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If you've been staring at the illustrious family portrait of Harry and Meghan Markle [3] — along with other members of the royal family — following the the christening of Archie Mountbatten-Windsor [4], you might have found yourself intrigued as to the backstory of baby Archie's gown. There's a deep history behind the royal christening gown [5] — in 1841 Queen Victoria commissioned a cream-colored gown for her oldest daughter, Princess Victoria, and though all members of the royal family have worn it, in 2004, Queen Elizabeth deemed it too fragile to continue wearing. Dressmaker Angela Kelly has since made a replica of the gown, and that's what baby Archie wore to his christening. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex touch on this briefly in an Instagram post from this weekend.
"The original Royal Christening Robe, made of fine Honiton lace lined with white satin, was commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1841 and first worn by her eldest daughter. It was subsequently worn for generations of Royal christenings, including The Queen, her children and her grandchildren until 2004, when The Queen commissioned this handmade replica, in order for the fragile historic outfit to be preserved, and for the tradition to continue."
What a beautiful tradition!
