Prince Alexander of Sweden baptised

At a service in the church at Drottningholm Palace outside Stockholm at noon today, Prince Alexander of Sweden, Duke of Sudermania, the firstborn child of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, was baptised by Archbishop Antje Jackelén. The sponsors were his paternal aunt Crown Princess Victoria, his maternal aunt Lina Frejd, his father's first cousin Victor Magnuson (Princess Christina's youngest son), his father's room mate from boarding school, Jan-Åke Hansson, and his mother's childhood friend Cajsa Larsson. The princely crown made for Prince Fredrik Adolf in 1772 rested on a cushion by the font, and at the end of the ceremony King Carl XVI Gustaf invested his grandson with the Order of the Seraphim.
Among the guests were Prince Alexander's grandparents, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia and Erik and Marie Hellqvist, his great-grandmother Britt Rotman, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel with Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill with Princess Leonore and Prince Nicolas, and Princess Sofia's sister Lina Frejd (without her husband Jonas Frejd) and Sara Hellqvist.
Of King Carl Gustaf's four sister, only Princess Margaretha, who lives in England, attended. Princess Birgitta had prioritised a golf tournament at Mallorca, while Princess Désirée had had to cancel after first accepting her invitation and Princess Christina and her husband Tord Magnuson are travelling. Princess Désirée's son, Baron Carl Silfverschiöld, and her youngerst daughter, Baroness Hélène Silfverschiöld, with her partner Fredrik Dieterle did however attend. From Princess Christina's family the only attendees were her youngest son, Victor Magnuson, and his partner Frida Bergström.
Other members of the extended Bernadotte family present were Countess Marianne Bernadotte af Wisborg, the King's aunt by marriage, and two of Prince Oscar Bernadotte's grandchildren, 100-year-old Dagmar von Arbin and Count Bertil Bernadotte af Wisborg, the latter accompanied by his wife Jill. Of Prince Carl Philip's four godparents, only Prince Leopold of Bavaria attended with his wife Ursula.
From Queen Silvia's family, her brother Ralf de Toledo Sommerlath and his wife Charlotte attended as well as her nephew Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath with his partner Bettina Aussems, her niece Carmita Sommerlath Baudinet and her nephew Patrick Sommerlath with his wife Maline Sommerlath, his son Leopold Lundén Sommerlath and their daughters Anaïs and Chloé Sommerlath. Princess Sofia's uncles and aunts, Anders Rotman and Laila Rönn Rotman, Lena Rotman and Peter Nygren, and Lars and Irena Hellqvist, also attended.
Among the official representatives were the Speaker of Parliament, Urban Ahlin, with his wife Jenni, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and his wife Ulla, Deputy Prime Minister Isabella Lövin, the ambassadors of Norway and Denmark and the county governors of Södermanland (Prince Alexander's dukedom), Värmland (of which Prince Carl Philip is Duke) and Dalarna (where Princess Sofia hails from).

Prince Oscar of Sweden's christening

At noon today, Prince Oscar of Sweden, Duke of Scania was christened in the Palace Church in Stockholm. He was baptised by Antje Jackelén, the first female Archbishop in the history of the Church of Sweden, and his godparents were Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, his aunt Princess Madeleine, his mother's first cousin Oscar Magnuson (Princess Christina's eldest son) and his father's first cousin Hans Åström. At the end of the ceremony, his grandfather King Carl XVI Gustaf invested him with the Order of the Seraphim, Sweden's highest honour.
Among the guests in the Palace Church were family members, friends of the family, courtiers, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and other members of the cabinet, Speaker Urban Ahlin and other representatives of Parliament, some ambassadors and county governors as well as representatives of organisations and institutions.
Prince Oscar's parents, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, were joined by his sister Princess Estelle, his maternal grandparents King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia and his paternal grandparents Olle and Ewa Westling. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit also attended. Princess Madeleine was accompanied by her husband Christopher O'Neill and their children, Princess Leonore and Prince Nicolas, while Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia did not bring their newborn son, Prince Alexander.
Of the King's four sisters, Princesses Margaretha and Christina attended, the latter accompanied by her husband Tord Magnuson, their three sons Oscar, Gustaf and Victor Magnuson, their daughters-in-law Vicky and Emma Magnuson and Victor's partner Frida Bergström. Princess Désirée's eldest daughter, Baroness Christina De Geer and her husband Hans also attended. Other members of the extended royal family present were Countess Marianne Bernadotte af Wisborg, the widow of the late former Prince Sigvard, Dagmar von Arbin, the 100-year-old granddaughter of Prince Oscar Bernadotte, and Count Bertil Bernadotte af Wisborg, a grandson of Prince Oscar Bernadotte, with his wife Jill.
Queen Silvia's two surviving brothers, Walther L. Sommerlath and Ralf de Toledo Sommerlath, were also present, the former accompanied by his wife Charlotte. The Queen's nephews Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath and his partner Bettina Aussems and Patrick Sommerlath and his wife Maline Sommerlath were joined by Patrick's three children, Leopold Lundén Sommerlath, Chloé Sommerlath and Anaïs Sommerlath.
Prince Daniel's sister, Anna Westling Söderström, brought her husband Mikael Westling Söderström, her daughters Hedvig and Vera Blom, the former's boyfriend Oliver Dackell, and her step-children Casper and Caisa Söderström. Other relatives of Prince Daniel present were Tommy Henriksson, Hans and Marika Henriksson, Nils and Ann-Catrin Westling, Sara Westling and Jesper Carlsson, Frida and Rickard Westling, Hasse and Anna-Britta Åström, Hans and Helena Åström, Anders Åström, Anna-Karin Åström and Christer Wigren, Erik and Birgitta Westling, Ove and Yvonne Westling, Bo and Carina Westling, and Per and Rose-Marie Westling.

Prince Oscar to be christened on 27 May

The Swedish royal court has announced that Prince Oscar, the second child of Crown Princess Victoria, who was born on 2 March, will be christened in the Palace Church in Stockholm on Friday 27 May.

Prince Nicolas of Sweden christened

At noon today, Prince Nicolas of Sweden, the son of Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill, was christened in the chapel of Drottningholm Palace outside Stockholm. This intimate chapel was also the venue for the christening of his elder sister, Princess Leonore, in June last year.
The sponsors were his maternal uncle, Prince Carl Philip; his father's maternal half-sister, Countess Natascha Abensperg und Traun; his mother's first cousin Gustaf Magnuson (son of Princess Christina); his paternal uncle by marriage Henry d'Abo (whose mother, Lady Ursula d'Abo, who will be 99 next month, is the daughter of the 9th Duke of Rutland and was a maid of honour at the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Britain in 1937); his mother's friend Katarina von Horn; and his father's friend Marco Wajselfisz.
Prince Nicolas wore the christening robe that was made for the baptism of his great-grandfather, Prince Gustaf Adolf, in 1906 and which has been worn by many royal children since then. He was baptised by the Archbishop, Antje Jackelén (who last year became Sweden's first female Archbishop). At the end of the ceremony, he was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Seraphim by his grandfather, King Carl XVI Gustaf. His royal rank was, in keeping with a tradition instituted in 1778, symbolised by a princely crown on a pedestal next to the altar. Until now, one crown has usually been assigned to each prince and princess, but the fact that the royal title now descends through both the male and the female line means that there are not enough crowns to go around, and Prince Nicolas has thus been assigned the same crown as his mother, that of Princess (later Queen) Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta (the distinction between crowns for princes and princesses had already been broken in 2012, when Oscar II's princely crown was assigned to Princess Estelle).
As the chapel at Drottningholm is rather small, the christening was attended by a rather select gathering of family, friends, officials and courtiers. Apart from Prince Nicolas, his parents and his sisters, the members of the extended royal family present were King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia; Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel; Princess Estelle; Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia; Princess Margaretha; Princess Christina's husband Tord Magnuson, their three sons Oscar, Gustaf and Victor Magnuson, Gustaf's wife Vicky Magnuson, Victor's partner Frida Bergström and their infant son Sigvard, who was born on 25 August; Countess Marianne Bernadotte af Wisborg, who is the widow of the King's late uncle, the former Prince Sigvard; and Dagmar von Arbin, a great-granddaughter of King Oscar II, who will celebrate her 100th birthday in April. The only foreign royal present was Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a first cousin of King Carl Gustaf who is also one of Princess Madeleine's sponsors.
Also present were Chris O'Neill's mother, Eva Maria O'Neill; two of his three paternal half-sisters, Annalisa O'Neill and Karen O'Neill, and his nephew Oliver MacNeely; his maternal half-sister Tatjana d'Abo with her husband Henry and their children Anouska, Celina and Jasper; his maternal half-sister Countess Natascha Abensperg und Traun and her daughters Milana and Chiara; and a man by the name of Wolfgang Seybold, who is apparently in a relationship with Eva Maria O'Neill.
Queen Silvia's brother Walther L. Sommerlath is on the guest list, but was as far as I could tell not present in church. On the other hand two of her nephews were there: Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath and Patrick Sommerlath, the latter with his wife Maline, his son Leopold Lundén Sommerlath and their daughters Anaïs and Chloé Sommerlath.

Prince Nicolas to be baptised on 11 October

The Swedish royal court today announced that Prince Nicolas, the son born to Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill on 15 June, will be christened in the chapel at Drottningholm Palace on 11 October. This is the same chapel where his sister, Princess Leonore, was christened on 8 June 2014. It was also the venue for the funeral of Princess Kristine Bernadotte in November last year and the wedding of Prince Bertil and Princess Lilian in December 1976.

Princess Charlotte of Britain christened

The christening of Princess Charlotte of Britain, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and his wife Catherine), took place in St Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham in Norfolk today. The godparents were Prince William's first cousin Laura Fellowes (daughter of Princess Diana's eldest sister Jane and Queen Elizabeth's former Private Secretary Robert Fellowes), the Duchess of Cambridge's first cousin Adam Middleton (son of her father's brother Richard), and three friends of the parents: Sophie Carter, James Meade and Thomas van Straubenzee.
The Princess wore a christening dress from 2007 which is a replica of one first worn by Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Victoria, later German Empress, in 1841. The so-called Lily Font, a silver gilt baptismal font made for the same occasion, had been brought to Sandringham from the Tower of London, where it is usually displayed together with the Crown Jewels (sparking silly stories in the media about "the Crown Jewels leaving London for the first time").
Princess Charlotte was baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The only invited guests, except from her parents and elder brother George, were her great-grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip; her grandfather Prince Charles and his wife Camilla; her grandparents Michael and Carole Middleton; her uncle James Middleton; her aunt Philippa ("Pippa") Middleton; and the five godparents, four of them accompanied by their spouses.
St Mary Magdalene Church is located at the royal Sandringham estate in northeastern England, where the parents of Princess Charlotte nowadays have their primary home at Anmer Hall. The church has also been the venue of the christenings of, among others, the future King George VI of Britain in 1896, the future King Olav V of Norway in 1903, and Princess Charlotte's grandmother Diana, the future Princess of Wales, in 1961.

Princess Charlotte to be christened at Sandringham

It was announced today that the christening of Princess Charlotte of Britain will take place in St Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham on 5 July. Her brother, Prince George, was christened in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace, London, but the parents are now living primarily at their country home Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate, which makes the local church seem a natural choice of venue.
Among other royals baptised in St Mary Magdalene Church are the baby's late grandmother Diana, Princess of Wales, who was born in Park House on the Sandringham estate and christened in the local church on 30 August 1961, Princess Eugenie, who was christened there on 23 December 1990, and the future King Olav V of Norway, who was born at Appleton House, also on the Sandringham estate, and baptised on 11 August 1903.
Like her brother, Princess Charlotte will be christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Six godparents for Princess Leonore

Princess Leonore of Sweden will be christened in the chapel at Drottningholm Palace outside Stockholm at noon today. A few hours ago the royal court announced that her godparents will be Crown Princess Victoria, Louise Gottlieb (Princess Madeleine's best friend), Patrick Sommerlath (a nephew of Queen Silvia who moved to Sweden at an early age and became almost like a brother to her children), Tatjana d'Abo (one of Christopher O'Neill's five half-sisters), Count Ernst Abensperg und Traun (the husband of another half-sister), and Alice Bamford, a childhood friend of Chris O'Neill.
As Princess Leonore is the daughter of the King's third child this will obviously be a much smaller affair than Princess Estelle's christening, which took place in the Palace Church in Stockholm on 23 May 2012. The domed, circular chapel at Drottningholm can seat only 160 people and there will be fewer official representatives and no foreign royals or heads of state in attendance.
The splendid baroque silver christening font will not be brought from the Royal Treasury in the cellars of the Royal Palace, but the chapel's usual christening font will be used. Princess Leonore will wear the christening robe first worn by her great-grandfather, Prince Gustaf Adolf, in 1906. She will be baptisted by the outgoing Archbishop, Anders Wejryd (his successor, Antje Jackelén, who will be Sweden's first female archbishop, will be installed next Sunday).
Following the christening a reception will be held at Drottningholm Palace. The parents and grandparents will receive their guests in the Ehrenstrahl Drawing Room, which was originally Dowager Queen Hedvig Eleonora's throne room and whose walls are covered by David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl's monumental paintings glorifying Hedvig Eleonora, who built Drottningholm and for whom Princess Leonore is perhaps at least partially named.
The Princess will rest in the cradle made for the future King Carl XV in 1826, which is used for junior royals (Carl XI's cradle is used by direct heirs to the throne). Most likely she will be invested with the Seraphim Order by her grandfather either during or after the christening ceremony, which takes place on the first wedding anniversary of her parents.

Royal christening at Drottningholm on 8 June

The Swedish royal court has announced that the christening of Princess Leonore will, as expected, take place in the chapel at Drottningholm Palace outside Stockholm on 8 June, her parents' first wedding anniversary.
Inspired by Rome's Pantheon, this domed chapel in the baroque style from the early eighteenth century, which is the work of the architects Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and Carl Hårleman, is one of the two circular buildings that form the extremes of the long palace façade. It can only seat a limited number of guests, which is the reason why it has been rarely used for royal occasions, although it was the scene for the wedding of Prince Bertil and Princess Lilian on 7 December 1976.
The splendid Drottningholm Palace, located on an island some ten kilometres west of Stockholm, was built for the Dowager Queen Hedvig Eleonora, the widow of King Carl X Gustaf, who was a great builder, collector and patron of the arts. The current King and Queen made it their home in 1981 and it was there that Princess Madeleine was born the following year and where she grew up. It was also where her and Christopher O'Neill's wedding banquet was held last year. Given Princess Madeleine's attachment to Drottningholm and its association with Queen Hedvig Eleonora and thus the name Leonore it seems a very fitting choice of venue for the christening of the young Princess.
It has not yet been decided if the christening will be televised.

British royal christening on 23 October

The British royal court has announced that the christening of Prince George will take place in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London on Wednesday 23 October. The Prince will be baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The christening will be a private event and will not be televised.
The choice of venue is somewhat surprising. After the chapel at Buckingham Palace was destroyed in World War II, the Palace’s Music Room seem to have been the preferred venue for the christenings of senior royals, i.e. Prince Charles in 1948, Princess Anne in 1950, Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince William in 1982. The last royal child to be baptisted in the Chapel Royal was Princess Beatrice in 1988. Prince Edward was christened in the private chapel of Windsor Castle in 1964, Prince Henry in St George’s Chapel at Windsor in 1984 and Princess Eugenie at St Mary Magdalene Church near Sandringham in 1990.
The Chapel Royal is fairly small and simple and lies within St James’s Palace. It was the venue for the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 and for that of the future King George V and Queen Mary in 1893. In 1997 the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales rested there from its repatriation from Paris until the eve of her funeral.
The names of the sponsors (godparents) will be announced closer to the date. These are likely to be close family and friends and not foreign royals, given that Prince William hardly knows any of his foreign counterparts.

Official photos from Princess Estelle’s christening

Today the official photos from the christening of Princess Estelle of Sweden three days ago were finally published. Photo credit is Bruno Ehrs/the Swedish royal court.

Princess Estelle with her parents and godparents. From the left Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Anna Westling Söderström, Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.

The succession to the throne: King Carl XVI Gustaf, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Estelle.

Princess Estelle and her parents.

Princess Estelle with her parents and grandparents: King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Ewa Westling and Olle Westling.

The King and his granddaughter.

Oscar II’s princely crown and Order of Seraphim for Princess Estelle

In little over an hour the christening of Princess Estelle of Sweden will take place in the Palace Church in Stockholm. Already in place next to the magnificent silver baptismal font is the crown which symbolises the Princess’s royal rank, a tradition which goes back to the christening of the future King Gustaf IV Adolf in 1778.
Very unusually, Sweden has crown not only for the King and Queen, but also for the Crown Prince and for princes and princesses. The first princely crowns were made for the 1772 coronation of Gustaf III, but as the royal family grew, new crowns had to be acquired up until 1902. Princess Estelle is direct heir to the throne, but not first in line, so the crown used today is not the crown princely crown, as when the then Crown Prince Carl Philip was baptised in 1979, but Oscar II’s princely crown. This crown was made by court jeweller Marc Giron for the then Prince Oscar to be worn at the coronation of his parents, King Oscar I and Queen Josephina, in 1844. At the time Prince Oscar was Duke of Ostrogothia, the same dukedom which was bestowed on Princess Estelle the day after her birth.
Also placed on a blue velvet cushion next to the font is the Order of Seraphim, which Princess Estelle will be given today. This signifies a return to the tradition whereby princes in the line of succession were given the royal orders at their christening.
However, when the new Constitution was introduced in 1974, the award of orders to Swedish citizens, including the royal family, was banned. This remained in force until 1995, when an exception were made for members of the royal family, and meant that no orders were given at the christenings of King Carl Gustaf’s children.

Guests for Princess Estelle’s christening

The christening of Princess Estelle of Sweden will take place in the Palace Church in Stockholm tomorrow, and today the royal court released a list (external link) of the official guests who will be present.
Princess Estelle and her parents Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel will obviously be present and they will be joined by King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine, whereas Princess Lilian, at 96, is too ill to attend. The King’s four sisters - Princesses Margaretha, Birgitta, Désirée and Christina will also be present, but only the latter will be accompanied by her husband, Tord Magnuson.
Princess Birgitta will bring her daughter and son-in-law, Désirée and Eckbert von Bohlen und Halbach, while Princess Désirée will be accompanied by her three children and their partners - Baron Carl and Baroness Maria Silfverschiöld, Baroness Christina and Baron Hans De Geer af Finspång, and Baroness Hélène Silfverschiöld and Fredrik Diterle - as well as her grandson, Baron Ian De Geer af Finspång. Princess Christina’s three sons, Gustaf, Oscar and Victor Magnuson, will bring their respective partners, Vicky Andrén, Emma Magnuson and Frida Bergström.
Also in attendance will be Countess Marianne Bernadotte af Wisborg, the widow of the King’s eldest uncle Sigvard, and Countess Gunnila Bernadotte af Wisborg, the widow of the King’s youngest uncle, Carl Johan, who was also expected to be present, but who sadly died on 5 May. From the extended Bernadotte family we will also see Count Bertil Bernadotte af Wisborg and his wife Jill. The Count, who is a close friend of King Carl Gustaf, is a grandson of the late Prince Oscar Bernadotte, and the youngest son of the late Countess Estelle Bernadotte af Wisborg, who is believed to have inspired the name. His elder brother, Count Folke Bernadotte af Wisborg, and his wife Christine, were also invited to the christening, but after initially accepting their invitations they have had to send their regrets due to illness. Their cousin Dagmar von Arbin, who is 96, will however be in attendance.
The only foreign heads of state present will be the Queen of Denmark and the new President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, the latter accompanied by his wife Jenni Haukio. Queen Margrethe will be accompanied by Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, while Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn will represent Norway (the Crown Princess has prior engagements in the USA and is thus unable to attend).
The three Benelux countries will all be represented by their heirs with partners: Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium, Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and his fiancée Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy. The other European royal families will not be present, while the President of Iceland, who is fighting a re-election campaing (after having initially announced that he would not stand for re-election he is now trailing in the polls), will be represented by his wife Dorrit Moussaieff.
From Queen Silvia’s family we will see her two surviving brothers, Ralf de Toledo Sommerlath and Walther L. Sommerlath, the former accompanied by his wife Charlotte, as well as the Queen’s nephew Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath and Bettina Aussems, her nice Carmita Sommerlath Baudinet and Pierre Baudinet, her nephew Patrick Sommerlath and Maline Sommerlath, and her great-nephew Leopold Lundén Sommerlath.
Prince Daniel’s family will also be out in force, led by his parents Olle and Ewa Westling, and his sister Anna Westling Söderström with her husband Mikael Westling Söderström, her daughters Hedvig and Vera Blom and her stepchildren Casper and Caisa Söderström. Many aunts, uncles and cousins of Prince Daniel will also be present: Olle and Anita Henriksson, Tommy Henriksson, Hans and Marika Henriksson, Nils and Ann-Catrin Westling, Sara Westling and Benji Bessemer, Frida Westling and Rickard Pettersson, Andreas Westling and Amanda Tegnér, Hasse and Anna-Britta Åström, Hans Åström and Helena Olsson, Anders Åström and Kety Lund, Anna-Karin Åström and Christer Wigren, Erik and Birgitta Westling, Ove and Yvonne Westling, and Bo and Carina Westling.
The rest of the list consists of present and past speakers of Parliament and prime ministers as well as other official representatives. Guests attending in a private capacity have not been included, but the court has confirmed that Prince Carl Philip’s girlfriend Sofia Hellqvist and Princess Madeleine’s boyfriend Chris O'Neill will be present.

HH Princess Athena Marguerite Françoise Marie of Denmark

At 5 p.m. today the daughter of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark, who was born on 24 January, was christened in Møgeltønder Church in the small town of the same name in the south of Denmark. In accordance with Danish royal traditions it was only at the christening that it was revealed that her name is Athena Marguerite Françoise Marie.
While the Danes are very traditional when it comes to the name of the heir to the throne (the kings are always named either Christian or Frederik) they tend to be quite creative concerning names for junior princes and princesses. Marguerite seems to be in honour of the Princess’s paternal grandmother, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, while Françoise is for her maternal grandmother Françoise Grassiot and Marie for her mother.
The christening was performed by Royal Chaplain Erik Norman Svendsen, former Bishop of Copenhagen. The sponsors were two of Princess Marie’s half-brothers, Gregory Grandet (son of her mother) and Edouard Cavallier (son of her father), Carina Axelsson (who is the partner of Prince Joachim’s cousin, Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg), Julie Mirabaud, Diego de Lavandeyra and Henriette Steenstrup.
Apart from Princess Athena and her parents, the royals and relatives of the royal family present were the Queen and Prince Consort of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary with their two eldest children Christian and Isabella, Princess Athena’s half-brothers Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix, her brother Prince Henrik, Count Ingolf and Countess Sussie of Rosenborg, Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Carina Axelsson, Prince Christian and Princess Lena of Schaumburg-Lippe, Michael and Désirée Iuel (née Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe), Count Valdemar of Rosenborg (grandson of Prince Erik), Countess Marina of Rosenborg (granddaughter of Prince Erik) and Portus Ekman, and Erik Vind (grandson of Prince Erik) and his wife Susanne.
From Princess Marie’s family came her father Alain Cavallier and his partner Marielle Dubern, her mother Françoise Grassiot with her husband Christian Grassiot, Charles Cavallier, Edouard Cavallier, Gregory Grandet, Jerome Grassiot and his wife, Jennifer Shorto, Benjamin Grandet and Nina Arichi.

Princess Estelle to be christened on 22 May

The Swedish royal court today announced that the christening of Princess Estelle, who was born on 23 February, will take place in the Palace Church on 22 May. The Archbishop, Anders Wejryd, will officiate.

Danish princess to be christened on 20 May

The court of Copenhagen yesterday (Friday) announced that the daughter of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, who was born on 24 January, will be christened in Møgeltønder Church on Sunday 20 May.
Unusually for a christening, it will be an evening event, taking place at 5 p.m.
Møgeltønder Church is the parish church to which Prince Joachim’s manor Schackenborg belongs. This was where Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, his second wife, were married on 24 May 2008.
In keeping with Danish royal traditions, the Princess’s names will only be announced at the christening.

Queen Elizabeth II attends great-granddaughter’s christening

Daily Mail (external link) reports that Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of Britain last Saturday attended the christening of their first great-grandchild, Savannah Phillips, who was born on 30 December 2010 and is twelfth in line to the British throne.
The christening of the daughter of Peter and Autumn Phillips took place quitely and privately in the Church of the Holy Cross in Avening, Gloucestershire and was apparently only brought to public attention through the presence of an amateur photographer.
The child’s grandparents, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, step-grandfather Timothy Laurence, and aunt Zara Phillips with her fiancé Mike Tindall were also in attendance.
It seems a Phillips christening just before the wedding of an heir has become something of a tradition: Zara Phillips was herself baptised on 27 July 1981, two days before the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander and Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda

At 3.30 p.m. today the christening of the twins born to Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark on 8 January took place in Holmen’s Church in Copenhagen and in keeping with Danish royal traditions it was only then that the names given to the children were made publicly known. The Prince’s name is Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander, while his slightly younger sister is named Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda.
While the heirs in direct line are always called either Christian or Frederik the Danes tend to choose less traditional names for younger royals, with Joachim, Felix, Viggo and Flemming as some examples from the current dynasty (which has reigned since 1863). I cannot think of any previous princes named Vincent, but the name might perhaps be seen as a reflection of what Crown Prince Frederik has said about his French roots becoming more and more important to him.
Most Danish princes, unless they are far down the line of succession, mostly have either Frederik or Christian among their names just in case they should succeed to the throne. Minik is a Greenlandic name, while Alexander is a more traditional royal name. The last Danish royal to be named so was Prince Alexander, who in 1905 became Crown Prince of Norway and got the name Olav instead. Prince Nikolai also has Alexander among his names.
Princess Josephine’s nearest family namesake is her father’s second cousin Josephine af Rosenborg, one of the three daughters of Count Christian of Rosenborg. It was also the name of the Princess’s great-great-great-great-great-grandmother Queen Josephina (Joséphine) of Sweden and Norway and of the latter’s grandmother, Empress Joséphine of the French.
Sophia was the name of the Princess’s great-great-great-grandmother, Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway, and was also among the names of Queen Ingrid (Ingrid Victoria Sofia Louise Margareta). In its more Danish version Sophie it has also been used by several Danish queens: Sophie of Pomerania, the wife of Frederik I; Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, the consort of Frederik II; Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, wife of Frederik III; Anna Sophie Reventlow, the third wife and second queen of Frederik IV; Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, consort of Christian VI; and Marie Sophie Frederikke of Hesse-Cassel, wife of Frederik VI. To this could be added Princess Sophie Magdalene, daughter of Frederik V and eventually Queen of Sweden as the consort of Gustaf III; Princess Sophie Hedvig, daughter of Christian V; Princess Anna Sophie, daughter of Frederik III and later Electress of Saxony; and Princess Sophie, daughter of Christian IV.
Ivalo is again a Greenlandic name, while Mathilda might bring assocations to Crown Princess Mary’s native Australia. It is also a name associated with the unfortunate Queen Caroline Mathilde, née Princess Carolina Mathilda of Britain, who was married to the insane Christian VII, had an affair with the royal physician Johann Friedrich Struensee, was divorced and banished to Hanover and died there at the age of 24.
Prince Vincent’s godparents are his uncle John Stuart Donaldson, Prince Felipe of Spain, his father’s first cousin Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, his mother’s lady-in-waiting Caroline Hering, Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille and Baroness Helle Reedtz-Thott, the latter two friends of his parents. Princess Josephine’s godparents are her aunts Princess Marie and Patricia Bailey, Prince Charles of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count Bendt Wedell, Birgitte Handwerk and Josephine Rechner, the latter three friends of the parents.
While the Prince wore the christening gown which has been used for most royal christenings since Christian X in 1870, Princess Josephine wore a previously unused dress which Queen Margrethe found among the belongings of the late Queen Ingrid. Textile conservators have concluded that it dates from around 1940 and it has been suggested that someone may have given it to the then Crown Princess Ingrid when her first child was born.
Except for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess and their four children the baptism was attended by the following royals and relatives: The Queen and Prince Consort, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, Princes Nikolai, Felix and Henrik, Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Carina Axelsson, ex-Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, Prince Nikolaós and Princess Tatiana of Greece, Prince Charles and Princess Camilla of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and their daughters Maria Carolina and Maria Chiara, John and Susan Donaldson (maternal grandfather and step-grandmother), John Stuart Donaldson (uncle), Patricia Bailey (aunt), Catherine Murray (great-aunt), Guillaume Bardin (cousin of Crown Prince Frederik) and his wife, Count Valdemar of Rosenborg and Countess Marina of Rosenborg.
Following the christening there was a reception at Frederik VIII’s Mansion at Amalienborg, where a private dinner was also scheduled to take place tonight.

Danish royal christening to take place in Holmen’s Church on 14 April

Amalienborg today announced that the christening of the twins born to Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary on 8 January will take place in Holmen’s Church in Copenhagen at 3.30 p.m. on Thursday 14 April.
In keeping with Danish royal tradition the names the parents have given their children will only be made public at the baptism.
Holmen’s Church, which dates from the seventeenth century, is traditionally associated with the Navy and was as such the church where the future King Frederik IX, a sailor by education and nature, chose to hold the christening of his three daughters.
The eldest of them, the current Queen Margrethe II, was also married there in 1967 and her and Prince Henrik’s eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, was baptised there the following year. The latest royal event to take place in the church was the funeral of Count Flemming of Rosenborg in July 2002.
The twins’ elder brother, Prince Christian, was baptised in Christiansborg Palace Church in January 2006, whereas their sister Princess Isabella was christened in Fredensborg Palace Church in July 2007.
It will be interesting to see how the christening dress problem is solved - both twins can hardly wear the traditional royal christening dress.

Prince Henrik Carl Joachim Alain of Denmark christened

At 5.30 p.m. today the son of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark was christened in Møgeltønder Church in southern Denmark. The Prince was born on 4 May this year, but in keeping with Danish royal tradition it was only during the christening that his name was revealed - Henrik Carl Joachim Alain.
Henrik and Alain are the names of his grandfathers, Joachim that of his father, while Carl is a common royal name - the latest Prince Carl of Denmark was the second son of King Frederik VIII, who went on to become King Haakon VII of Norway. The choice of names breaks with the tradition that all Danish princes shall have either Christian or Frederik among their names, but of course the chance that Prince Henrik Jr will ever succeed to the throne is remote, not to say unlikely - he is currently seventh in line to the throne.
The godparents today were Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Benjamin Grandet and Charles Cavallier (brothers of Princess Marie), and Britt Davidsen Siesbye and Christian Scherfig (friends of Prince Joachim).
Among the 141 guests attending the ceremony were the Queen and Prince Consort of Denmark, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess with their two children, Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix, Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and his girlfriend Carina Axelsson, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg with her husband Count Jefferson-Friedrich von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth and their children Richard and Ingrid, ex-Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, Prince Nikolaós of Greece and his girlfriend Tatiana Blatnik, Count Ingolf of Rosenborg (born Prince of Denmark) and his wife Sussie, Count Carl Johan Bernadotte af Wisborg (by birth Prince of Sweden) and his wife Gunnila, Countess Marina of Rosenborg and Désirée Iuel (née Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe) with her husband Michael.