Only days after Kate Middleton and Prince William baptized daughter Princess Charlotte, Kensington Palace has released four official photos of the ceremony taken by famed photographer Mario Testino.
In one shot, Kate Middleton smiles while holding Charlotte and gazing at her infant. Charlotte, ready for her close-up, makes eye contact with the camera. In a second, the family of four poses, with Prince William holding Prince George (who is playing with his hair), while Middleton holds Charlotte. A third shot, black and white, features Prince William holding Prince George, and the last is of the entire family, both royals and Middletons.
Photo by Mario Testino/Art Partner
It’s not the first time Testino has snapped the royals. Aside from being Princess Diana’s favorite photographer (having shot her infamous Vanity Fair spread before her death at age 36), he took Will and Kate’s official engagement photos in 2011, along with previous shots of Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Harry.
During Charlotte’s christening ceremony, the princess was blessed with a total of five godparents. “There’s no set rule for how many godparents a royal child is given, although it’s certainly more than the average person,” CNN royal expert Victoria Arbiter, previously told Yahoo Parenting. “William and Harry each have six godparents and George has seven.”
STORY: Kate Middleton Gives Princess Charlotte a Royal Ride to Christening
However, in the case of the royals, godparents won’t serve as potential legal guardians — according to Arbiter, the titles are merely symbolic for those who will provide guidance and friendship to Charlotte. And as for reports that Kate sister Pippa and William’s brother Harry were overlooked for the role, Arbiter says, “As aunt and uncle, they already have a close and meaningful relationship with the Cambridge children so there is no need for them to serve as godparents.” What’s more, she adds, in the U.K., siblings aren’t usually asked to be godparents.
Photo by Mario Testino/Art Partner
Here are Charlotte’s five godparents:
Laura Fellowes: She’s William’s first cousin (the daughter of Diana’s sister, Lady Jane Fellowes). You also may recognize her as the little girl photographed with a mischievous William at the Duke of York’s 1986 wedding. The young prince was sitting next to Laura when he was caught sticking out his tongue and yawning during the nuptials.
Tom van Straubenzee: One of William’s best friends, he and fellow godparent James Meade were ushers at Will and Kate’s 2011 wedding. Fun fact: van Straubenzee’s wife is a castle heiress and one of their family homes was featured in a Harry Potter film.
Sophie Carter: She’s Kate’s loyal bestie and frequent tennis partner and she once dated van Straubenzee.
James Meade: Nicknamed “Badger,” Meade is an old classmate of William and lives near Anmer Hall with his wife.
Adam Middleton: He’s Kate’s first cousin and as a loyal Middleton member, he attended the duchess’ 2013 birthday party at Cirque du Soleil and Pippa’s launch party for her 2012 book, Celebrate.
The adorable christening photos top off a week of royal celebrations. Hopefully we’ll see some cute summer candids.
