Queen Elizabeth’s ‘Busy Schedule’ Will Keep Her From Attending Grandson’s Christening, Per ‘People’
Queen Elizabeth is a busy lady, but even diehard royal watchers may be surprised by the news that she is skipping an important family event. The 92-year-old queen of the United Kingdom and her 97-year-old husband, Prince Philip, will reportedly miss the royal christening of their great-grandson Prince Louis. A palace source told People the decision that Queen Elizabeth would not be attending the religious event was “mutually agreed” upon between the Queen, and the baby’s parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Kate Middleton, “some time ago.” Everyone in the royal family is “comfortable with the arrangement,” the source told the magazine.
While the Queen has missed a few recent events due to illness, the reason for her absence from her sixth great-grandchild’s milestone ceremony is being blamed on her busy schedule this week. The queen is marking the centenary of the Royal Air Force at a Westminster Abbey service in London on Tuesday, and on Friday she will host U.S. President Donald Trump when he arrives at Windsor Castle.
Despite her busy schedule, it is a bit surprising that Queen Elizabeth would opt to skip the christening of her youngest great-grandchild, who was born on April 23. But according to CNN, in recent years, the 92-year-old queen started scaling back her duties due to her advancing age. Queen Elizabeth has already handed some of her responsibilities to her heir, son Prince Charles.
Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip will not attend the christening of their sixth great-grandchild, Prince Louis https://t.co/RrrxsPDTko
— CNN International (@cnni) July 9, 2018
Prince Philip, meanwhile, retired from public life last fall. Since that time, the 97-year-old has appeared in public on only a handful of occasions, including the recent wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in late May.
The christening of Prince Louis, which will be conducted on Monday, July 9 by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, will be held at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace. Attendees at the private ceremony will include royal newlyweds Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as well as Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Kate Middleton’s parents Michael and Carole, and her siblings James and Pippa. The young prince’s six godparents and their spouses, all friends of the royal couple, will also be front and center.
After the service, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will host a tea party in Clarence House which will feature more slices of their wedding cake. Servings of the cake, baked in 2011, were also served at the christenings of Prince Louis’ siblings, Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 3.
