The Royal Family's Christening Dress Has a Fascinating History

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor will be christened today in Windsor, where the Palace confirmed that he will wear the same gown that his cousins George, Charlotte, and Louis wore to their baptisms. But of course since this dress belongs to the British royal family, its history goes back much farther than that.

Known as the Honiton christening gown, the garment that Archie is wearing is actually a replica of the dress that Queen Victoria commissioned for her first-born child, her daughter Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa. Little Princess Victoria was baptized in 1841 in Buckingham Palace, on her parents' first wedding anniversary.

An engraving of Princess Victoria's baptism at Buckingham Palace in 1841.

The gown had been inspired by Queen Victoria's own wedding dress, and was made from white silk with a handmade lace overlay. Janet Sutherland, a miner's daughter from Falkirk, Scotland, made the lace. Queen Victoria later noted in her journal that "Albert & I agreed that all had gone off beautifully & in a very dignified manner."

The dress was worn by 62 royal babies over the course of its 163 years of royal service. Five monarchs have been baptized in the gown, beginning with Victoria and Albert's first son, the future Edward VII. George V, Edward VIII, George VI and the Queen all wore the white lace dress, as did Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry.

Queen Victoria and the future King Edward VIII:

Queen Victoria poses with her son Bertie, who became Edward VII; her grandson, the future George V; and her great grandson, who would later be King Edward VIII, on his christening day in 1894.

Queen Elizabeth at her Christening in 1926:

Baby Princess Elizabeth with her parents the Duke and Duchess of York.

Prince Charles's Christening in 1948:

Prince Charles at his christening with his mother, Princess Elizabeth, his grandfather, George VI, and his great grandmother, Queen Mary.

Prince Harry's Christening in 1984:

Baby Prince Harry held by his mother Princess Diana and surrounded by his great grandmother, the Queen mother; his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his father, the Prince of Wales.

Princess Eugenie's Christening in 1990:

Sarah Fergueson, the Duchess of York holds baby Princess Eugenie. Prince Andrew, Zara Phillips, and Prince Harry are nearby.

The gown was cared for carefully over the years—protocol dictated that it be hand-washed with spring water after each ceremony, before being stored in a dark room.

The last royal to wear the original gown was Lady Louise Windsor, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex's daughter, in 2004. The Queen apparently decided then that the gown had earned its retirement, and asked her personal wardrobe advisor, Angela Kelly, to help make a replica.

Kelly worked closely with craftsmen in both Britain and Italy to get as close as possible to the original. (The team apparently set aside enough material for another gown, should they need a backup or perhaps one for a royal twin.)

The first to wear the new gown was James, Viscount Severn, Lady Louise's younger brother, who was baptized in 2008. Since then, it's been worn by Savanna and Isla Philips, Lord Frederick Windsor’s daughter Maud (who goes to school with George), Zara Tindall's daughters Lena and Mia, and of course Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

Prince George at his christening in 2013.

Elizabeth Angell

Digital Director

Elizabeth Angell is the Executive Editor, Digital for Town & Country, where she writes about the British Royal Family, the Kennedys, Ivy League shenanigans, superstars of interior design, and trends in style, beauty, and home.