Prince Louis’ christening: All the details

The Royal Family has confirmed Queen Elizabeth will not attend the christening of Prince Louis on Monday, July 9.

Although several senior members of the Royal Family will be present at the Chapel Royal of St James' Palace - including Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall - Her Majesty and Prince Philip will not be among them.

Buckingham Palace says the decision was not health-related and was made mutually between Her Majesty and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge "some time ago".

Prince Louis' royal relatives will be joined by his maternal grandparents, Michael and Carole Middleton, along with Catherine's sister Pippa and her brother James.

The newborn's six godparents - Nicholas van Cutsem, Guy Pelly, Harry Aubrey-Fletcher, Lady Laura Meade, Mrs. Robert Carter and Lucy Middleton - and their spouses will also witness the baptism.

They are all friends and family of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The christening - held in the same chapel were Prince George was baptised in 2013 - will mark the first time Prince Louis has been seen in public since April, when he left St Mary's Hospital with his parents at just seven hours old.

It will also be the first time Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have been seen publicly as a family of five.

RELATED: Why Prince Louis’s christening will be extra special for the Royal Family

Following the baptism, the Cambridges will host a private tea at Clarence House, where they will serve christening cake - a tier taken from the cake from the couple's 2011 Royal Wedding.

Prince Louis will be christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

The Archbishop - who baptised Meghan Markle ahead of her Royal Wedding to Prince Harry earlier this year - shared his "delight" about the occasion on Twitter.

"I’m delighted and privileged to be christening Prince Louis today – a precious child made in God’s image, just as we all are," he wrote.

"Please join me in praying for him and his family on this special day."

Holyoak is known for his portrait work, and took the official photos of the Queen and Prince Philip for their 70th wedding anniversary last year.

Prince Louis is three months old, which is how old Prince George was for his christening, while Princess Charlotte was two months old at the time of hers at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham.

The baby royal's baptism is extra special as it also marks the engagement anniversary of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip who were engaged on July 9 1947.

The ceremony will entail all the centuries-old traditions of a royal baby’s baptism.

The gown

Prince Louis will wear the same old-fashioned christening gown we saw on his older siblings, Prince George (pictured) and Princess Charlotte, at their baptisms.

The intricate, cream-coloured lace gown is a replica of the one worn by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s eldest daughter, Victoria, during her baptism.

RELATED: The British Royal Family's christening traditions

It was commissioned by the couple in 1841, using the same fabrics used in the Queen’s wedding dress the previous year - Spitalfields silk and Honiton lace.

After being worn by 62 royal babies, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William, the gown was deemed too fragile to wear, so a replica was created to continue the tradition.

The location

More recently, Meghan Markle was baptised in the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry, while Kate Middleton was confirmed there before she wed Prince William.

It’s also where the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales laid for a week before her burial.

The font

Part of the British monarchy since 1841, when Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Victoria was christened, when not in use, the baptismal font can be found inside the Tower of London.

Princess Eugenie is the only one of Queen Elizabeth II’s children and grandchildren not to be baptised in the Lily Font; hers was a public christening instead.

The water used in the Lily Font for royal christenings is typically drawn from the Jordan River, believed to be the site of Jesus Christ’s baptism.

However, this tradition wasn’t observed for the baptism of Prince William (pictured), with tap water used instead.

The Godparents

Royal children usually have around six godparents, and they don’t all have to be royals.

Prince George has seven godparents, including Zara Tindall, while his little sister Princess Charlotte has five. Meanwhile, Prince Charles has a whopping eight of them.

The family photo

Sometimes, the Royal Family is just like any other family - like when they all get together for a big group photo at christenings.

This one, taken at Prince Harry's christening, is particularly memorable, with an adorable Prince William taking centre stage.

Our bets are on Princess Charlotte stealing the show in her baby brother's official christening photo.

Christening of Prince George

Christening of Princess Charlotte