traditionally lavished on senior members of one of the world's most famous families.
Those decisions drew added criticism after Buckingham Palace revealed that last month that the couple used £2.4 million ($3 million) of public money to renovate their new home in Windsor.
Harry and Meghan "can't have it both ways," Penny Junor, a veteran royal watcher who has penned a biography on Harry, wrote in The Sunday Times.
"Either they are totally private, pay for their own house and disappear out of view or play the game the way it is played."